August 23, 2004

Press Release - In Association with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, ReadyMinds Provides Counseling Services to Hard-working, Independent Students that are Enrolled in College.

ReadyMinds announced today that the company is enabling students who have completed the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's Foster Youth Internship program on Capital Hill to participate in the ReadyMinds Program at no cost. For the formal launch of the Foster Youth Internship Program in 2003, CCAI, with sponsoring partner the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, expanded the program to fourteen Congressional offices representing both parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Throughout the year, ReadyMinds attempts to provide access to its programs to certain individuals who may not otherwise be able to afford the service and this was viewed as a perfect opportunity to continue these efforts. Randy Miller, Founder and CEO of ReadyMinds indicated that "We are very glad to be in a position to assist this most worthy organization and the efforts that CCAI makes on behalf of the thousands of children who may find themselves in need of a loving and supportive home. It is our belief that many of these young adults, who may be in various stages of their career exploration, can benefit from career counseling and the ReadyMinds services."

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of foster children in this country and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes; and to eliminating the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic need of a family.

Executive Director, Kerry Marks Hasenbalg, said "CCAI greatly appreciates ReadyMinds generosity in helping to support our mission and other services in the career development arena to our students."

About ReadyMinds

Founded in 1997, ReadyMinds owns and operates readyminds.com and is a privately held company that has emerged as the leading global provider of distance career counseling and training services. The ReadyMinds' distance career counseling process was initially designed with the assistance of business leaders and career counseling experts to help individuals focus on their career planning and develop action plans to achieve their immediate career goals. In addition to the counseling of individuals, ReadyMinds provides training for counselors seeking to further enhance their professional development in the area of distance counseling. ReadyMinds abides by the guidelines set forth by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the NBCC Code of Ethics and the Standards for the Ethical Practice of Web Counseling. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.readyminds.com.

About CCAI

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) was created in 1985 as a bicameral, bipartisan alliance of members of Congress dedicated to improving adoption policy and practice, and to focusing public attention on the advantages of adoption. Since its inception, the CCA has grown to over 180 members of Congress.

In order to support the good work of CCA, and to more effectively raise congressional and public awareness about the issue of adoption, CCA's acting co-chairs created the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) in 2001. Senator Larry Craig, Senator Mary Landrieu, Congressman Jim Oberstar, and Congressman Dave Camp currently serve as both the co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption and the congressional directors of CCAI.

To that end, CCAI serves as an informational and educational resource to policymakers as they seek to draft positive adoption, foster care and other adoption-related legislation and to meet their constituents‚ needs. By organizing congressional briefings, leadership training programs, and educational trips, CCAI educates members of Congress and their staff about current domestic and international adoption-related matters.

In addition, CCAI hosts several public awareness events each year to give an opportunity to all members of the United States Congress and other public leaders to use their powerful voices to improve the lives of our most vulnerable children, and to recognize outstanding individuals who have done the same. For more information, visit www.CCAInstitute.org.