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National Adoption Award Goes To Camden County Couple

By David Madden

SICKLERVILLE, N.J. (CBS) - A Camden County couple received an award in Washington this week, highlighting their commitment to adoption.

Dorothy and Charles Beck of Sicklerville have built quite a family.

"We have two birth children that are adults," Dorothy tells KYW Newsradio, "and then we started to adopt and we have adopted ten children in the past 25 years."

That prompted Congressman Donald Norcross (D-Camden) to nominate the couple for the Angels in Adoption award, which comes from the Washington based Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
The non-profit organization works to make adoption an easier and more attractive option for potential parents.

So why adopt so ten kids?

"There's just so many children out there that need homes," Dorothy said, "and we always put in for a child that the social worker or whatever would think would be very hard to place."

Among the issues making their adoptions difficult were physical and emotional handicaps and a need to keep twins together.

Charles is a mid-level manager and doesn't earn a ton of money. Dorothy admits they receive state aid to help pay the bills for the special physical needs of their kids.

But she says it's a labor of love, and one they may not be finished with just yet.

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