IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1572 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; 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 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

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 success of a child, and how adoption is an important permanency option and has changed the lives of millions 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 fostering in the Possum Trot, Texas, community; (4) honors the many families across America who are currently fostering or adopting and the organizations supporting these families, including families acting as guardians or providing kinship care, and the many children who benefit from foster, kinship, guardianship, and adoptive care; (5) encourages other families to consider fostering and adopting children, or to find an avenue 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 adoptions from the foster care system to improve outcomes for adopted children and their families and to identify discrepancies in resources and services to families and children.