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 uncon-
ditional 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 Amer-
ica 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 suf-
fered neglect, abuse, or trauma while they were living in 
neglectful, dangerous, or unsafe environments; 
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Whereas the families of the Bennett Chapel Missionary Bap-
tist 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-mem-
ber congregation church to adopt children from the over-
whelmed 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 chil-
dren, 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 Mis-
sionary Baptist Church in Possum Trot today, and con-
tinue to advocate for foster and adoptive care nationwide: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) highlights National Adoption Awareness 
Month; 
(2) recognizes the importance of a stable, safe, 
and loving home for the overall well-being and suc-
cess of a child, and how adoption is an important 
permanency option and has changed the lives of mil-
lions of children for the better; 
(3) honors Bishop W.C. Martin, First Lady 
Donna Martin, and the Bennett Chapel Missionary 
Baptist Church for their many acts of selflessness 
and unconditional love through adoption and fos-
tering in the Possum Trot, Texas, community; 
(4) honors the many families across America 
who are currently fostering or adopting and the or-
ganizations supporting these families, including fam-
ilies acting as guardians or providing kinship care, 
and the many children who benefit from foster, kin-
ship, guardianship, and adoptive care; 
(5) encourages other families to consider fos-
tering and adopting children, or to find an avenue 
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to support such loving families who have undertaken 
to foster and adopt; and 
(6) supports the enactment of legislation such 
as H.R. 8793, the Foster Care Adoption Oversight 
and Support Act, which would collect data on adop-
tions from the foster care system to improve out-
comes for adopted children and their families and to 
identify discrepancies in resources and services to 
families and children. 
Æ 
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