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The National Council For Adoption Mourns the Passing of Dr. Gregory Foltz
NCFA Honors the Memory of Board Member and Adoption Hall of Fame Awardee
Alexandria, Virginia (December 30, 2004) – The National Council For Adoption (NCFA) mourns the passing of long-time NCFA Board member and 2004 Adoption Hall of Fame awardee, Dr. Gregory Foltz. Dr. Foltz died just before 11:00 AM on December 29, after being admitted to the Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine on Christmas Eve.
Dr. Foltz had been a member of the NCFA Board of Directors for 15 years. Thomas Atwood, NCFA’s president says, “It was a tremendous honor to know and work with Dr. Gregory Foltz. Greg was a man of great integrity, humility, and wit. Throughout his career of compassion, he tirelessly served women in crisis and children in need. As a faithful Board member and officer, Greg was also instrumental in building and leading NCFA to be the positive force for adoption that it has been since its founding in 1980.”
Dr. Foltz served for 15 years as the Executive Director of St. Andre Home in Biddeford, Maine. Under his leadership, St. Andre has provided adoption services, group care, and maternity home services for thousands of birthmothers, pregnant teens, and parenting young women with children. St. Andre also provides regular humanitarian aid to hearing-impaired and deaf children in Novosbykov, Russia.
In speaking of Greg’s important role on the NCFA Board, fellow Board member Fred Riley said, “A few like Greg cannot be replaced. As a part of being in Greg's sphere of influence, each of our strides were lengthened, our steps quickened, and our shine more brilliant. During our meetings we will miss his humor, wisdom, and compassion. In future meetings I know I will find myself thinking, ‘What would Greg have thought or said in this situation.’”
Oher fellow Board members echoed Riley. Louis Stern added, “How fortunate we were that we could honor Dr. Foltz this past year with an award he so richly deserved. Greg's work will go forward for both Saint Andre and NCFA.”
Rev. Robert J. Vitillo commented, "We who serve on the Board of Directors of this organization will always be indebted to him and will continue to follow the values that he shared with us."
Rosemary McDonough added, "Greg taught us so much about common decency, about being a good family man, about humility, and about faith."
Lynda Davis said, " He was such a blessing and a servant to us all and especially the mission we all support."
For his extraordinary contributions in promoting the positive option of adoption, and for his vital and sustained service to birthmothers and children, NCFA honored Dr. Foltz with its Adoption Hall of Fame Award in 2004. In presenting the award, Board member Delia Stroud said of Dr. Foltz, “In the years we’ve worked together, my admiration for Greg has only grown. I have come to count on his sparkling wit, sage insight, and intelligence, his unerring judgment, and an abiding faith in the goodness of God and the human spirit.”
In receiving his award, Dr. Foltz encouraged all in attendance at the banquet by saying, “You do this work one heart at a time.” He proved to us all that, if you are willing to devote your life to serving people in need, who are often invisible and unimportant to the culture at large, then you can find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life.
Atwood continues, “Greg Foltz’s absence will be felt, and his servant-leadership sorely missed. But NCFA and the adoption community will continue to benefit from his legacy of compassion and hard work.”
About NCFA
Since 1980, NCFA has been a leading voice among national adoption and child welfare organizations. NCFA is a research, education, and advocacy nonprofit that provides adoption information, promotes ethical adoption practices, informs public policy and opinion about adoption issues, and serves as a resource for women with unplanned pregnancies, adopted persons and their families, those seeking to adopt, and adoption professionals.
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