Watauga Democrat
By Nick Fogleman
BOONE — John and Jennifer Cockman, longtime Boone residents and dedicated foster parents, were recently recognized in Washington, D.C., as the only North Carolina recipients of the 2025 “Angels in Adoption” award.
Sen. Thom Tillis nominated the couple, and the award celebrates their commitment to children and families through years of fostering, adoption and community service.
“It was a wonderful experience,” John said. “Everyone we met took plenty of time to speak with us.”
Over two days, the couple met with members of Congress, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, Ted Budd, Thom Tillis and Tim Scott, and Reps. James Clyburn, William Timmons and Virginia Foxx, to advocate for foster care and adoption reforms. They also attended the CCAI gala, where they spoke with Rep. Danny Davis, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Sen. Mary Landrieu.
“In each meeting, we shared our story of fostering and adoption,” John said.
The couple’s journey began more than a decade ago, inspired by their daughter’s early passion for helping others.
“One of our daughters has always, since she was little, just wanted to help orphans and take in children,” Jennifer said. “We kind of saw fostering as a way to foster that in her.”
The Cockmans became licensed foster parents in 2011 and have since fostered children for more than 13 years. Their daughter now serves as a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for children in the legal system.
“We have adopted four children from Watauga County and are currently fostering two,” Jennifer said. “We’ve loved it and loved all the people that we’ve met through the years, and we would just encourage anybody to foster if they’re able to because there is such a need for it.”
The couple also works with Foster Connection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Watauga, Avery and Ashe counties. Co-founded by Amanda Reim in partnership with local departments of social services, the organization connects volunteers, donors and churches with foster and kinship families to provide direct support.
“Foster Connection will give a family two meals right off the bat, a go bag that has all the essentials for that child,” Jennifer said. “A lot of times, children come with nothing.”
The nonprofit also offers clothing, diapers, and community events like Christmas dinners, Mother’s Day lunches and foster parent nights out.
“We just saw the need as we were wanting to take a step back from fostering ourselves,” Jennifer said. “We wanted to find a way to assist these families, whether it’s with meals, clothing, house cleaning or gift cards.”
In Washington, the Cockmans outlined several issues they believe could strengthen support for families and children in the foster and adoption system.
John urged lawmakers to continue supporting the ADOPT Act, which strengthens oversight in private adoptions by requiring intermediaries to be state-licensed and banning unregulated advertising or payments. The measure aims to close loopholes that allow unlicensed organizations to broker adoptions across state lines.
“One issue with that is when young couples want to adopt, and they look online, you’re barraged with a bunch of websites that seem like they’re local,” John said.
John also emphasized the importance of making the federal adoption tax credit fully refundable, explaining that the current structure leaves many lower-income families unable to benefit from support intended to ease adoption costs. The existing credit, worth about $17,000, can only be applied against taxes owed, meaning families who pay little or no federal income tax receive little or no benefit.
“That’s why we would like to see it as a fully refundable credit,” John said.
The couple also called for stronger courtroom representation for children in foster care, greater support for foster families and greater support for foster children after they age out of the system.
The Cockmans said their meetings on Capitol Hill were well-received and that congressional offices took notes on their requests.