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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tamar Abrams
June 12, 2000
(703) 237-2276
HILLARY CLINTON AND TOM DELAY SHARE ORPHAN FOUNDATION OF
AMERICA'S 2000 HUMANITARIAN AWARD
OLIVER Dinner Highlights Accomplishments and Challenges of Twelve Former Foster Kids
Who Have Aged Out of System, Gone on to Higher Education
WASHINGTON, D.C. - First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and House Majority Whip Tom
DeLay were honored for their work on behalf of foster children at the Orphan Foundation of
America's (OFA) annual OLIVER Awards Dinner on June 12. "Our choice of honorees reflects
OFA's belief that the needs of foster kids transcend political differences," explains Eileen
McCaffrey, OFA Executive Director. "Mrs. Clinton and Mr. DeLay viscerally understand that
teens transitioning from state care to independence need quality programs that teach life skills
such as goal-setting and time and money management, and provide ongoing, family-like
guidance. The future of young people aging out of foster care is brighter thanks to the tireless
work of Mr. DeLay and Mrs. Clinton."
Congressman DeLay has been a major player in improving the lives of children in foster care. He
co-sponsored the Foster Care Reform Act of 1999, and was instrumental in pushing the bill
through the House and Senate. President Clinton signed the bill into law last year. By extending
benefits and increasing provisions for adolescents aging out of foster care, this legislation aids
the 20,000 adolescents each year who are left without a home, medical care, skills or financial
independence when they are "emancipated" out of the foster care system at age 18 or upon
graduating from high school. Mr. DeLay's dedication to children's issues is equally visible
outside of Washington. He was the featured speaker at this year's American Professional
Foster Care
Society's national conference on the abuse of children and ChildHelp USA's National Day of
Hope. In February 2000, he chaired a child welfare summit in Houston entitled Kids at Risk:
Working Together to Protect America's Youth. Mr. DeLay and his wife have been foster parents
to three adolescents over the past five years.
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton began working on foster care issues as a student at Yale Law
School 30 years ago and has continued to champion this important cause ever since. For the past
seven years, Mrs. Clinton has led the Administration's efforts to streamline and improve the
nation's foster care and adoption systems. She has been particularly outspoken about
breaking down barriers to adoption and ensuring that children receive the assistance they need as
they make the transition from foster care to independent life as young adults. Her voice and
expertise were instrumental to winning passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which
the President signed in 1997. This landmark legislation expedited permanent placement
decisions for children, ensured health insurance coverage for all special-needs children in
-more-
OFA Press Release, page two
subsidized adoption, and created bonuses for states to increase adoptions of children from the
foster care system. From 1996 to 1998, the number of adoptions from foster care nationwide
rose 29 percent -- from 28,000 to 36,000 -- the largest increase in the history of the program.
The OLIVER Awards Dinner was truly a bipartisan event, co-chaired by Virginia Congressmen
Tom Davis (R) and James Moran (D). Emceeing the dinner was OFA Honorary Chairman J.C.
Watts (R-OK). The 12 young people honored as participants in the 2000 OLIVER project were
selected for their leadership and scholarship qualities. They spent the 10 days prior to the dinner
in Washington meeting with members of Congress and business leaders and participating in
leadership training workshops. The former foster youth will receive $7,500 OLIVER
scholarships to help defray the costs of their studies.
The 2000 OLIVER scholarship recipients are: Jackie-Lynn Baker, Missoula, MT; Arlene Goltz,
Medford, OR; Curtis Mays, Pasadena, CA; Michael Olsen, Fairfax, VA; Lisa Piccolo,
Levittown, NY; Marvla Robinson, Oakwood, OK; Joey Smallwood, Marion, KS; Teresita
Tolbert, Parkesburg, PA; Jeff Wilcox, Pueblo, CO; Curtis Wilson, Melbourne, FL; Araceli
Santander, Waxahachie, TX; and Sima Patel, Chicago, IL.
The OLIVER Dinner was sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation. Additional support was
provided by the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, Oracle, The Limited, Inc./Intimate
Brands, Inc. and many other companies including AT&T, American Bankers Association,
United Parcel Service, General Dynamics, American Society of Association Executives, and
EmediaMillWorks.
The Orphan Foundation of America was founded in 1981 by an unadopted orphan, and is the
only national organization solely dedicated to helping older foster youth achieve successful
adulthood. OFA's goal is to provide scholarships, teen leadership training, mentoring support,
and independent living skills training to older foster youth so they can become productive, self-
reliant adults. OFA's funding comes from the Combined Federal Campaign, donations from
private citizens and the corporate community. OFA receives no government funding.
###
Hillary Clinton: A Leading Advocate for the Nation's Neediest Children
A Record of Accomplishment Adoption and Foster Care
As the Administration's most prominent advocate on foster care and adoption, Hillary Clinton
has worked on behalf of the over 500,000 children who live in foster care, and has led this
Administration's unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children in foster care and
providing them with permanent, loving homes. Hillary Clinton has promoted the adoption of
children living in foster care, worked to break down racial and ethnic barriers to adoption,
worked for passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and worked to provide
additional resources to children aging out of the foster care system through the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999. These two pieces of landmark legislation reformed our nation's child
welfare system by putting considerations of children's health and safety first.
Background
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: The Adoption and Safe Families Act helps thousands
of children waiting in foster care move more quickly into safe and permanent homes. This
overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation was based in large part on the recommendations of the
Administration's "Adoption 2002" report, which had the central goal of doubling the number of
adoptions to 56,000 by the year 2002. Already, the total number of adoptions rose to 36,000 in
1998 from 28,000 in 1996, on track to meet Administration's goal. This 29 percent increase is
the first significant increase in adoptions since the national foster care program was established
nearly 20 years ago.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act makes clear that the health and safety of children must be
the paramount concerns of state child welfare services. It sets swifter time frames for making
permanent placement decisions and terminating parental rights for children. For the first time,
states have financial incentives to increase adoptions. Children with special needs and ongoing
medical needs are ensured health care coverage. Federal funds continue for programs that work
to keep families together when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
Foster Care Independence Act: Nearly 20,000 young people leave foster care each year when
they reach age 18 without an adoptive family or other guardian. Without the emotional, social
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth find themselves inadequately
prepared for life on their own. Studies show that within two to four years of leaving foster care,
only half have completed high school, fewer than half are employed, one-fourth have been
homeless for at least one night, 30 percent do not have access to needed health care, 60 percent
of the women have given birth, and less than one in five are completely self-supporting.
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 provides additional funding to the Independent
Living program which offers older youth in foster care educational, vocational and employment
training, daily living skills, substance abuse prevention, and connections to dedicated adults as
mentors. The bill based on the Administration's plan, enables the program for the first time to
include support for room and board, and provide states with the option to offer these young
people Medicaid until their 21ˢᵗ birthday. In addition, the bill increases the asset limit and allows
youths to have $10,000 in savings and still be eligible for foster care payments, so that they can
save for college, an apartment or other needs that are critical for successful independence.
Finally, the bill establishes accountability for states in implementing their programs by requiring
data collection and evaluation.
A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION. With
the signing of the new Foster Care Independence Act, the Administration adds to an
unprecedented record of promoting the well-being of children and providing them with
permanent, loving homes. In 1998 there were a record 36,000 adoptions from foster care, the
first significant increase in the history of the program. From 1996 to 1998, the number of
adoptions nationwide rose 29 percent - from 28,000 to 36,000 and is on a pace to meet the
President's goal of 56,000 adoptions in 2002. Among the President's other steps to improve child
welfare and encourage adoption:
Increasing the Transitional Living Program. In the last budget, the Administration secured a
40 percent increase in the Transitional Living program, which provides funds to local
community-based organizations for residential care, life skills training, and other support
services to homeless adolescents. The program will now be funded at $20.7 million.
Enacting the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Based on the Administration's
Adoption 2002 report, this landmark law made the health and safety of children a clear priority,
provided the first-ever financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, tightened the time
frames for making permanent placements of children, and removed other barriers to adoption.
Making Adoption Affordable. In 1996, the President enacted a $5,000 tax credit for families
adopting children, and a $6,000 tax credit for families adopting children with special needs. In
the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the Administration provided more support for families who
adopt with a $500 per-child tax credit. And under the Family and Medical Leave Act, parents
can take time with a newly adopted child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
Breaking Down Racial and Ethnic Barriers to Adoption. New inter-ethnic adoption
provisions signed into law by the President ensure that the adoption process is free from
discrimination and delays on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
Giving States Flexibility and Support. This Administration has given 25 states waivers to test
innovative strategies for improving state child welfare systems. The Administration has
provided states technical support to improve court operations and grants to support local
adoption projects, and has also secured federal funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable
Families program to serve at-risk children and families.
Using the Internet to Promote Adoption. In November 1998, the President issued a directive
to the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to
find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care. HHS will develop a national
Internet site by the year 2002.
Jason H. Schechter
05/13/99 05:00:04 PM
Record Type:
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Subject: Statement by the President: Foster Care
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 13, 1999
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Hillary and I are pleased that Representatives Nancy Johnson and Ben Cardin today
introduced important legislation to assist the approximately 20,000 young people who leave
our nation's foster care system each year at age eighteen without an adoptive family or other
permanent family relationship. Today, federal financial support for these young people ends
just as they are making the critical transition to independence. Without the emotional, social,
and financial support that families provide, many of these youth are not adequately prepared
for life on their own.
I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that these young people have the tools
they need to make the most of their lives. That is why my budget request includes significant
new investments to provide them with access to health care and help them to earn a high
school diploma, further their education or vocational training, and learn daily living skills such
as budgeting, career planning and securing housing and employment. Today, Representatives
Johnson and Cardin have moved this issue forward. I am committed to working with them
and other members of Congress in the months ahead to enact meaningful and fiscally
responsible legislation to enable these young people to live up to their God-given potential.
30-30-30
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