The Times-Picayune: Sen. Mary Landrieu praises actress Katherine Heigl at adoption event
There were a lot of wet eyes during last week's gala for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., a long-term leader of Congress' Adoption Caucus and the gala's honorees, actress Katherine Heigl and her musician husband, Josh Kelley, were moved by heartbreaking accounts of foster children who grew up without a permanent home and the promising stories of young people who found stability with adoptive parents.
Landrieu introduced Heigl, the star of the TV drama "Grays Anatomy," with these remarks, according to the Washington Examiner. "I'm going to embarrass her because I'm going to tell you all she's been crying the whole night," Landrieu said. "She's been sitting next to me, and I don't know if she's going to make it through the speech, but she is charming and she is fantastic."
Heigl said the Angels in Adoption award she and her husband received means a lot more than those typical Hollywood award shows. "It's nice for us to participate in something that means something for a change," said Heigl, who along with her husband adopted two children. "We feel a little silly being honored for doing the right thing -- it feels like the right thing is just the right thing to do; you don't get awards for it, you get your heart filled for it."
