[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO HELPING HAND REHABILITATION CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 31, 1996

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, today I salute an important organization 
that has been serving developmentally disabled residents in my district 
and surrounding areas for more than 40 years, the Helping Hand 
Rehabilitation Center.
  The organization was started in the 1950's, a time when citizens with 
developmental disabilities were often sent to facilities far outside of 
the mainstream of society. However, a group of dedicated individuals 
from La Grange, IL, and nearby communities envisioned something better 
for these citizens: an organization that would help them become 
integrated into the mainstream of society as fully as possible.
  Helping Hand Rehabilitation Center was the end result of this vision. 
Helping Hand offers a wide range of services for the developmentally 
disabled and their families, from early intervention child 
developmental programs to vocational work training for adult 
residential community living facilities. The lives of more than 500 
disabled individuals are touched by Helping Hand each year through 
these programs.
  Now in its fifth decade of service, Helping Hand is about to embark 
on a new program with the grand opening of its SubCon Industries 
Business Center. Unlike sheltered workshops that Helping Hand has 
operated in the past, the new center will be a profit generating, tax 
paying operation that will place disabled individuals with nondisabled 
workers.
  The disabled and nondisabled working together have an opportunity to 
learn from each other, and this kind of professional environment 
enables the disabled to become totally integrated into the work world, 
giving them a strong feeling of personal achievement and success.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend to Helping Hand my best wishes and 
congratulations on establishing the SubCon Industries Business Center 
and thank the organization for its many years of serving the 
developmentally disabled citizens in my district.

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