Angels in Adoption candidates : Jeff and Lindsay Nolte talk about why adoptipn is important.
Sen. Tim Johnson stands with his nominee for Angels in Adoption award, Jeff Nolte (left) and Lindsay Nolte, and two of their four adopted children: Caleb, 6, and Alyssa, 7. / Beth Wischmeyer / Argus Leader
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See an interview with parents Lindsay and Jeff Nolte about adoption and foster parenting @argusleader.com
VIDEO
See an interview with parents Lindsay and Jeff Nolte about adoption and foster parenting @argusleader.com
VIDEO
See an interview with parents Lindsay and Jeff Nolte about adoption and foster parenting. Log on @argusleader.com
VIDEO Watch an interview with parents Lindsay and Jeff Nolte as adopting and foster parents. Log on @argusleader.com
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Two Canton parents have been nominated by Sen. Tim Johnson as an “Angel in Adoption,” for their love and kindness in giving four children a permanent home.
Lindsay and Jeff Nolte, parents to adopted children Mesa, 15, Kelsey, 13, Alyssa, 7, and Caleb, 6, met Monday in Sioux Falls with Johnson to discuss their children and the adoption process.
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Angels in Adoption Program provides members of Congress the opportunity to honor an individual, couple, or organization from their district who have made a contribution on behalf of children in need of homes, according to the organization’s website. Honorees hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and represent the wide spectrum of individuals involved in the adoption and foster care process. Since the program’s inception in 1999, more than 1,800 Angels have received this honor.
Other members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation also have nominated South Dakotans for the honor.
Rep. Kristi Noem nominated Bob and Jan Fuller of Presho, who have fostered more than 200 infants during the past 40 years. Sen. John Thune nominated Ryan and Amber Johnson of Sioux Falls for the award. In addition to opening their home to several foster children, the Johnsons adopted a 3-year-old boy and are in the process of adopting his younger brother.
The Noltes’ four adopted children were previously fostered by them.
In their eight years as foster parents, the Noltes have fostered 11 additional children. Mesa and Kelsey are half-sisters who were taken in by the Nolte family as foster children. Alyssa and Caleb had no relation, but lived like brother and sister in previous foster homes, they said. The Noltes also are advocates for educational support for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
With four children their family is quite busy.
“It’s a balancing act at our house, we have two in middle school, two in elementary school,” Jeff Nolte said. “But I don’t think we’d give it up for the world.”
Johnson said he supports legislation making an adoption tax credit permanent. The credit would help lessen the financial burden families face when adopting a child. Adoption proceedings and legal fees for some domestic adoptions can cost more than $40,000, according to Johnson’s office.
In South Dakota, 57 are children awaiting adoption, Kristin Kellar, communications director for the South Dakota Department of Social Services said in an email Monday.
There’s a definite need for foster parents and those looking to adopt, Jeff Nolte said. The family does not now have any children, gets phone calls and emails at least once a week for foster care.
“I’m incredibly inspired by the Noltes’ dedication to kids, through adoption and foster care, and I’m proud to honor them today as my 2012 Angels in Adoption,” Johnson said Monday. “Mesa, Kelsey, Alyssa and Caleb have found a loving and supporting forever family .”
Lindsay Nolte said adoption’s importance in providing loving homes.
“We’ve had kids in our home for a night, we’ve had a young child in our home for a year-and-a-half. She was two months old when we picked her up, and she left at 19 months,” she said.
“Seeing them have the opportunity to be part of the family, whether it’s, again, for a night or a long period of time, getting to see them flourish in that setting and be comfortable in that setting ... it’s kind of our goal and why we continue with it.”
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