COCHRAN RECOGNIZES MAGGIE WADE OF JACKSON
AS CHAMPION OF ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE CAUSES IN MISSISSIPPI

Nominated by Cochran, Wade to be Honored in Washington Next Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced that WLBT-TV anchor Maggie Wade of Jackson will be honored next week in Washington because of her dedication to finding adoptive families for Mississippi children in the foster care system.

Cochran recommended Wade to be the 2011 Angel in Adoption from Mississippi as part of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s “Angels in Adoption” program.  Wade will be in Washington Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 4-5, for events that will promote adoption and honor more than 190 Angels in Adoption from around the country.

“Through Maggie Wade’s work as a news anchor, she has graciously helped find homes for thousands of foster children who need loving, permanent families.  I am pleased that her advocacy on behalf of children in Mississippi will be recognized in the nation’s capital,” Cochran said.

A native of Crystal Springs, Wade is the news co-anchor for WLBT and covers stories on education and children’s issues.  Wade has utilized her position as a news anchor to help find nurturing families for foster children in need of permanent homes through a program called “Wednesday’s Child.”  This program is shown every Wednesday during the 5 p.m. an 10 p.m. local newscasts and highlights children in the foster care system awaiting adoption.  As a result of this segment, 98 percent of the children featured have been adopted, totaling over 7,000 children.

Wade’s civic works have been recognized by numerous organizations, including being honored as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year by Tougaloo College.  An inductee into the Mississippi Association of Public Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Wade was also selected as the Citizen of the Year in 2009 for her work with Wednesday’s Child by the National Association of Social Workers, Mississippi Chapter.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on increasing awareness about children in need of permanent, safe and loving homes, and on eliminating barriers to adoption.  CCAI, which does not receive government funding, was established in 2001 as an outgrowth of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.  Cochran and Congressman Alan Nunnelee are members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption for the 112th Congress.

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