[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO ROBERT L. VIERA

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
Robert L. Viera, of Michigan, who has worked for the Saginaw County 
Community Action Committee [CAC] for the last 25 years. In 1970, a time 
of transition for the CAC, Mr. Viera assumed the role of executive 
director. Since 1970, Mr. Viera has turned the CAC into a powerhouse 
community organization based on his tenet of ``Education as a key link 
in breaking the cycle of poverty.''
  Mr. Viera's first goal for the committee was the elimination of 
poverty. To achieve this goal he mobilized resources in order to create 
institutional change. Mr. Viera described his philosophy that became 
the driving force of the organization as ``changing tax consumers into 
tax contributors''. In order to support his philosophy he instituted 
over 20 community programs, from dental care to jail rehabilitation.
  Mr. Viera is not only a community warrior, he is a community savior. 
His selfless efforts to alleviate poverty have brought hope through 
education. A scholarship fund established in his name will serve as a 
living gift to the community that has benefited so greatly from having 
him as their leader.
  The Saginaw County Community Action Committee and a cross-section of 
the community joined together on June 24, 1994 to celebrate 25 years of 
Mr. Robert L. Viera's accomplishments in the community. Although no 
longer the executive director of the CAC, Mr. Viera continues to work 
for the Saginaw County Child Development Center. His altruism has 
helped the Saginaw community immeasurably, making him both a hero and a 
role model.

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