[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 139 (Thursday, September 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                E X T E N S I O N   O F   R E M A R K S


 SHIRLEY COLETTI HONORED FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST 
                            SUBSTANCE ABUSE

                                 ______


                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 1994

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the board of directors of 
Operation PAR, one of our Nation's leading substance abuse treatment 
programs located in St. Petersburg, FL, which I have the privilege to 
represent, will honor its president, Shirley Coletti, Thursday for her 
lifetime of service to treat and prevent substance abuse throughout our 
Nation.
  In a fitting tribute to her 25 years of service in this field, the 
board will name its recently completed Academy for Behavioral Change 
for Adolescents and Their Families the Shirley D. Coletti Academy. 
While providing treatment, support, and encouragement for substance 
abusers of all ages, Shirley has taken a special interest over the 
years in the impact substance abuse has had on young women and their 
children. In fact, many of the programs she has developed at Operation 
PAR have been nationally recognized for their effectiveness and have 
been replicated elsewhere.
  Since its founding in 1969, Operation PAR has developed the largest 
and most comprehensive nonprofit system of drug and alcohol abuse 
prevention, intervention, research, education, and treatment services 
in the southeastern United States. Operation PAR provides services to 
more than 50,000 individuals a year.
  Shirley Coletti was a leading force in the establishment of Operation 
PAR and has been a driving force throughout its quarter century of 
service to expand the number of people touched by the program. A nurse 
by training, Shirley is recognized as an international expert on drugs 
and substance abuse. She served on the President's bipartisan 
Commission of Model State Drug Laws, was appointed by President Reagan 
to the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, and has 
been a special representative of the State Department to many 
countries.

  Her work has been nationally recognized by Presidents of the United 
States, the Congress, the Florida State Legislature, the Pinellas 
County Board of County Commissioners, and by her peers in the field. 
She has received the Outstanding Service Award from the Alcohol and 
Drug Problems Association of North America, the Special Award of Honor 
from the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association, the 
Administrator of the Year Award from the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse 
Associations, and the Distinguished Layman Award from the Florida 
Medical Association.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the board of directors of Operation PAR and the 
people of Pinellas County, FL, as they honor Shirley Coletti for her 
lifetime of service to the victims of substance abuse. As a pioneer in 
the field of substance abuse treatment and prevention, she has been a 
champion of children, adults, and families in the battle against drug 
use and abuse. The true testament to her work are the thousands of 
lives she has touched over the past 25 years. With her support and 
encouragement, many have thrown off the scourge of drugs to reclaim 
their lives. Many more will be touched in the future by her work 
through the new Shirley D. Coletti Academy in St. Petersburg.
  Shirley Coletti is a remarkable woman who has brought so much 
attention and energy to our Nation's ongoing battle against substance 
abuse, and I salute her for her lifetime of work.

                          ____________________