[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY NEILSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize 
a truly incredible woman. For the last two years, Dorothy Neilsen has 
embodied a true spirit of charity. In 1997, she began to use her 
vacation time from her job in Aspen, Colorado, to visit Cimpulung, 
Romania. These were not, however, pleasure trips. She went to give any 
assistance that she could offer to the eight to eighteen month old 
infants and children who had been orphaned by the tragedies occurring 
in their country. Before she left, Dorothy also spent months of her 
spare time collecting donations of clothing, toys, and medicines.
  Though she had to endure difficult living conditions, Dorothy was not 
daunted. She continued to work with the children and many of them 
blossomed in her care. She was dubbed ``the angel'' of the orphans by 
the agency that arranged her volunteer position. Dorothy also began to 
teach the workers at the orphanage about the positive effects that 
direct interaction, such as hugging and play, had on the children.
  On her second month long trip to Romania she continued to work to 
better the lives of these children. She also caught typhoid fever which 
caused her to spend several weeks in bed recovering upon her return to 
the United States. However, even this did not deter her from planning a 
third trip to Romania. This trip, like the first two, were successes 
both for Dorothy and the children she went to help.
  Mr. Speaker, few people are as selfless and giving as Dorothy 
Neilsen. She has volunteered a great deal of both her time and energy 
to children who have very little else in their lives. She has given 
hope to children in what would seem to be a hopeless situation. She has 
shown herself to be part of a rare breed. I feel that, as her fellow 
citizens, we own her a great debt of gratitude.

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