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Press Release From Senator Ensign

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September 25, 2009

ENSIGN: CARSON CITY COUPLE TRULY ANGELS IN ADOPTION

Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign is proud to announce that his nominees for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Angels in Adoption Program have been selected to represent the state of Nevada for the extraordinary contributions they have made on behalf of children in need of homes. Roberta and Merrill Simon, of Carson City, have adopted 18 children over the past 30 years—most of whom have been special needs children.

“When you come across people like Roberta and Merrill Simon, you see what good there really is in the world,” said Ensign. “Having been adopted by my dad when I was a child, I know what an amazing gift adoption is. For the Simons to open their homes and their hearts to 18 children is beyond extraordinary. There is no better word to describe them than angels.”

The Simon’s children range in age from 15 months old to 30 years old. They have adopted children with short life expectancies and extreme disabilities.

Roberta Simon explained that the couple is humbled by the recognition but feel that there are many others that deserve it more. “We were brought together by tragedy, but we try not to define ourselves by those events in the children’s lives,” she stated.

The Angels in Adoption Program works to draw attention to the difference that adoption makes in a child’s life. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute educates federal policymakers on the barriers that prevent children from being adopted. Deanna Workman & Denise Gernant were also selected to represent Nevada in this program.

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