Amid National Adoption Month, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) congratulated Joel and Heather Fry, who were honored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) for their work in adoption and child welfare. The Clarke County family, nominated by Grassley, were chosen as CCAI’s 2023 Angels in Adoption Honorees representing the state of Iowa.
“All children deserve a permanent, loving home with consistent and caring adults in their lives,” Grassley said. “This year I nominated Joel and Heather Fry for their exemplary commitment to supporting vulnerable children, both locally and abroad. Over the years they have opened their hearts and home to children who have experienced trauma and neglect, serving as a beacon of hope within their community.”
The Angels in Adoption Leadership Program honors individuals for their contributions to adoption, permanency and child welfare. Serving as CCAI’s signature public awareness program, honorees have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to celebrate their work and share their experiences with their representatives in Congress.
Joel, a licensed therapist and Iowa State Representative, and Heather, a teacher, live in south-central Iowa with their nine children, five of whom are adopted. The couple spent six years fostering children before deciding to adopt internationally.
“Our desire to be foster parents was a calling from the Lord,” Fry said. “My wife is a teacher and has an incredible gift with children. I am a therapist and understand the nature of trauma and attachment issues. It felt like it was something we were prepared to handle; a new way in which we could use our gifts.”
Grassley, the co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, has led several bills to ensure better outcomes for foster children and adoptive families, including:
- The Adoption and Safe Families Act, which helps reduce barriers to adoption and increase the numbers of adoptions from foster care across the country.
- The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act, which makes it easier for foster children to stay in their home communities.
- The Family First Prevention Services Act, which gives states access to federal resources for prevention services supporting families at risk of entering the child welfare system.
- The Recruiting Families Using Data Act, which strengthens state efforts to identify, recruit, screen, support and retain foster and adoptive families.
As a leading advocate for families and children in need, Grassley has authored and ensured passage of a resolution marking May as National Foster Care Month every year since 2014. In 2015, he was named a member of the Advisory Council of the CCAI, joining other members of Congress and child welfare advocates in advising the institute on policy efforts to help children.
