[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 53 (Thursday, May 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           TRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, as many of my colleagues know, the 
first week of May is designated as ``Public Service Recognition Week.'' 
This is a time to step back and recognize superior performance at all 
levels of government. On Monday, the Public Employees Roundtable held 
its annual Breakfast Of Champions and presented its Public Service 
Excellence Awards. I wanted to take a moment to identify the winners 
for 1994.
  On Monday, the USDA Forest Service received the Federal-level 
excellence award for its volunteers program. At the county level, the 
Miami-Dade County Public Library was honored for its juvenile and adult 
literacy programs. Miami-Dade County's performance is especially 
impressive given the damage to the library system caused by Hurricane 
Andrew.
  The city-level recipient was the Philadelphia Police Department's 
``Mini-Station'' concept. This unique project has effectively 
revitalized the idea of neighborhood policing in Philadelphia. In the 
area of intergovernmental work, the Specialized Technical Assistance 
Team, a partnership of the Department of the Interior, the University 
of South Dakota Small Business Development Center, and the tribal 
governments was recognized for its success in developing small 
businesses on poverty-stricken Indian reservations.
  Mr. President, my colleagues may note that I have not mentioned the 
State-level winner. I cannot help but think that I have saved the best 
for last. I am very proud that the Arkansas Department of Human 
Services, Division of County Operations, was selected as the State-
level recipient. The Division of County Operations has worked hard to 
eliminate geographic county lines as barriers to service. This effort 
to create an integrated, county-based service delivery network has so 
far been a great success.
  Mr. President, I invite my colleagues to take a closer look at these 
award winners. They can provide all of us with ideas of how government 
can truly work effectively for the people of this Nation. Again, 
congratulations to the Public Service Award winners for 1994. I would 
ask that the description of each award winner be included in the 
Congressional Record after my statement.
  The descriptions follow:

             Public Service Excellence Award Winners--1994


            federal--usda forest service volunteers program

       When it comes to recruiting, training and making effective 
     use of volunteers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest 
     Service is head and shoulders above the rest. For years, the 
     Forest Service program has managed the talents and time of 
     thousands of citizens whose efforts complement regular Forest 
     Service staff in interpretive functions, visitor services and 
     conservation efforts. In 1993 alone, 101,737 volunteers 
     contributed 2,369 person-years of work valued at $37.7 
     million. Typical positions include campground hosts, 
     information specialists, fire lookouts, and recreation, 
     wildlife and fisheries assistants. Environmental and civic 
     groups and resource-related businesses spend many hours 
     constructing and restoring campgrounds and picnic areas and 
     trails, and fostering dialogue between the Forest Service and 
     the public by disseminating information on Forest Service 
     programs. The Volunteer National Awards program recognizes 
     volunteers each year--some volunteers have contributed up to 
     20 years of service working on long-range projects or on 
     projects in several sites. Each year the number of volunteers 
     has increased. Staff members are responsible for recruiting, 
     training and administering the volunteers, ensuring rewarding 
     experiences to volunteers, and constantly looking for new 
     ways to improve services to the public. Touch America is a 
     special component of the volunteer program aimed at youth 
     ages 14-17, providing them with work experience and 
     environmental awareness. Most importantly, the volunteer 
     program advances a sense of public responsibility and 
     ownership for the 192 million acres of forest held in public 
     trust.


  state--state of arkansas department of human services, division of 
                           county operations

       The Division of County Operations is the driving force 
     behind an initiative to drop geographic county lines as 
     barriers to service. An integrated, county-based service 
     delivery network provides customized services on a case-by-
     case basis, aiding many individuals whose needs do not fall 
     into neatly defined categories. Human services divisions have 
     been relocated to the same facility, enabling citizens to 
     apply for any service in one spot. Every county has an on-
     site representative to assist clients with issues in any 
     division. A team approach has been used to cross-educate 
     employees about services offered by other divisions, speed 
     referrals and solve the problems of clients with multiple 
     concerns more efficiently. A comprehensive outreach effort 
     provides information and coordination with schools, the State 
     Department of Health, community leaders and local media. 
     Client choice over which facility to use creates a consumer-
     driven system and provides an indication of which facilities 
     need to be re-evaluated and improved. More than 90% of those 
     responding to a recent customer satisfaction survey found the 
     service providers to be courteous, the service delivery 
     timely, the facilities clean and private, and their questions 
     well-answered. The Division is committed to a process of 
     continuous improvement through customer input, reevaluation 
     and revision of services. Their statewide services directory 
     provides detailed information on sources of services for the 
     disabled, adult education, alcohol and drug treatment, 
     clothing, day-care housing, food, financial assistance, farm 
     assistance, medical help, emergency services, transportation, 
     services for the elderly, legal services, day care, and 
     career counseling, among others.


COUNTY--MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (FLORIDA) PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECTS JUMP START 
             AND L.E.A.D. (LITERACY TO EVERY ADULT IN DADE)

       In Dade County, there are thousands of households where 
     books, magazines, and even a daily newspaper are entirely 
     absent. How will the children in these households learn to 
     read? The aim of Jump Start was to provide a daily reading 
     experience to at risk students in 275 targeted Head Start and 
     Title XX day care facilities. The library assembled books, 
     flannelboard stories, puppets, fingerplays, songs and music 
     cassettes, into one ready-to-check-out kit. To date, 205 kits 
     are circulating among 100 day care centers and another 200 
     kits are being readied for another 100 centers. Library 
     personnel have trained 781 care givers in using the kits. In 
     less than one year, more than 8,000 children have attended 
     the 3,000 storytimes. Detailed evaluation forms contained in 
     each kit indicate the program is working to increase the 
     children's attention span and vocabulary.
       The LEAD program is working to combat the other half of the 
     equation--adult illiteracy. More than 250,000 adults in the 
     county are English illiterate, and with a burgeoning 
     immigrant population this number will surely increase. The 
     project started with grant money but now funded by the 
     county, trains volunteers in literacy instruction and then 
     matches tutors one-to-one with adults who have requested help 
     in learning to read well enough to function in the community. 
     Students are given instruction until they can read at a 5th 
     grade level, helping many to begin working toward a high 
     school equivalency degree. Staff provide materials, train 
     volunteers on computers with literacy software and assist 
     tutors in tackling specific reading problems.
       Both programs have been specially challenged in dealing 
     with the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew which destroyed four 
     branch libraries and caused millions of dollars in damage to 
     library property and collections.


  city--city of philadelphia police department's mini-station concept

       Philadelphia's 32 mini-stations are the backbone of the 
     city's policing concept. Created in response to citizen 
     demand, they are as unique and diverse as the communities 
     they serve, including two which are mobile. Rental space, 
     utilities and furnishings are all donated by businesses or 
     communities. Each station is staffed by at least two 
     officers, who work with a minimum of supervision. Their goal 
     is to provide increased police presence, create partnerships 
     with community residents, provide better service to remote 
     areas through more immediate responsiveness, offer referral 
     information on city services, and more individually respond 
     to the needs of the neighborhood. Each day, mini-stations are 
     improving the quality of life of the citizens, sometimes by 
     arrest, but also by tutoring a child after school, pulling 
     strings to get a drug addict into rehab, organizing a 
     baseball team or helping the hopeless find jobs. Citizens 
     have greater access to police to discuss complaints and 
     concerns or seek assistance. Mini-station officers have 
     initiated feeding programs for children and seniors, created 
     a T-shirt factory to provide employment opportunities, 
     established a ``tot lot,'' hosted English as a second 
     language classes for Cambodian residents, and formed student 
     mediation sessions in a racially-tense high school. The 
     results speak for themselves--a decline in calls to 911, a 
     90% reduction in purse-snatchings near one food store, the 
     shutdown of 13 drug houses thanks to information provided by 
     the community, a reduction in racial incidents between Black 
     and Asian youths, and an overall 76% reduction of crime in 
     one business district.


        intergovernmental--specialized technical assistance team

       Six hundred twenty-six jobs created or sustained on 
     poverty-stricken Indian reservations; more than $2.4 million 
     in loans and grants received by Indian owned businesses on 
     these same reservations; the burden of debt on tribal 
     governments lessened by $21 million--these are a few of the 
     success stories of the Specialized Technical Assistance Team. 
     This 8-year-old partnership of the Department of Interior, 
     university of South Dakota Small Business Development Center, 
     and the tribal governments is comprised of 11 specialists who 
     work to help make economic development and independence a 
     reality among native Americans. STAT efforts have affected 
     the lives of more than 60,000 Native Americans residing on 25 
     reservations in 11 states. Through helping tribal members 
     start their own businesses and gain financial stability, 
     tribal members gain enhanced self-respect and tribes become 
     more independent of federal funds for their livelihood. The 
     Team must often seek multi-faceted, creative approaches. As 
     an example, developing tourism on the Pine Ridge Reservation 
     required the Team's help not only to prepare a brochure to 
     attract U.S. and foreign visitors, but also to improve the 
     roads. The tribe needed heavy equipment to move gravel for 
     road repairs but didn't have the funds to pay for the 
     necessary equipment. Within four weeks, the Team located the 
     equipment and the tribe procured it at no cost. Nationally, 
     only 20% of all small businesses succeed; businesses assisted 
     by STAT have a 70% survival rate. The Department of Interior 
     grants team members only an hour a day in official work time 
     to work on these projects--team members provide an 
     extraordinary amount of their personal time, financial 
     resources, and dedication to making this program a resounding 
     success.

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