[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       HONORING AMANDA RACHOR AND THE SPINOZA BUDDY BEAR PROJECT

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                           HON. BILL REDMOND

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 1998

  Mr. REDMOND. Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues may have heard tragic 
stories like the one I will now share * * * a little girl loses both 
her mother and her father before her ninth birthday, leaving her 
virtually alone. She is sent to live with relatives and must grow up 
without either of her parents.
  Tragedies like this occur everyday in America, leaving thousands of 
children each year feeling scared and alone.
  Eight-year-old Amanda Rachor of New Mexico has a story just like 
this. Amanda's mother died when she was 4, and her father died just 
last summer, leaving Amanda alone. She went to live with an aunt and 
uncle in a nearby town, but found it difficult to cope with her loss.
  However, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit in Amanda's community 
presented her with Spinoza, a soft brown teddy bear programmed with 
words of encouragement and uplifting songs. Thanks to this bear, Amanda 
has learned to cope with her parents' death and is responding well to 
counseling. Spinoza has helped Amanda overcome her personal tragedy.
  All of us know children like Amanda who could use Spinoza's 
encouragement, children who have lost loved ones or are themselves 
suffering from a terminal illness. This bear can reach out to each of 
them, as it has to Amanda, easing the fear and filling the loneliness 
with a friend.
  In closing, I am pleased to commend the members of American Legion 
Auxiliary Unit 77 in Logan, NM, for using the ``Spinoza Buddy Bear 
Project'' to make a real difference in Amanda's life and in the lives 
of countless other children. In addition, I encourage my colleagues 
today to thoughtfully consider this project for their own communities.

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