[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING BETTE WAHL

 Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a woman who 
has been honored as one of only seven Americans to receive the National 
Crime Prevention Council's Ameritech Award of excellence in Crime 
Prevention.
  Bette Wahl is an enthusiastic youth advocate and a strong voice in 
the Eau Claire community for crime prevention. While her words are 
powerful and persuasive, her actions prove her dedication to the youth 
of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Mrs. Wahl is the Project Coordinator for the 
Eau Claire Coalition for Youth. The Coalition is a collaboration of 28 
agencies which address the recreational, educational, and social needs 
of youth and family. Under Mrs. Wahl's guidance, creativity, and 
energy, the Coalition has grown and become a true asset to the 
community.
  Bette Wahl has created innovative youth crime prevention programs, 
enlisting the support of senior citizens in her community. In 1994, 
Seniors Partnering with Youth brought young and old together to work on 
service projects that benefit the community. This program provides an 
alternative activity to crime and delinquency, helps youth serve the 
community, and develops the values of compassion, respect, and 
responsibility. Bette also created two pilot youth employment programs 
which serve as gang and delinquency diversion programs. Through one of 
the programs, Youth Works, young people build self-esteem, pride, and 
responsibility.
  Bette has displayed her extraordinary passion and skill while 
developing effective crime prevention programs in the Eau Claire 
community. Eau Claire's chief of police, David Malone, called Bette 
``phenomenal'' saying that ``she seems to have a unique talent for 
bringing out the best in people and getting them to reach a solution.'' 
She succeeds where others fail by influencing and inspiring others with 
her energy and creativity, thereby achieving a positive and permanent 
change in the crime prevention field.
  Bette recognizes that greater communication and integration of 
services enables a community to achieve tangible benefits in crime 
prevention. Sixty percent of juveniles in her truancy reduction program 
experienced an increase in school attendance; she has provided 
community service opportunities for 369 youth in another program, and 
she organizes two youth job fairs each year to match youth with area 
businesses for entry level jobs.
  Mrs. Wahl's hard work in crime prevention encourages youth, adults, 
businesses, government agencies, community organizations, and schools 
to participate in a community-wide partnership to help Eau Claire's 
youth realize their full potential. On behalf of all those affected by 
her work and in honor of her recent award, congratulations, Bette 
Wahl.

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