[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 95 (Tuesday, July 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H4892-H4893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Kind] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to report to my colleagues in the 
House about a terrific program that I had the pleasure to visit during 
our 4th of July recess last week. The program is the National Youth 
Sports Program, which is one of the Department of Health and Human 
Services', the Department of Agriculture's and the NCAA's best kept 
secrets, yet it is consistently one of the most successful, cost-
effective, and influential programs helping youth in this country 
today.
  National Youth Sports helps at-risk, economically disadvantaged 
children and teenagers build the skills and the confidence they need to 
tackle the tough challenges and also gives them something positive to 
look forward to over their summertime break.
  Each summer 170 colleges and universities help shape the future of 
our youth through this program. We have all heard of summer sports 
camps where parents spend a lot of money to send their children to 
catch the eyes of local coaches. Well, National Youth Sports is 
completely different.
  While the program, which is provided at no cost to the participants, 
offers sports instruction and activities, the name is perhaps a 
misnomer. Program staff members also teach life skills, such as alcohol 
and other drug prevention, gang resistance, good nutrition, personal 
health, science and math, and job responsibilities.
  National Youth Sports also provides other direct services to the 
participants, such as USDA provided and approved meals, accident and 
medical insurance for each participant, and a medical exam before 
activities start.
  What makes the program so successful and cost effective is the 
outstanding partnership that exists between the Federal Government, 
local civil organizations and civic organizations, private businesses, 
individual colleges and universities of the NCAA, and local law 
enforcement agencies. Because the program is designed to serve youth 
from

[[Page H4893]]

low income families, in fact approximately 90 percent of the 
participants at each of the 170 sites must meet U.S. poverty 
guidelines, those who become involved in the program know that they 
have a direct impact at helping at-risk youth make the right choices 
when confronting the challenges in their lives.
  This more than anything is what I wish to convey to my colleagues 
here today. I am very proud to have 2 of the 170 universities, 
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the University of Wisconsin-Eau 
Claire in the congressional district that I represent, participating in 
this program every year.
  If everyone here could have seen the look of enthusiasm that I saw in 
those kids' eyes when I visited the program last week, they would all 
realize the full value of the National Youth Sports Program. There are 
some truly amazing things being done in the program.
  At the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, for instance, the staff 
has put together an exciting math and science curriculum that relies 
heavily on the use of computers. They have put together a challenging 
rope course to not only test individual athletic skills but also team 
building skills.
  The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse program has entered into a 
partnership with the La Crosse Police Department that enables police 
officers to work in the program on a daily basis, infusing content from 
the GREAT Program, the Gang Resistance Education and Training.
  Besides reporting about the National Youth Sports Program today, I 
also want to take a couple of seconds here today to commend a few of 
the individuals I met who make the program the big success that it is. 
At the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Mo McAlpine, Garth Tymeson, 
Joannie Lorentz, Phil Esten, Tim Laurent, Officer Roger Barnes, and 
Lieutenant Doug Groth of the La Crosse Police Department; and at the 
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire it is Bill Harmes, Diane Gilbertson, 
Mary Maddox, and Brad Chapman.
  There are many, many more staff and volunteers who devote countless 
numbers of hours at little or no compensation at all because they want 
to make a difference in young lives. They all bring a tremendous amount 
of enthusiasm, dedication, but also a concern for these children in our 
country.
  The Federal Government's $12 million grant, which acts as seed money 
for the program, and the USDA's $3 million worth of donated food are a 
very wise investment in the future of our youth. In this environment of 
balanced budget negotiations, fiscal belt tightening and even tax cuts, 
the National Youth Sports Program is a program worth investing in and, 
I believe, worth expanding so we can provide the same opportunities to 
many more economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth in the country.
  If we can find a way to provide money for an additional nine B-2 
bombers, which during the course of a lifetime of those planes costs us 
roughly $27 billion, when the Department of Defense specifically 
requested that this country not allocate any additional money for more 
B-2 bombers, I think we can find a way to continue funding for this 
very worthwhile program.
  That is why I ask my colleagues today to support this program. In 
fact, just one of those B-2 planes will finance the National Youth 
Sports Program for the next 250 years. Need I say more?

                          ____________________