Petite actresses Rhea Perlman and Kristin Chenoweth may be small in size, but certainly not in heart — and that was quite visible to the hundreds of guests who attended the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s 2010 Angels in Adoption Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Wednesday night.
“I’ve always been involved in children’s issues, all different kinds and some of them touch my heart more than others and I’m just very proud and honored to be part of this,” Perlman told Yeas & Nays.
The Emmy award-winning actress and mother of three said while she doesn’t have any adopted children of her own, she is not new to adoption.
“In 1970 I adopted Danny. Somebody had to do it,” Perlman said, laughing as she talked about her husband Danny DeVito, who was sitting at a nearby table.
The “Cheers” star has been spending a lot of time working on getting older kids in foster care adopted.
“They are the least visible and they often end up leaving foster care with no family and no one to talk to,” she said. “I think it is really important to try and hook them up with someone before they leave because they are the most needy part of that population.”
Part of Perlman’s efforts include producing short films (which currently appear on a Fox TV affiliate in Los Angeles) called “This is Me.” Each spot features a different, older child who is in foster care and is eligible for adoption. That is one reason why Perlman, along with Chenoweth (who shared her story of adoption), were honored with the 2010 National Angels in Adoption Award.
Perlman said she hopes her work is making a difference.
“If I thought that my work doing this really helps get some kids adopted, I’d feel very happy with myself,” she said.
Country music artist Jimmy Wayne also attended, along with Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.
