The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) honored IHL president and Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) co-founder Greg Buzek with the first annual Paul Singer Award at the 13th Annual "Angels in Adoption" Congressional gala. The award was presented in a ceremony on October 5, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Established in 1999, the Angels in Adoption program was created to raise awareness of adoption and celebrates those who have made a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable children in need of a family. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption is one of the largest coalitions in the nations legislature, with over 200 current and former members of Congress participating.

The Paul Singer Award is the newest addition to CCAIs Angels in Adoption program. It honors business or government leaders who have gone beyond their corporate or agency roles to advocate for better adoption and/or foster care policies worldwide. As an adoptive parent and the former CIO and SVP of Target Corporation and SuperValu, Mr. Singer advocated for orphans nationally and around the world. It is in this spirit that the Paul Singer Award was created, and the inaugural award was presented by Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana and Lisa Martin, Paul Singers Daughter.

As a champion of orphans and vulnerable children, Greg Buzek embodies the spirit of the Paul Singer Award. In 2010, with inspiration and partnership of Paul Singer and Marc Millstein, Mr. Buzek co-founded the Retail Orphan Initiative, which leverages the power and influence of retailers to benefit orphans and vulnerable children worldwide.

In addition to the Paul Singer Award, the Congressional gala also honored this years National Angels in Adoption winners, who were awarded for their work on behalf of children nationally. They include Academy Award-nominated actress Nia Vardalos, NFL linebacker Scott Fujita, and Emmy Award-nominated television program Freddie Mac Foundations "Wednesdays Child.' In addition, the national winners were joined by more than 40 other members of Congress in personally presenting awards to 140 "Angel" families throughout the country.

About CCAI

CCAI (www.ccainstitute.org) is a non-profit organization which serves as an educational resource for information critical to advancing the efforts of policymakers on behalf of children in need of families.

About the Retail Orphan Initiative

The Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) is a charitable foundation under the umbrella of the Giving Back Fund, and was established to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide. RetailROI provides grants to charities that provide hands-on efforts in the following areas:
* Orphan care (food, shelter, medical, clothing, education)
* Foster care support organizations
* Adoption support organizations
* Grants and zero-interest loans for adoption
* Child rescue from human trafficking
* Life skills training for orphaned and vulnerable children

In addition, RetailROI seeks to empower other charities by providing opportunities to leverage their core strengths and abilities.

For more information, contact us at info@retailROI.org, (615) 591-2955 or visit www.retailroi.org.