Senators honor Wyndmere family for adoption efforts

Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., announced Thursday their nomination of Paul and Leila Ptacek of Wyndmere for the “Angels in Adoption” award. The annual Congressional award honors champions of adoption from across the country.

“We had many worthy candidates for this year’s ‘Angels in Adoption’ award,” the senators said in a joint statement. “Paul and Leila have shown an extraordinary dedication to providing a loving home for their three adopted children. They are very deserving of this distinction.”

The Ptaceks became adoptive parents to their now nine-year-old niece Makala through the Adults Adopting Special Kids Program in 2002. This January the Ptaceks adopted two more children, siblings Justice, 10, and D’Andre, 6, who went through numerous foster care placements and a disrupted adoption before becoming part of the Ptacek family. The Ptaceks will be finalizing the adoption of Justice and D’Andre in August.

Paul is a business representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers in Fargo. Leila is currently a stay-at-home mother.

Dorgan and Conrad are both members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, which nominates “Angels in Adoption” from each state every year. This year’s nominees will be honored in October at a ceremony in Washington.

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