[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 40 (Thursday, March 21, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING OFELIA LOZANO AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR FOR CALIFORNIA'S 34TH 
                         CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Torres] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
[Ms. DeLauro] and the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Roybal-Allard] 
for calling this special order tonight to honor women and the 
contribution of women to the Nation of America.
  Mr. Speaker, today I have the distinct privilege and honor of naming 
longtime Pico Rivera resident and community activist Ofelia Lozano as 
the 34th Congressional District's Woman of the Year.
  Since moving to Pico Rivera 39 years ago, Ofelia has unselfishly 
given of her time and energy to a myriad of causes which have made our 
city a better place to live and the future a better place to grow up.
  She has been a member of the Pio Pico Women's Club for the past 25 
years, serving as its president and vice president.
  She has also been active with the Pico Rivera Christmas Basket 
Committee, an exemplary organization committed to distributing food to 
the needy, to seniors and to a number of youth athletic teams.
  But perhaps her most noted contribution has been her untiring efforts 
on behalf of North Park Middle School and its nationally recognized and 
award-winning marching band. In the band's early years, it was Ofelia 
Lozano who raised much needed funds to permit the band to compete, and 
now that the band has been selected to play in next year's Rose Bowl 
game and the Rose Bowl parade, it is Ofelia Lozano who again has 
committed countless hours to helping the band meet its goal of raising 
the $10,000 that it needs to play in that parade.
  Mr. Speaker, Ofelia Lozano is not only worthy of this recognition but 
most importantly deserving of it. She is a true friend and an ardent 
supporter of the youth of Pico Rivera. She indeed exemplifies the 
modern woman, the activist, the mother, who is out there struggling on 
behalf of all the duties that she has, yet she has time to give to her 
community, to her city, to the children of our city and to this Nation. 
Indeed, I congratulate her.
  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York 
[Mrs. Lowey].


     honoring amy paulin as woman of the year for new york's 18th 
                         congressional district

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues the gentlewoman from 
California [Ms. Roybal-Allard] and the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
[Ms. DeLauro] for organizing this tribute to women from around the 
country who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.
  I am here to honor an outstanding constituent, Amy Paulin of 
Scarsdale, NY. Amy, like myself, the mother of three children, has 
dedicated herself to the women and families of Westchester County. In 
fact, Amy was selected the 1995 Woman of the Year by a coalition of 
women in my district.
  The list of Amy's community activities fills pages and in each role 
she has epitomized the concept of citizenship.
  Amy was president of the League of Women Voters for 3 years. While 
Amy was president, the league registered 2,000 voters, and issued 
nonpartisan Voters Guides to 85 percent of the voters in Westchester 
County. In addition, the league sponsored debates for political 
candidates and was actively involved in shaping local legislation.

                              {time}  2115

  One of the highlights of Amy's presidency was her success at urging 
the creation of the Westchester County Board of Legislators Task Force 
on Families. When Amy realized that no board committees addressed women 
and children's issues, she brought it to the attention of the chair of 
the county board. Then, Amy led a successful lobbying effort that 
convinced the board that such a task force was indeed necessary. Amy is 
currently the only citizen-member of the task force, which just 
released a very important report on Westchester County's response to 
child abuse.
  In addition to Amy's superb work with the league, she sits on the 
board of: The Westchester Children's Association, the Westchester 
Women's Agenda, the YWCA of White Plains, the Westchester Coalition for 
Legal Abortion, the UJA-Federation Scarsdale Women's Campaign, and the 
Scarsdale Middle School P.T.A.
  As you can see, Amy's commitment to women and families is very 
serious. Westchester County has benefited from her tireless efforts on 
behalf of our families. I am honored to have the opportunity to honor 
Amy Parlin as Woman of the Year.

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