[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 36 (Thursday, March 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE 1998 PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS

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                         HON. ROBERT A. BORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 1998

  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a 
young Pennsylvania student from my district who has achieved national 
recognition for exemplary volunteer service in her community. Kelly 
Shelinsky of Philadelphia has just been named one of my state's top 
honorees in The 1998 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an 
annual honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in 
each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
  Ms. Shelinsky is being recognized for establishing Kelly's Books for 
Bedsides, a campaign to collect new and gently used children's books 
which are then donated to the local hospital. Kelly believes in the 
power of books to energize the imagination, especially for those 
children recovering from an illness in a hospital bed. After spending 
many nights in Children's Hospital recovering from a chronic illness, 
Kelly realized that the children's playroom had many toys and games, 
but only a handful of books. She began to solicit donations through 
local newspapers, church bulletins, and word-of-mouth, and has 
collected more than 3,700 books. Thanks to Kelly's efforts, Children's 
Hospital has initiated a program called Reach Out and Read, for which 
books are being placed in the homes of families who have none. She 
plans to expand Kelly's Books for Bedsides further to help improve 
literacy among inner city children.
  In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans today are 
less involved in their communities than they once were, it is vital 
that we encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution this 
young citizen has made. People of all ages need to think more about how 
we, as individual citizens, can work together at the local level to 
ensure the health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young 
volunteers like Ms. Shelinsky are inspiring examples to all of us, and 
are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention--The 
Prudential Insurance Company of America in partnership with the 
National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1995 to impress 
upon all youth volunteers that their contributions are critically 
important and highly valued, and to inspire other young people to 
follow their example. In only three years, the program has become the 
nation's largest youth recognition effort based solely on community 
service, with more than 30,000 youngsters participating.
  Ms. Shelinsky should be extremely proud to have been singled out from 
such a large group of dedicated volunteers. I heartily applaud Ms. 
Shelinsky for her initiative in seeking to make her community a better 
place to live, and for the positive impact she has had on the lives of 
others. She has demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment 
that is truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere 
admiration and respect. Her actions show that young Americans can--and 
do--play important roles in our communities, and that America's 
community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

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