Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Washington) congratulated Dan and Annie Wilson of Seattle, Washington, this week for receiving the 2012 Angels in AdoptionTM award. McDermott nominated the Wilsons in appreciation for their exceptional advocacy of adoption and care for orphans.
Dan is best known for his outstanding career as catcher for the Seattle Mariners and together, Dan and Annie are well known for their years of service to the Seattle community, including leading the 2012-2013 King County United Way Campaign. It is less well known that Dan and Annie are heroes to orphans, widows and vulnerable families in places like Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala and Bulgaria. The Wilsons have been advocates for the needs of orphans and adopted children by championing major fundraising initiatives, opening doors to heads of state, and leading construction teams to build sports fields, a school library, and a daycare in Africa. Dan served on the board of All God’s Children International for 14 years from 1998 to 2012. Both Dan and Annie continue to be strong advocates for AGCI and champions for orphans around the world.
Dan and Annie’s oldest daughter, Sofia, was adopted from Bulgaria in 1996 and their youngest son, Abraham, was adopted from Guatemala in 2001. Their daughter, Josie, and son, Eli, round out the Wilson clan.
Award Background
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption. CCAI’s goal is the elimination of the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family.
CCAI was created in 2001 by the active co-chairs of the bicameral, bipartisan Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) to more effectively raise Congressional and public awareness about the issue of adoption.
The Angels in Adoption™ program was established in 1999 as a Congressional press conference to honor outstanding individuals. Since then, the program has developed into a yearlong public awareness campaign culminating in an extraordinary awards Gala and celebration in Washington, D.C
