[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 87 (Monday, July 6, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S7364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REMARKS HONORING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILDREN'S PROGRAM OF 
                            NORTHERN IRELAND

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today to mark a 
significant milestone: the Minnesota-based Children's Program of 
Northern Ireland is celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer.
  This important program began in 1973 when one nine-year-old from 
Belfast, David Hughes, traveled to Minnesota and stayed with Roy and 
Ruth Lerud of Twin Valley.
  From this simple beginning, wondrous things have happened.
  During the following summer, Rotary Clubs in Hibbing, Minnesota, and 
Belfast, Northern Ireland, joined together to bring 120 children, ages 
10-11, to Minnesota host families.
  And now, 25 years later, the program can boast that more than 4,000 
children have come to Minnesota and neighboring states. These children 
have had their lives touched in immeasurable ways. And they have 
touched the lives of untold thousands of Minnesotans.
  The Children's Program of Northern Ireland was the first of its kind 
in the nation. It is now the blueprint of 25 other, similar programs 
throughout America which bring children to Minnesota for a summer of 
peace and understanding.
  Something important is at work here--Minnesotans are working to bring 
about peace, one child at a time. When the good people of Minnesota got 
involved in this program 25 years ago it was because they saw the need 
and stepped in to fill it. There were no Presidential Commissions or 
calls by Congress asking citizens to become involved. Rather, there 
were everyday heroes and heroines who tried to make their world better 
by opening their homes to a child from a troubled part of the world.
  And they have succeeded.
  Rotary is proud, and rightly so, of its motto ``Service Above Self.'' 
The Hibbing Rotary Club and the Belfast Rotary Club, in 1974, were 
living embodiments of this motto, as are all the people throughout 
Minnesota and Northern Ireland whose hard work and dedication have made 
this program such an enduring success.
  From the beginning these selfless efforts have been driven by 
volunteers. I would like to recognize, on the floor of the United 
States Senate, two of those volunteers. Hazel Busby is the coordinator 
in Belfast. She has been a tireless and enthusiastic volunteer for 
many, many years. I also would like to recognize Kathy Schultz, who is 
the current American board president. Both of these women merit the 
highest recognition for their contributions toward achieving peace in 
our time.
  None of us can know exactly how significant these Minnesota efforts 
have been in bringing peace and understanding to our world. However, we 
can know that the work of these fine people has brought a large measure 
of peace and understanding to untold thousands on both sides of the 
Atlantic. And that, in and of itself, merits recognition and highest 
praise.

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