BANGOR – MAPS, formerly known as Maine Adoption Placement Service, held a 25th anniversary picnic recently on the coast with more than 500 families attending. U.S. Rep. Tom Allen spoke at a recognition ceremony for MAPS founder Dawn Degenhardt, her staff and hundreds of adoptive families.

Degenhardt, the mother of nine adopted children and the recipient of the National Jefferson Award, is an advocate for orphaned and needy children around the world.

A delegation from Russia, and program staff from Vietnam, Kazakstan, India, China, Equador, Guatemala, Sierra Leone and the United States attended the anniversary celebration as well as older adopted program participants from Brazil, Bulgaria, Nepal, Romania, Haiti and Honduras.

Officials said that MAPS was committed to improving the quality of life for children from all over the world through humanitarian aid and adoption programs. The agency has been bringing children and families together since 1977.