WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu (R-NH) and Congressmen Charles Bass and Jeb Bradley (R-NH) have nominated three New Hampshire residents for recognition as part of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) “Angels in Adoption” program. Gregg and Sununu recommended Bonnie Ward of Exeter for the distinction; Bass nominated Margaret Cunnane Hall of Brookline; and Bradley selected Elaine MacEwen of Windham to receive the honor. CCAI plans to recognize nominees from around the country who have worked on behalf of foster children and orphans at a gala event in Washington tonight.

“Every child deserves the support of a loving family. The personal experiences of New Hampshire’s ‘Angels in Adoption’ nominees  make them powerful advocates for the ongoing national and international effort to match parents with children in need. We appreciate the opportunity to recognize these individuals for their strong commitment to an effort that makes a difference in the lives of children and families,” said Gregg, Sununu, Bass and Bradley.

CCAI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that raises awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world. The group works to eliminate barriers that hinder adoption procedures. CCAI’s “Angels in Adoption” program provides an opportunity for members of Congress to honor the work of constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans.

Information about the nominees follows:

Exeter resident Bonnie Ward, who was nominated by Gregg and Sununu, adopted two girls from China and is the founder of ChangDeKids, a group for families with children adopted from ChangDe in Hunan Province. She has been active in raising money for Chinese orphanages, including ChangDe Social Welfare Institute and Hope Foster Home in Beijing. Through her work with ChangDe Kids, Ward has brought together hundreds of adoptive families in the United States, Canada and Europe. Over the years she has sponsored numerous children in foster care in both China and Africa and has written extensively about her experiences as an adoptive mother.

Bass’s nominee, attorney Margaret Cunnane Hall of Brookline, became more devoted to her law firm’s adoption practice after she and her husband adopted two children. With about 1,000 adoptions in her practice, Hall has earned a reputation for being adept at understanding and meeting the needs of adopting parents, birth mothers and other family members involved in adoptions. She has been a consultant to foster families and has served as a guardian ad litem over the past 20 years, representing children through transitions and family separations. Hall served on the protocols committee that rewrote New Hampshire adoption law and is a member of American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the New Hampshire Open Door Society. She has also been an instructor in the New Hampshire Bar Association’s continuing legal education programs.

Bradley nominated Elaine MacEwen of Windham, the founder of Nobody’s Children, an international children’s relief organization. MacEwen founded Nobody’s Children in 1991 after adopting her son from Romania. Moved by the plight of orphans in that country, MacEwen organized a foundation to improve the conditions of abandoned children in Romania using innovations in institutional programs and direct aid. In recent years, she has worked tirelessly through both government and private channels to improve the opportunities for children awaiting adoption in Romania. She also sought to leverage their efforts by working directly with Romanian doctors to improve their abilities to care for children. In 1996, she began programs in Bosnia including a program of free dental care for children. Recently, she has extended the focus of Nobody’s Children to schoolchildren who are victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region.

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