[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               JWOD EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: JACK LOWMILLER

                                 ______


                         HON. JOSEPH M. McDADE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 1994

  Mr. McDADE. Mr. Speaker, I want to offer my congratulations to Jack 
Lowmiller on being named as the 1994 Javits-Wagner-O'Day [JWOD] 
Employee of the Year. Jack earned this great honor for his exceptional 
work as a custodian at the U.S. Courthouse and the Herman Scheebeli 
Federal Building in Williamsport, PA. One only needs to stop by my 
district office in the Scheebeli Building to see Jack's top notch work. 
The sparkling windows and shiny floors are a credit to Jack's 
dedication to his custodial job.
  The JWOD Program--Public Law 92-28--provides jobs to Americans with 
severe disabilities. Hope Enterprises of Williamsport is one of many 
nonprofit community rehabilitation agencies across our Nation which 
provide vocational training and employment through Federal Contracts 
under the JWOD Program. Jack Lowmiller is employed by Hope Enterprises, 
which won the Federal contract to perform the custodial work in the 
Federal building at a fair market price.
  Agencies like Hope are given technical assistance by the NISH, the 
central nonprofit agency designated by the Government to aid in 
creating employment opportunities for the people with severe 
disabilities. NISH sponsors the Employee of the Year Award, and Jack 
will receive a $1,000 prize as well as a trip to the annual NISH 
training conference in Tampa, FL later this month.
  For individuals like Jack, JWOD employment and training opportunities 
are invaluable. Jack was born prematurely and, in addition to mental 
retardation, has a vision problem and speech impediment. Despite those 
obstacles, Jack graduated from the local public special education 
program and has been working at the Federal building since 1984. His 
outstanding performance led to his nomination as Hope's Employee of the 
Month in his very first month of eligibility.
  His supervisor, Charles Homes, says, ``Jack is the best worker I 
have. He is helpful to his coworkers and they really look up to him. 
all the building occupants think he's the greatest and speak very 
highly of him.'' Indeed, the GSA inspector for the building, Frank 
Donahue, adds, ``He is one of the most efficient workers I've seen in 
this business. I wish I had 10 of him to go around.''
  With people like Jack under the guidance of enterprising human 
service providers like Hope, everyone wins--Jack gets a quality job, 
the Federal contracting agency gets outstanding service, and the 
American taxpayer gets a smart savings as Jack works his way off public 
assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of Jack Lowmiller's accomplishment, and 
I am delighted that Jack was helped by the congressionally created JWOD 
Program, whose beauty lies in using Government leverage to expand 
market opportunities for disadvantaged Americans and permitting 
individual initiative and ability, like Jack's, to bloom.

                          ____________________