U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., will meet today with people he selected for the 2006 and 2007 "Angels in Adoption" award.

Johnson will discuss with the winners the "blessings and challenges" that families face in trying to adopt.

Adoption is a family value for the Johnsons, the senator said in a news release. Their son Brendan and his wife, Jana, traveled to Ethiopia last July to adopt Trualem and Peneal.

"Barbara and I know firsthand the joy adoption can mean for families," Johnson said. "One of the great parts of my job is nominating people for recognition who have opened their hearts and homes to a child. It is a privilege to meet the Angels in Adoption honorees in person."

The 2007 Angels in Adoption winner, Audrey Kirkpatrick, is a social worker employed by Catholic Social Services in Rapid City who has guided numerous families through the adoption process. The 2006 winners, Thomas Cook and Shezalle Simmons, are parents from Hot Springs who have adopted five special-needs children, all younger than age 10.

The nominees were formally honored at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's annual "Angels in Adoption" reception and dinner in Washington, D.C. in their respective years.

The "Angels in Adoption" program was established in 1999 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to raise awareness about the importance of adoption. Johnson and his wife, Barbara, are active members of the coalition.

Johnson's legislative support of adoption extends to his work to establish a permanent adoption tax credit to lessen the initial financial burden for adoptive families, according to the news release. Adoption proceedings and legal fees for some domestic adoptions can cost more than $40,000.