[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN HONOR OF JUAN CARLOS RUIZ, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 1999

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk today 
about a remarkable, courageous man who has dedicated himself to 
improving the lives of those around him. Mr. Juan Carlos Ruiz is a fine 
member of my home community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I am proud to 
announce that he has been recognized for his good work with the 
nation's most distinguished citation for community health leadership: 
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Community Health Leadership Award.
  Mr. Ruiz has been committed to social justice since he was 
politically active in his home country of Peru. Fourteen years ago, Mr. 
Ruiz discovered that his life may be in danger because of some work he 
was doing in opposition to ``Shining Path'' and was forced to flee his 
homeland. Four years later, he arrived in the United States where he 
secured political asylum. Mr. Ruiz quickly returned to community 
activism and leadership, helping develop a community nursing center at 
Riverwest Elementary School while working at the East Side Housing 
Action Coalition (ESHAC). He also coordinated a crime prevention 
campaign to identify and close down 50 suspected drug houses, as well 
as mobilize over 300 city residents behind a liquor license reform.
  And, in his spare time, Mr. Ruiz helped to create and continue to run 
a neighborhood group, the Cleaning Out Riverwest Committee (CROC). CROS 
has redeveloped Gordon Park and provides recreational activities to 
youth.
  For the past several years, Juan Carlos Ruiz has led the fight 
against childhood lead poisoning in inner-city Milwaukee. Ruiz is a 
community organizer for the Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund's Community 
Lead-Safe Zones project. He directs the Parents Against Lead Task Force 
(PAL) which focuses on inner-city low-income neighborhoods where over 
one-half the children tested have elevated levels of lead in their 
blood and lead poisoning rates are estimated at five times the national 
average. PAL recruits parents, and trains individuals to become 
community organizers and provide door-to-door and community-wide 
education forums. There are now over 50 active PAL members working in 
partnership with federal, state and local health departments, schools, 
churches, health centers, and parents to fight childhood lead poisoning 
in Milwaukee.
  Mr. Ruiz has coined a rallying cry for parents and others concerned 
about childhood lead poisoning: ``Stop Using Our Children as Lead 
Detectors.'' Under this banner, Ruiz scored a major victory for 
children when his group pushed an ordinance through City Hall that will 
make rental properties lead-safe homes for children. The program he 
championed also provides financing to help landlords in targeted 
neighborhoods assess and eliminate the problem. This initiative is the 
result of years of work, and Juan Carlos Ruiz built an effective 
partnership to get the job done. He worked with the Milwaukee Health 
Department and key members of the Milwaukee Common Council to build 
public awareness of childhood lead poisoning and support for the 
ordinance. He also helped me to get involved in the effort to help 
secure HUD funding that the City will use to implement the ordinance.
  Juan Carlos Ruiz is a dedicated community servant, activist, and 
leader. He was selected as one of ten out of more than 300 nominated 
for this honor. Juan Carlos Ruiz is a credit to Milwaukee, and through 
his tireless work, my home town has become a better place to live and a 
safe replace to grow up. I am proud to join his family, his colleagues 
and the Community Health Leadership Program in congratulating Juan 
Carlos Ruiz on a job well done.

                          ____________________