[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 96 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO JACK AND JILL OF AMERICA, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOSE SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 1998

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jack and 
Jill of America, Inc. for 60 years of service to the African-American 
community and the Nation.
  Jack and Jill America, Inc. will hold its Thirty-Third Biennial 
National Convention in New York City on July 19-26, 1998. The theme for 
this convention is ``Building Bridges to the New Millennium.''
  Mr. Speaker, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was founded in 1938 by 
Marion Stubbs Thomas, who understood the need to create a social club 
for African-American children who were precluded, under Jim Crow laws, 
from participating in the social and recreational activities available 
to children during those times. It all began when she invited 20 women 
to a meeting in her Philadelphia home.
  From the initial 20 families, today the organization has expanded 
into a national and international force with 40,000 mothers, fathers, 
and children in 220 chapters across the United States and in the 
Republic of Germany. With the expansion of the organization, the focus 
has broadened from simply addressing socialization to support for 
children's rights issues, education and community service.
  Each chapter annually undertakes to design and implement a meaningful 
project which will meet the needs of the community in which they 
reside. This support is given both through economic funding, as a 
result of fundraisers and through direct service projects such as 
tutoring, adopting foster homes and hospices and sending care packages 
to African nations.
  Mr. Speaker, Jack and Jill's National President, Sheryl Benning 
Thomas, strongly believes that it must continue to expand and she has 
worked with fervor during her tenure to open the door to new interest 
groups and to take on the challenge of raising the level of 
consciousness of the membership on issues of children's rights and 
needs for building awareness of the health needs among African-
Americans.
  Jack and Jill's advocacy for children is being supported by Walt 
Disney World through the presence of Tom Flewelyn, Director of Minority 
Diversity, who will attend the convention on Thursday, July 25, 1998 
accompanied by Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in Kente Cloth to 
acknowledge the legacy and pride of this African-American organization.
  The keynote speaker for Saturday night's banquet will be John H. 
Johnson, President and CEO of Johnson Publishing Co. of Chicago. The 
Distinguished Fathers award recipients are: John H. Johnson, Thomas 
Flewelyn and the late Reginald Lewis, founder and CEO of TLC Beatrice 
Company. The award is given for the first time ever to recognize the 
outstanding contribution and support of the fathers in Jack and Jill of 
America, Inc. This organization is truly about the vision, past, 
present and future of the African-American community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to honor the families and 
friends of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. I ask my colleagues to join 
in celebrating this milestone and acknowledging this outstanding 
organization for 60 years of accomplishment and service for the 
African-American community and the Nation.

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