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Jacqueline Bond '05 and Amy Paul '05 were recently honored at a White House event for their efforts advocating adoption and foster care issues. Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) nominated Bond and Paul, designating them Angels in Adoption.

"It is an amazing honor to be recognized as an Adoption Angel," Paul said. "I am extremely passionate about child advocacy and see my role as a caseworker as a chance to make a positive influence in the lives of children."

The distinction is part of the Angels in Adoption program, one that provides an opportunity for Congress members to recognize the work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the U.S. and abroad.

While several adoption advocates were recognized nationally at the event, Bond and Paul were two of only five from South Carolina to receive the Angels in Adoption honor.

Both psychology majors and Alpha Delta Pi sorority members while at PC are now certified adoption investigators. They work with Adoption Advocacy in Greenville, SC.

Paul also serves as a family caseworker with the agency. In addition, she is a volunteer guardian ad litem in Greenville County. She recently received the South Carolina Adoption Angel award given by the South Carolina Council on Adoptable Children and has co-authored articles that have appeared in national adoption and foster care publications.

"PC's motto, 'Dum Vivimus Servimus,' helped to me to understand the importance of serving others in our community," Paul said. As a member of Student Volunteer Services, Paul mentored Thornwell students.

In addition to working with Adoption Advocacy, Bond is currently pursuing a family law degree from the Charleston School of Law. She is also a certified guardian ad litem for Charleston County. She has recently helped with the Heart Gallery, a nationwide effort to have children from foster care be adopted into permanent homes.

"PC instilled in me the desire to serve my community," Bond said about how her undergraduate days prepared her for her life's work. "Student Volunteer Services was a wonderful outlet that allowed me to serve the people in the community, giving me the need to go into the world and further serve. The smiles and thank you's from the people we helped were strong motivation to push forward."

Bond received the Jack and Jane Presseau Service Award and was named the Presbyterian College Psychology Student of the Year in 2005.

"Psychology classes, especially the counseling and personality classes, helped me fine-tune my skills in working with people who had different experiences and different life perceptions than I," Bond said.

An article that Bond recently co-authored focuses on what every caseworker, guardian, and foster parent should know about the 1997 Safe Families and Adoption Act.. The article was presented at the North American Council on Adoptable Children and the South Carolina Council on Adoptable Children.

Former Adoption Angels include First Lady Laura Bush, Patti LaBelle, Jane Seymour, Muhammad Ali, the late Dave Thomas, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bruce Willis, Alonzo Mourning, and Marcus Samuelsson.