Mendocino College Lake Center Assistant Denice Solgat has been chosen as the 2020 “Angel in Adoption” for California’s Fifth Congressional District, announced Congressman Mike Thompson last week. This award is granted to people across the country who make lasting differences in promoting adoption, permanency, and child welfare.
“Denice represents the very best in foster parents, having fostered more than 300 children over the past 25 years and adopting 11. She is particularly adept at helping medically fragile and special needs children who can get otherwise passed over by foster parents,” said Thompson. “She’s made a measurable difference in the lives of so many and I am proud that she has been selected as this year’s Angel in Adoption for our district.”
Solgat has worked at the Mendocino College Lake Center for 21 years. She and her husband David have had five daughters graduate from Mendocino College, and two more are current students working on their degrees. “Working as a Center Assistant is a natural extension of my care-giving personality,” says Solgat. “I take great pride in watching students find their path and navigate their own education. I can be frequently overheard, reminding students they are in charge of their education, and nobody will advocate on their behalf better than they themselves. I feel it is a privilege to be an integral part of the educational system affording students to follow and achieve their career dreams.”
Solgat is beyond honored to receive the recognition and says she couldn’t have done any of it without the help and support of her husband of team of superheroes.
Denice Solgat has been a foster parent for more than 300 children in Kelseyville for over the past 25 years. She has developed an intricate care network to support the medically vulnerable and special needs children she fosters, with relationships with agencies from the California Children’s Services, to UCSF, to the Children’s Hospital Oakland. She was inspired to become a foster parent by her aunt and has since inspired her own daughter to become a foster parent.
The Angels in Adoption Program is run by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and honors people and organizations that promote strong adoption, permanency, and child welfare programs across the county. Each year they recognize individuals who are dedicated to these issues and make a deep national impact.
Photo: Denice Solgat, husband David Solgat, and Granddaughter Rory Mae Boyd
Photo credit to Stacy Jain Boyd
