[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 36 (Monday, March 8, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A TRIBUTE TO A PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARD RECIPIENT

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                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 8, 1999

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate 
and honor two outstanding Alaskan students who have achieved national 
recognition for exemplary volunteer service in their community. Frank 
Cyra-Korsgaard and Esther Perman, both of Anchorage, have just been 
named one of my state's top honorees in The 1999 Prudential Spirit of 
Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most 
impressive student volunteers in each state, the District of Columbia 
and Puerto Rico.
  Mr. Cyra-Korsgaard is being recognized for his organization of ``Run 
for the Books'' which provided reading materials for homeless teens at 
Covenant House Alaska. Frank worked with Covenant House, identified 
adult mentors, solicited sponsors such as Barnes and Noble bookstore, 
promoted the event and organized the logistics. Eighty-two people ran 
in the event, including the Mayor of Anchorage and another 40 
contributed, resulting in donations of more than 200 books and $3,600. 
Frank has been invited to speak about community service at a national 
education conference and wants to host another run next year.
  Ms. Perman is being recognized for her organization of replacing the 
``Rocket'', a much loved piece of equipment that had been removed from 
a local playground because it failed to meet safety regulations. Esther 
learned that the city was going to update the playground, but spend 
most of the allocated funds on a new parking lot. She was appalled and 
began to rally the support of other kids and adults. Esther conducted a 
survey of the city's young people and presented the results, along with 
the request for a new Rocket, at a city council meeting. Over the 
course of many meetings, Esther convinced the council to overturn its 
original plan and spend more money updating the playground and less on 
the parking lot. The council also agreed to work with the kids in town 
to design a new Rocket.
  In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans today are 
less involved in their communities than they once were, it's vital that 
we encourage and support the kind of selfless contributions these young 
citizens made. People of all ages need to think more about how we, as 
individual citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure the 
health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young volunteers 
like Mr. Cyra-Korsgaard and Ms. Perman are inspiring examples to all of 
us, and are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.

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