[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 121 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING SUSAN PENN FRENCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 14, 1998

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor an extraordinary 
individual, Susan Penn French of Houston, for her many years of 
leadership and dedicated service to children in the Houston/Harris 
County community and throughout the State of Texas.
  On September 16, 1998, the National Network of Children's Advocacy 
Centers will award Susan Penn French the Volunteer Leadership-
Individual Award for her efforts on behalf of sexually abused children. 
This award is very well deserved as Ms. French is a co-founder of The 
Children's Assessment Center in Houston, which is nationally and 
internationally recognized for its pioneering, child-focused approach 
to meeting the needs of sexually abused children.
  Ms. French today serves as President of the Children's Assessment 
Center Foundation Executive Committee. She and Ellen Cokinos, the 
Executive Director of the Center, were the driving forces behind the 
establishment of the Center in 1991 to provide a more compassionate 
approach to assisting young victims of sexual abuse. Then the President 
of the Junior League of Houston, Inc., and a member of the Harris 
County Child Abuse Task Force, Ms. French spearheaded fundraising for 
the Center, while Ms. Cokinos worked to develop a new therapeutic 
model.
  Together, these two leaders had the vision to conceive of the Center, 
the resourcefulness to build a remarkable partnership of public and 
private support, and the drive to get the job done. Their love for and 
understanding of children is evident in every aspect of The Children's 
Assessment Center.
  The Center, the largest of its kind in the nation, combines the 
strengths of the public and private sectors and the support of many 
dedicated volunteers to meet the multiple needs of sexually abused 
children in the most compassionate and least traumatic way possible. It 
houses professionals from 10 partner agencies, encompassing children's 
advocates, law enforcement, and health care providers, to provide a 
coordinated, team response to protecting children. In addition to 
providing on-site medical and social services, the Center takes a 
pioneering approach to meeting law-enforcement needs that involves a 
single videotape by specially trained interviewers that allows the 
Center staff, law enforcement officials, social workers, prosecutors, 
and other partnering members to obtain necessary information without 
subjecting the child to additional trauma and questioning. This team 
approach to serving sexually abused children speeds recovery and 
improves the effectiveness of law enforcement.
  From its inception as a program of Harris County Children's 
Protection Services, the Center has grown exponentially and now stands 
as its own department of Harris County Commissioner's Court. In a true 
public-private partnership, the Center receives half of its annual 
operating budget from Harris County and half from funds raised by its 
foundation through the generous contributions of corporations, 
foundations, and individuals. The federal government has been a partner 
as well, providing support through the Community Development Block 
Grant, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Foster Care 
Services, and Victims of Crime programs.
  Susan Penn French has been critical to making The Children's 
Assessment Center what it is today. In addition to leading the initial 
fundraising, she served as Chair of the Center's first Board of 
Advisors. After the Center's opening, Ms. French created and developed 
the unique public/private funding structure, leading to the 
establishment of the independent, non-profit Children's Assessment 
Center Foundation.
  As President of the Foundation and chair of its capital campaign, Ms 
French spearheaded a successful drive to raise $10.25 million to build 
a new, 53,000-square foot, state-of-the art facility to house The 
Children's Assessment Center. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton cut the 
ribbon to open the new facility in March of this year, using the 
occasion to pay tribute to the Center's pioneering work and Ms. 
French's leadership in helping sexually abused children.
  Ms. French's work on behalf of children is not limited to the 
Children Assessment Center. Since 1990, she has advocated on behalf of 
abused children access Texas by serving as a Board Member of Texas 
Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. From 1994 to 1996, she 
served as president of this organization, which appoints advocates for 
abused children as they progress through the system. She also serves as 
a board member of Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc., chairing 
their Public Relations Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, Susan Penn French is highly deserving of this 
recognition, and I am pleased to join the National Network of 
Children's Advocacy Centers, The Children's Assessment Center, Susan's 
husband, Layne, and their Children, Rebecca an Layne, Jr., in honoring 
her today for her commitment to serving our nation's most vulnerable 
citizens and her many accomplishments on their behalf.

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