[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 65 (Thursday, May 6, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNITION OF EVA McCLELLAN, GREEN THUMB 1999 PRIME TIME AWARD WINNER

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                         HON. ROBERT A. WEYGAND

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 6, 1999

  Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Eva McClellan, 
senior citizen from Providence, Rhode Island who was recently selected 
as a Green Thumb 1999 Prime Time Award Winner.
  I am a firm believer that we are all responsible for working hard to 
accomplish our dreams, and Ms. McClellan is an excellent example of a 
someone who had done precisely that. As a youth, her goal was to become 
a telephone operator, but she was later discouraged from pursuing that 
ambition because of a physical disability caused by childhood polio.
  Ms. McClellan persisted in her dream, however, taking advantage of 
training opportunities and computer classes and striving to improve her 
skills. Now 67 years old, Ms. McClellan works as an Accessible 
Communications Assistant for AT&T in Providence, Rhode Island, a 
position in which she supports the deaf community by relaying 
conversations between deaf and hearing customers. Her employers have 
called her ``a valued employee,'' and she herself says that her work is 
``so rewarding'' and that she likes ``helping others.'' She has led, 
and continues to lead, an outstanding life, and serves as a role model 
to us all.
  Part of Ms. McClellan's continuing education has been through 
initiatives of Green Thumb, Inc. This organization has earned its 
excellent reputation as an innovative national non-profit institution 
leading the field of older worker training and employment. Serving 
mature and other disadvantaged individuals in urban and rural areas, 
Green Thumb has been an important and valuable resource to communities 
around the country since opening its doors in 1965. Last year, through 
Green Thumb and its programs, more than 28,000 senior Americans living 
on limited incomes contributed an estimated 16 million hours of 
community service. I salute this organization for its role in improving 
the quality of life of tens of thousands of our senior citizens, as 
well as the untold numbers of people who have benefitted from the 
wisdom and experience of these older workers.
  Please join with me in the recognition and appreciation of Eva 
McClellan and other senior citizens like her. We owe much to these 
individuals, and to organizations like Green Thumb, Inc., for their 
significant and continuing contributions to our communities and nation 
as a whole.

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