[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 IN RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS FOR 60,000

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 1994

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to share 
with my colleagues in the House of Representatives the inspiring story 
of a group of Northport High School students in my district, who have 
taken a hands-on approach to aiding their community, and far beyond. 
The group was named after the estimated 60,000 homeless people living 
in New York City when the group was formed.
  With the aid and counsel of their advisor, Peter White, this student 
club of approximately 150 student members have worked actively to aid 
the needy since its founding in 1986. The group's mission is defined by 
the mandate in the New York State Constitution which provides: ``The 
aid, care and support of the needy are public concerns and shall be 
provided by the State.'' Taking into consideration this directive, the 
students began to gather and deliver clothing to New York shelters.
  Now, the projects undertaken by Students for 60,000 include not only 
Long Island and New York City area, but most notably, Chacraseca, in 
rural Nicaragua. Locally, the Students for 60,000 have come to the 
assistance of needy families, providing rent assistance to families on 
the verge of eviction, to providing diapers, food, and home heating 
oil. Students for 60,000 have also worked for Habitat for Humanity, 
organizing and leading a coalition of 20 Long Island high schools in an 
effort to fund and construct a house each year from student-raised 
funds. Hundreds of homeless people have been provided with complete 
Thanksgiving dinners due to the efforts of Students for 60,000. 
Nationally, the students have purchased a trailer for an indigent woman 
in Mississippi, sent supplies to homeless people in Brownsville, TX, 
and made repairs on a school in South Carolina damaged by Hurricane 
Hugo. Internationally, aside from making financial contributions to 
countries in dire need of such assistance, the most distinguished 
achievement the Students for 60,000 must be recognized for is their 
electrification of the rural Nicaraguan village of Chacraseca. This 
village of 40 small dwellings had no electricity. These students not 
only raised the funding for this monumental project, but actually went 
to the village, lived in the village, and installed, with the 
assistance of qualified volunteers from the Northport area, four 
generators and electric water pumps. Year after year, Students for 
60,000 return to Chacraseca, bringing with them much needed medical and 
school supplies, and work on various projects with the villagers. In 
1994, Students for 60,000 built a three room schoolhouse in which 75 
children now attend classes.

  Most important, Mr. Speaker, is the dedication, and effort 
demonstrated by the Students for 60,000 each and every day of the year. 
They raise all the funds for the projects they undertake, from Central 
Park Bikeathons, to community car washes to oldies music concerts.
  These students do not want publicity for their efforts. They offer 
themselves as an example that locally, every person can make a 
difference. That with the support of their friends, family and 
community, they can make a contribution to the lives of others who 
desperately need their help. One story I have learned of concerning 
Students for 60,000 that I would like to share, as I think it 
demonstrates the efforts of this group and the effect they have on 
their community, is that of a waitress from Huntington that the 
students know only as Mrs. N. She had been at a Students for 60,000 
fundraising concert, and was so moved by the positive energy of the 
club, that she arrived at the club several days later with $450.00 
worth of change she had saved from her tips. Several months later, she 
returned, and needed two students to help her up the steps with her 
donation of $650.00 in change.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege and distinct pleasure to bring the 
Students for 60,000 to the attention of my colleagues, and hope they 
will join me in saluting Students for 60,000 for their demonstrated 
dedication to the needy people of the world.

                          ____________________