[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2314-E2315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS ORGANIZATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL LUTHER

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 9, 1999

  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I commend a 
group of volunteers who can honestly say that they have impacted and 
inspired thousands of people and countless communities worldwide: I am 
speaking of Global Volunteers, a nonprofit international development 
organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
  The volunteers' goal is to help establish a foundation for peace 
through mutual international understanding. To this end, they invest 
personal time and resources to work anywhere from continental America 
to Africa, Europe or the Cook Islands. Citizens from throughout our 
country participate in projects determined and directed by the local 
communities, doing everything from teaching English to building and 
painting local facilities, such as classrooms and medical clinics.

[[Page E2315]]

  As Susan Norman, a volunteer from Texas said: ``It was great to 
actually be a part of a team doing repair work and maintenance so the 
peace process [in Ireland] can continue. I learned that peacemaking 
isn't just facilitating discussion but also repairing walls, cleaning 
toilets and doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work so the process can 
happen.'' It is because of thousand of volunteers like Susan that 
progress toward international peace and understanding is being made. 
These volunteers are a prime example of people who refuse to become 
frustrated in light of serious global problems, but rather attempt to 
solve them, step by step, through personal commitment and dedication.
  Now, Global Volunteers had been granted special consultative status 
to the United Nations by the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council 
(ECOSOC). This privilege enables Global Volunteers to designate U.N. 
representatives and attend ECOSOC's meetings. Their consultative status 
allows the volunteers to make a contribution to the work programs and 
goals of the United Nations by serving as technical experts, advisers 
and consultants to governments and the Secretariat. I am confident that 
Global Volunteers will become a valuable asset to ECOSOC and will 
continue to build relationships and understanding in the relentless 
pursuit of global peace and understanding.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Global Volunteers President Bud Philbrook, his 
spouse Michele Gran, and the crews of volunteers for their hard work 
and dedication over the past 15 years and I wish them all the best in 
their ongoing efforts. They serve as ambassadors and role models for 
all of the citizens of America!

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