IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1572 

Honoring the selfless acts of adoption, fostering, and unconditional love by 

Bishop W.C. Martin, First Lady Donna Martin, and the Bennett Chapel 

Missionary Baptist Church of Possum Trot, Texas, toward the children 

in their community, and recognizing families across America who strive 

to foster, adopt, and better the lives of vulnerable children in the foster 

care system. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2024 

Mr. MORAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the selfless acts of adoption, fostering, and unconditional love by Bishop W.C. Martin, First Lady Donna 

Martin, and the Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist 

Church of Possum Trot, Texas, toward the children in 

their community, and recognizing families across America who strive to foster, adopt, and better the lives of 

vulnerable children in the foster care system. 

Whereas there are approximately 370,000 children in the 

child welfare system nationwide, many of whom have suffered neglect, abuse, or trauma while they were living in 

neglectful, dangerous, or unsafe environments; 


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•HRES 1572 IH 

Whereas the families of the Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Possum Trot, Texas, under the leadership 

of Bishop and First Lady Martin, came to the rescue of 

77 of these children by providing safe and caring homes 

through their determination, prayer, and unconditional 

love; 

Whereas, nearly three decades ago, Bishop W.C. Martin and 

his wife Donna crusaded for members of their 100-member congregation church to adopt children from the overwhelmed Texas foster care system in and around the 

Possum Trot, Texas, community; 

Whereas the Martins, who already had 2 biological children, 

decided to adopt another 4, starting a movement of 22 

families within the Possum Trot community to adopt or 

foster children without a home; 

Whereas Mrs. Martin was inspired to adopt after the death 

of her beloved mother, Murtha, who had raised 18 children, and stated, ‘‘And the Holy Spirit said, ‘Think 

about those other children out there that do not have 

what you had with your mother.’ I was overcome with 

such warmness. I walked back into the house, picked up 

the Yellow Pages and called an adoption agency’’; 

Whereas this story has been retold in the recent film, ‘‘Sound 

of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot’’, which is a story 

of inspiration for all of us to give more; to love more; to 

do more for those around us, and according to Bishop 

Martin, the ‘‘Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot’’ 

serves as a testimony of ‘‘hope for children, hope that 

they will find a primacy in their life, a home, a mother, 

a father, love and God’’; and 


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Whereas the Martins continue to lead Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Possum Trot today, and continue to advocate for foster and adoptive care nationwide: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) highlights National Adoption Awareness 

3 Month; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of a stable, safe, 

5 and loving home for the overall well-being and suc6 cess of a child, and how adoption is an important 

7 permanency option and has changed the lives of mil8 lions of children for the better; 

9 (3) honors Bishop W.C. Martin, First Lady 

10 Donna Martin, and the Bennett Chapel Missionary 

11 Baptist Church for their many acts of selflessness 

12 and unconditional love through adoption and fos13 tering in the Possum Trot, Texas, community; 

14 (4) honors the many families across America 

15 who are currently fostering or adopting and the or16 ganizations supporting these families, including fam17 ilies acting as guardians or providing kinship care, 

18 and the many children who benefit from foster, kin19 ship, guardianship, and adoptive care; 

20 (5) encourages other families to consider fos21 tering and adopting children, or to find an avenue 


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1 to support such loving families who have undertaken 

2 to foster and adopt; and 

3 (6) supports the enactment of legislation such 

4 as H.R. 8793, the Foster Care Adoption Oversight 

5 and Support Act, which would collect data on adop6 tions from the foster care system to improve out7 comes for adopted children and their families and to 

8 identify discrepancies in resources and services to 

9 families and children. 

Æ 


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