[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 49 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE TO IVAN BARRETT, COMMUNITY SERVANT

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                          HON. CARRIE P. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 12, 1999

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. 
Ivan Barrett of Miami, Florida. In his capacity as an Admissions 
Counselor for the state's Jobs Corps, Mr. Barrett has made tremendous 
contributions to the strengthening of community life in Miami's 
African-American neighborhoods, as well as those of Little Haiti and 
Little Havana.
  Mr. Barrett is an admired member of the City of Miami Affirmative 
Action agency, the second vice president of the Tri-City Community 
Agency, and is liaison for equal opportunity for affirmative action in 
the Northside Jobs and Benefits Center, where he works.
  Working for the state since 1979, Mr. Barrett continuously has made 
himself available to aiding Miami's citizens at all hours, both at home 
and at his office. In counseling at-risk youth over the decades, he has 
received numerous letters from grateful parents who otherwise would 
have lost their children to the violence of the city streets.
  Mr. Barrett's heartfelt compassion and positive impact upon Miami's 
vulnerable youth are such that 97% of the young people freely choose to 
remain at the counseling centers longer than the thirty days' mandatory 
commitment.
  Through his extraordinary respect for others and his committed 
spirit, Ivan Barrett embodies the ethos of active citizenship. He has 
made, and continues to make, an indelible impression of fortitude on 
those who know him.

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