Honored Mesa foster mom presiding over gala

Kim Vehon, a Mesa mother of seven and CEO/founder of Foster Arizona, has been named an Angels in Adoption Honoree by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

Nominated by U.S. Rep Andy Biggs, R-Mesa, as one of two Arizonans to get the award, Vehon is the founder of a nonprofit focused on educating, encouraging and helping Arizonans "to positively impact the lives of kids in foster care," a spokeswoman said.

Vehon, who has adopted four of her seven kids, was cited for "her outstanding commitment to, and advocacy for, adoption and foster care issues in the state. In receiving the award, she joins well-known national foster care and adoption champions, including Muhammad Ali, First Lady Laura Bush, Katherine Heigl, Al Roker and Jayne Seymour."

Foster Arizona was founded in 2013 in response to the growing number of children needing homes and the urgent need for Arizonans to get involved in the foster care crisis. In Arizona, nearly 16,000 children are in the foster-care system.

Vehon will be presiding over her organization's second annual Cultivating Hope Gala at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Phoenix Zoo. Information: fosterarizona.org