[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 8, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E241-E242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF MARTHA BURNS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 8, 2000

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Martha 
Burns, a good friend and

[[Page E242]]

community leader who is planning to step down from her duties as a 
Member of the Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the Parent/School/Youth 
Task Force, and Director of Parent Training with the Coalition for a 
Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati. Martha has been invaluable to the 
Coalition.
  In 1996, Martha attended a meeting at Sycamore High School regarding 
teenage drug abuse and efforts to get parents involved in a new 
organization being formed to address the problem--the Coalition for a 
Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati. Martha went home that night and made the 
decision with her husband, Bruce Burns, to get involved in the effort 
to prevent teenage drug use in our community.
  Martha has been the Coalition's hardest working volunteer. She and 
Bruce were trained as facilitators of our Parent-to-Parent program and 
began recruiting others to do the same. As the Director of Parent 
Training for the Coalition, Martha coordinated Parent-to-Parent 
training classes throughout Greater Cincinnati. To date, over 4,000 
parents in 30 school districts have been trained in how to talk to 
their kids about the dangers of substance abuse and how to recognize 
signs that a child may be in trouble. Most recently, Martha has worked 
to bring the parent training classes into the workplace.
  Martha's work and contributions to the community do not, however, end 
with the Coalition. She also volunteers at the local library, is 
Secretary of the local Boy Scout troop, teaches Bible classes, and is 
an Officer and Board Member of the Sycamore High School Parent Teacher 
Organization.
  Martha's efforts with the Coalition have helped literally thousands 
of local parents to learn more about how to keep their kids drug-free. 
And, it is not a stretch to say that her work has saved the lives of 
children in our area. Her selfless dedication to the cause of fighting 
drug use in our community makes her a true hero. We will miss Martha as 
a Board Member, Co-Chair of the Parent/School/Youth Task Force, and 
Director of Parent Training, but look forward to continuing to work 
with her as a Coalition volunteer in the future.

                          ____________________