[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 65 (Thursday, May 6, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNITION OF DIANE PONTICELLI, MOTHER TO 1,022 CHILDREN

                                 ______
                                 

                         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 Diane Ponticelli, 
an eighty-year-old resident of Johnston, Rhode Island who recently 
received--for the second time--the key to her hometown, in 
commemoration of her thirty-five years of service and dedication to 
more than 1,000 children for whom she cared over the years.
  This selfless, big-hearted woman has been, and still is, a mother to 
these children, and the adults they have become, in every positive 
sense of the word. She considers each and every one of them to be her 
own child and has always treated them accordingly. In a recent article 
in the Providence Journal, Mrs. Ponticelli remarked that she loves 
children and wishes she ``could take care of more.'' I stand in awe of 
this woman and her incredible gift of unconditional love and acceptance 
to these children, who undoubtedly struggled through difficult family 
situations until finding the security provided in the Ponticelli home.
  At one point, Mrs. Ponticelli had nine children staying in her house 
in Johnston, many placed by the Rhode Island Department of Children, 
Youth, and Families. She took in entire families of children so that 
siblings would not be separated; she gave up her own bedroom for the 
children and slept on a couch near one of her physically-disabled 
charges; she cooked big Italian dinners and maintained three sheds, 
four freezers, and three refrigerators; all the while, she showered 
them love, practiced discipline, and provided them with a stable, 
caring home. Mrs. Ponticelli is now eighty years old, suffering from 
cancer, voiceless because of sickness, and small and frail, yet she 
remains a figure larger than life. Her capacity for love knows no 
bounds, and her children reflect that same sense of caring and 
devotion, visiting her often and caring for her in her illness.
  We often decry cases in which our foster care system has run awry and 
allowed innocent children to fall through the cracks. Tragedies such as 
the recent shooting in Littleton, Colorado, force us to reexamine and 
reevaluate what we are teaching our children, at home and at school. As 
often as we lament these tragedies, however, we must celebrate the 
occasions in which the system and strong parenting work. We must 
recognize that when the system does provide children with the stable 
home they so desperately need, it is people like Diane Ponticelli who 
make those successes a reality for the children. We cannot 
underestimate or understate the importance of instilling positive 
values in our children and teaching them to love and respect others.
  Please join with me in the appreciation of Diane Ponticelli and other 
caring parents like her. We owe much to these individuals for their 
significant and continuing contributions to our communities and nation 
as a whole by raising children with love and dedication.

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