[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FREEDOM WORKS AWARD PRESENTED TO EMMIT SMITH

  (Mr. ARMEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, this past week in my district I had the 
privilege and the opportunity to present the first-ever Freedom Works 
Award to Emmit Smith, runningback for the Dallas Cowboys. It was a 
great privilege for me to do that in that in my initial discussions 
with Emmit about the opportunity to receive this award, which was 
created to acknowledge and recognize individuals for their personal 
service in their communities, that Emmit Smith insisted that, if the 
award were to be given, that it should be about neither football nor 
politics but about service. I applauded him for his point of view and 
said that he was exactly right.
  Emmit Smith is a person that has done exemplary service in his 
community in a quiet way through Emmit Smith Charities. He has followed 
up on his initial expression of service and appreciation by keeping his 
promise to his mother, and in his off-season, even though he obviously 
has no economic need to do so, Emmit Smith went back and completed his 
college education and received his degree as a tribute to his mother 
and the promise that he made.
  In addition to that, through Emmit Smith Charities he has personally 
provided over 9,000 meals to distressed families in the community 
during holiday seasons and using that as an opportunity to express his 
conviction that freedom works best when it is expressed in service to 
people other than yourself.
  What really touches me most about Emmit Smith and his work in the 
community is that he actively seeks out through Emmit Smith Charities 
distressed children in distressed communities in distressed homes and 
provides for them his personal encouragement; that if you will attend 
to your studies and if you will keep yourself clean of drugs, violence, 
and crime, and if you will do your work in your home and in your own 
community, that Emmit Smith himself will pay for their college 
education.
  What better illustration of an individual who does not need to but 
feels compelled, out of his own commitment, to serve, to look after the 
needs of other people? I was proud to have that time with Emmit Smith. 
I hope that his receiving of this award will stand as an example to 
others to put freedom first through service to others.

                          ____________________