SENATE RESOLUTION

                         1997-8638

By Senator Swecker, Zarelli and Rasmussen

     WHEREAS, Holt International Children=s Services is celebrating 40 years of intercountry adoption; and

     WHEREAS, Harry and Bertha Holt founded Holt International in 1956 in response to seeing thousands of children left homeless after the Korean War; and

     WHEREAS, In 1956, at the age of 51 and 50, the Holts adopted eight Korean orphans, drawing gasps from friends who worried that tending their six birth children would make the burden of adoption too heavy; and

     WHEREAS, In 1966, Mrs. Holt was awarded American Mother of the Year, and in 1995, was the first foreigner to receive Korea=s National Merit Award; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Holt believes every child deserves a home of their own and is currently bringing children and families together in over 10 nations; and

     WHEREAS, In four decades more than 100,000 of the world=s children have found permanent homes through the adoption and child welfare programs of Holt International Children=s Services; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Holt has placed more than 1,000 children with families in Washington State alone; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Holt is still actively working for children and families and has become Agrandma@ to the over 100,000 orphans she has helped;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the members of the Washington State Senate, do hereby honor and pay tribute to Mrs. Holt=s 40 years of leadership in the field of international adoption and permanency planning for children, and pay tribute to the staff of Holt International as people of whom we can all be proud.

I, Mike O=Connell, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1997-March 26, 1997,

adopted by the Senate March 26, 1997.

MIKE O=CONNELL

Secretary of the Senate