[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DAWNING OF A NEW ERA

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 1, 1996

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, there is a great appreciation in our country 
for hard work and diligence. Those who exhibit those characteristics 
are usually held in the highest regard. Not everyone achieves the 
recognition of hard work and diligence on their own. Rather, they earn 
it through a combination of their own efforts with the willingness of 
others to provide meaningful opportunities.
  The Opportunities Industrialization Center of Metropolitan Saginaw 
has for the past 26 years scrupulously followed its philosophy of 
``helping people to help themselves.'' Thanks to the hard work of Rev. 
Roosevelt Austin, S., and Martin H. Stark, in cooperation with local 
businesses like General Motors, Dow Chemical, and Dow Corning, more 
than 10,000 young men and women have been given a renewed opportunity 
to show that they can be successful members of society, an inspiration 
to their communities, and find a new sense of self-worth.
  This weekend, OIC of Metropolitan Saginaw will be celebrating the 
grand opening of its new facility, boasting 14 classrooms including a 
science lab, a day care center, dining facilities, a 250 seat 
auditorium, a library, and other impressive resources. It is a true 
tribute to Frederick D. Ford, who took over as executive director of 
OIC of Metropolitan Saginaw, 22 years ago, and created the vision of a 
state of the art building that would provide the combination of 
resources needed for a successful job training and development program.
  This building and OIC shows what can happen when visionary 
individuals have the opportunity to combine public support, garnered by 
building fund campaign chairman Henry G. Marsh, with that of State and 
Federal Government assistance to create the kind of program for which 
we have even a greater need. Money from the Job Training Partnership 
Act and the Department of Housing and Urban Development leveraged 
private donations to create this magnificant facility. People are 
eagerly looking forward to this new building which will continue the 
impressive record of accomplishment earned by OIC of Metropolitan 
Saginaw.
  People of all ages will benefit from this facility that will be able 
to provide them with the best possible training using the most modern 
techniques and equipment. The high national rankings earned by OIC of 
Metropolitan Saginaw will continue to pour in, I am sure, as those who 
support OIC set their sights on even newer challenges.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me and OIC national 
founder Rev. Leon Sullivan in wishing the OIC of Metropolitan Saginaw 
every success for its future, and congratulations on its most recent 
accomplishment.

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