[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING AMY FINCH, OUTSTANDING YOUNG HUMANITARIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2000

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor a 
young Colorado student from my district who has achieved national 
recognition for exemplary volunteer service in her community. Amy Finch 
from Vail has just been named one of my state's top honorees in The 
2000 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor 
conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state, the 
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
  Amy, a senior at Battle Mountain High School, is an avid community 
volunteer who has helped raise money for victims of violence, knitted 
clothes and blankets for refugees, served as a buddy to elementary 
school children, served soup to the homeless, and volunteered with 
Special Olympics.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention--The 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by The Prudential 
Insurance Company of America in partnership with the National 
Association of Secondary School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all 
youth volunteers that their contributions are critically important and 
highly valued and to inspire other young people to follow their 
example. In only five years, the program has become the nation's 
largest youth recognition effort based solely on community service, 
with nearly 75,000 youngsters participating since its inception.
  Amy should be extremely proud to have been singled out from such a 
large group of dedicated volunteers. I heartily applaud Amy for her 
initiative in seeking to make her community a better place to live, and 
for the positive impact she has had on the lives of others. She has 
demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is truly 
extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere admiration and 
respect.
  It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I offer this tribute in honor of 
Amy Finch. Her actions show that young Americans can--and do-- play 
important roles in our communities, and that America's community spirit 
continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

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