[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 144 (Thursday, October 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              JACOB'S HOPE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 21, 1999

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of a 
tragic event in my home state of Minnesota. On October 22, 1989, an 
eleven-year-old boy named Jacob Wetterling was stolen from his family 
in the small community of St. Joseph, Minnesota. Since then, no one has 
heard from Jacob or the masked gunman who stole him that day.
  This tragedy shook the community, our state and the nation. If a 
child could be taken from a closely-knit, small community like St. 
Joseph, Minnesota, what child in America was truly safe?
  Jacob's parents, Jerry and Patty Wetterling, have made it their 
crusade to make America a safer place for our children. They turned an 
unthinkable horror in their own lives into an opportunity to bring hope 
to other families. Over the last 10 years, they have kept the hope of 
Jacob's return alive, and, at the same time, created the Jacob 
Wetterling Foundation to promote child safety.
  Today, the Jacob Wetterling Foundation is an invaluable, nationally 
recognized resource for families with missing children and the law 
enforcement officials searching for them. The Foundation has helped 
1,500 families with missing or exploited children and processed 1,000 
leads on missing children.
  Patty Wetterling has been a tireless crusader, traveling around the 
country to educate children and families about preventing child 
abduction and abuse.
  The Jacob Wetterling Foundation has reached 160,000 people at 500 
events and has distributed more than 1.2 million safety brochures 
across the nation.
  The Jacob Wetterling Foundation has been instrumental in shaping our 
nation's laws to protect children. Working with Patty Wetterling, I 
introduced legislation to protect communities from the criminals who 
prey on children. This landmark legislation--the Jacob Wetterling Act--
became the law of the land in 1994. Because of it, released criminals 
who are convicted of crimes against children must register with law 
enforcement, and communities are notified when dangerous offenders move 
into the neighborhood.
  Several events are taking place in Minnesota and across the country 
this weekend to mark the tragic anniversary of Jacob's abduction and 
make America award of the need for child protection. At 6:00 p.m. 
tomorrow in St. Joseph, Minnesota, there will be a balloon launch from 
Kennedy Elementary School. Also tomorrow on television, ``Dateline 
NBC'' will carry a report on the Wetterling case.
  On Saturday, a safety fair for children and parents will be held at 
the Rainbow Foods store in St. Cloud, Minnesota. There will also be a 
local broadcast on KARE-TV at 10:00 a.m. with a behind-the-scenes look 
at a public service announcement by Jacob's friends and classmates.
  On Sunday, a ``Hope Service'' will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic 
Church. In addition, the November issue of ``Reader's Digest'' 
currently on newsstands carries a cover story about Jacob.
  Mr. Speaker, there are few people who have touched my own life like 
Jacob Wetterling, a boy I have never met. Because of Jacob, America's 
children are better protected from those who would steal their 
childhood. Because of Jacob, more and more children will have the 
opportunity to grow up safe and secure.
  I ask my colleagues and fellow Americans to remember Jacob and his 
wonderful family. We owe Patty and Jerry Wetterling and the Jacob 
Wetterling Foundation a great debt of gratitude for their ten years of 
work protecting America's most precious gift--our children.

                          ____________________