WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., Co-Chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCAI), participated in two days of events celebrating the 11th Annual Angels in Adoption. Wednesday, 130 individuals from around the nation, including five from Louisiana, were recognized for their work on adoption and foster care issues, at an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill. The Angels were also honored at a Gala dinner at the Ronald Regan Building in Washington. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that generates awareness about orphans and foster children, sponsored the events.

The five Louisiana Angels selected this year include Ada Burson of New Orleans; Lisa Gould of Minden; Edith Morris of New Orleans; Barbara Thompson of Zachary; and Irene Williams from Harvey. In addition, New Orleans native, Sean Tuohy, was honored, along with his wife, Leigh Anne, as two of the four National Angels. Author, Michael Lewis, also a native of New Orleans, served as the Awards Presenter.

"Each year the Angels in Adoption events highlight the important work of individuals who are committed to ensuring all children have a loving family," said Sen. Landrieu. "I could not be prouder of our Louisiana Angels this year. Each has worked diligently to make a difference in their community by advocating for children and adoptive parents. These Angels have inspired us all with their efforts to connect thousands of children with loving caring parents."

"I feel honored and gratified to be recognized by Sen. Landrieu for my work at Children's Bureau in the field of adoption," said Burson, who was nominated by Sen. Landrieu. "This award is especially meaningful as Sen. Landrieu has long been a strong advocate for adoption in Louisiana and nationwide. I accept this award on behalf of all the social workers who are doing this important work on behalf of children, birth parents and adoptive families."

Four "National Angels" were also recognized for their efforts in adoption and foster care awareness:

Al Roker: Roker is a nine-time Emmy winner who developed a continuing series for "Today" called "Today's Dad," featuring parenting tips for fathers. Roker is an adoptive parent and father of three children.

Judge Michael Nash: Nash has served as a Juvenile Court Judge since 1990 and has played a role in bringing numerous changes to the juvenile courts in Los Angeles, including the creation of drug courts in both Delinquency and Dependency Courts and the development of protocols to foster communication and coordination between Dependency and Delinquency courts. He also helped establish Adoption Saturday in Los Angeles in 1998. Since then, approximately 10,000 foster children in Los Angeles have had their adoptions completed in Saturday court hearings. It has become a national program with over 200 courts in all fifty states participating annually in National Adoption Day. In 2008, almost 3,000 adoptions were completed on National Adoption Day.

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy: The Tuohy's life and adoption story was chronicled in Michael Lewis's bestselling book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which is being made into a major motion picture, also entitled The Blindside. The movie and book detail the incredible journey the Tuohy family embarked upon during their adoption of their eldest son, Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens. Michael's determination to be the best at what he does and his ability to be an upstanding citizen are a credit to the Tuohys. Their story has impacted people all across the country. They hope that sharing their experiences will positively affect children's lives and that individuals will find value in those who society have deemed valueless.

Michael Lewis (Awards Presenter): Michael Lewis is the author of several best-selling books, including Liar's Poker and Moneyball. Lewis is the author of The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which chronicles the life of Baltimore Ravens Left Tackle, Michael Oher, an intermittently homeless Memphis foster child taken in by 2009 National Angels in Adoption, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Ada Burson nominated by Senator Mary Landrieu: Ms. Burson was hired by the Children's Bureau on August 18, 1969 and in 1984, became the Coordinator for the Adoption, Foster Care, and Pregnancy Counseling Program. Currently, Ada is the Clinical Director of the Children's Bureau. Ada was a founding member and later President of the Louisiana Coalition for Adoption (LCFA). Her work with the LCFA led to two important amendments to the Louisiana Children's Code, one which requires birth parents to receive two hours of professional counseling prior to signing an act of surrender, and prospective adoptive parents undergoing a pre-placement home study. Ada was also instrumental in the rebuilding of the Children's Bureau after Hurricane Katrina, allowing the agency to begin delivering services again to the children of our community in October 2005. Not only has Ada provided quality services to children and families, but she has also provided clinical supervision and training to many Master's level social workers who continue to serve children in Louisiana and throughout the country.

Lisa Gould nominated by Representative John Fleming: Mrs. Lisa Gould is an advocate for mothers in crisis. Lisa has dedicated her life to working with pregnant mothers who are considering abortion by working with the Ark-La-Tex Crisis Pregnancy Center and with the Alliance Defense Fund to stop abortion and encourage adoption. She speaks at events throughout North Louisiana sharing her testimony and her heart. A few years ago, despite already having two children, Lisa and her husband, Jason, adopted Liana, a little girl from China.

Edith H. Morris nominated by Representative Joseph Cao: Edith H. Morris is an adoption attorney who has brought together more than 1,000 families in the New Orleans area and Louisiana, through the miracle of adoption. As a fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, Ms. Morris is a frequent lecturer on family law, mediation and adoption, and puts on pro-bono seminars for local attorneys to review changes in Louisiana adoption laws. She is described by her staff as an unsung hero whose compassion and generosity to all those around her, whether she knows them well or not, is unsurpassable. Ms. Morris once provided the foster children of a pro-bono client with furniture, school uniforms and supplies.

Barbara Thompson nominated by Representative Bill Cassidy: Barbara Thompson of Zachary, Louisiana, is a licensed social worker with over thirty years of experience in child welfare. Barbara has been involved in adoption work for nearly as long. She previously served as the Director of the Bethany Christian Services adoption agency branch in Louisiana from 1989 through 2000. In addition to opening the agency, she supervised adoption and pregnancy counseling services and developed recruitment programs for permanent families for special needs and minority children. Since 2006, Barbara has served as International Adoption Social Worker for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Baton Rouge. In the past year, Barbara has worked diligently to establish Catholic Charities in Baton Rouge as an agency accredited and eligible to offer key services to Louisiana families for Hague Convention-compliant adoptions. Barbara has been involved in hundreds of Louisiana adoptions over the past thirty years, both directly and indirectly.

Irene Williams nominated by Senator David Vitter: Irene Williams is an adoptive parent and a leader in adoption advocacy in Louisiana. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of six. Ms. Williams started her adoption journey as a foster parent in New Orleans, helping her first foster child move to an adoptive placement. She adopted her second foster care placement, Steve, and later his sister, Gia, who joined Ferris, and Damion Williams. She became interested in the Louisiana Adoption Advisory Board (LAAB) about 15 years ago following a LAAB conference that she attended. She is currently serving her second year as Chair of LAAB, having served as Vice-Chair in 2007 and 2008. At present, she is coordinating and organizing a new support group for parents of foster children and adoptive children in the greater New Orleans area. Her ultimate goal is to develop respite services for these families.