[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO GABRIELLA CONTRERAS AND RYAN LEYBAS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM KOLBE

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, today I met two young people from the 5th 
District of Arizona who are really making a difference in their 
communities. Both of them are Prudential Spirit of Community State 
Honorees for 1999, and were hosted in Washington, DC by Prudential and 
the National Association of Secondary School Principals. While nearly 
20,000 youth volunteers submitted applications for these awards, 
Gabriella Contreras and Ryan Leybas are among 104 students from across 
the United States who were chosen for this honor.
  Gabriella Contreras, a 13-year-old 7th grader at Roskruge Middle 
School in Tucson, had the additional honor of being named one of 
America's top ten youth volunteers by Prudential. When she was nine, 
Gabriella organized a community service club at her school in response 
to a nearby high school's problems with violence, gang activity, and 
drug use. Now in it's fifth year, Gabriella's ``Club B.A.D.D.D.,'' 
which stands for ``Be Alert--Don't Do Drugs,'' helps students channel 
their time and energy into community service projects. These projects 
have included clothing and food drives, annual ``peace'' marches, 
recycling campaigns, schoolwide cleanups, and anti-drug art gallery, 
and a citywide youth volunteer summit. Club B.A.D.D.D., known as the 
club that does good, now draws more than 500 people to some events and 
is being promoted at other schools.
  Ryan Leybas, the other honoree from Arizona's 5th District, is an 18 
year old senior at Casa Grande Union High School. Five years ago, Ryan 
founded a leadership camp for junior high students to teach them skills 
to succeed in school and life. With the support of the Pinal County 
school superintendent, what started out as a requirement for a Boy 
Scout merit badge has expanded into 120 participants this year, with at 
least two students from almost every school in Pinal County attending 
the three-day camp. Ryan, who is developing the leadership camp into a 
model that can be used in other states, continues to recruit students, 
coordinate logistics and find motivational guest speakers for the camp.
  Both of these young people have shown exceptional talent in working 
with their peers for the betterment of their communities and their 
schools. I'd like to recognize them for their achievements as 
Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees, and I look forward to 
working with them as they become tomorrow's adult leaders of Arizona.

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