[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 8, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO WOMENS RURAL ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORK

 Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to 
honor the Womens Rural Entrepreneurial Network (WREN) of Bethlehem for 
receiving the Home Loan Bank of Boston's 1999 Community Development 
Award. The award recognizes the top project in the state undertaken by 
a nonprofit community group and a local bank. WREN's hard work has made 
a real difference in the lives of the women of Northern New Hampshire, 
and the accomplishments of its members are to be commended.
  With the assistance of Passumpsic Bank, WREN developed a program to 
help women in Northern New Hampshire start their own businesses. The 
program initially offered training in areas such as business plan 
development, marketing, financial management and computer literacy, but 
quickly expanded to include other crucial skills such as networking and 
technology training. As a result of the success of those programs, WREN 
is currently developing a community center that will house a retail 
store to sell the products of the program's participants, a community 
art studio and an expanded meeting and teaching space. The sky is the 
limit for this program, and its future certainly looks bright.
  The achievements of the program are remarkable, and they serve as a 
shining example of what can be accomplished when local banks and 
community-oriented groups work together. It is truly an honor to serve 
such a hardworking organization in the United States Senate.

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