[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3508-S3509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO MS. JULIA TOBIAS AND MR. GUSTAV OWEN ON BEING NAMED NEW 
         HAMSHIRE'S TOP TWO YOUTH VOLUNTEERS FOR THE YEAR 2000

 Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to 
congratulate and honor two young New Hampshire students who have 
achieved national recognition for exemplary volunteer service in their 
communities. Julia Tobias, 17 of Exeter and Gustav Owen, 14 of Barlett 
have been named State honorees in the 2000 Prudential Spirit of 
Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on only one high 
school student and one middle-level student in each state.
  Ms. Tobias is being recognized for founding ``Youth Across Borders'' 
a nonprofit fund to benefit a youth center in Bosnia and to raise 
awareness in her own community about issues of prejudice, tolerance and 
the Bosnia cause. Though thousands of miles away, Julia felt she could 
make a difference for these young people by providing money for school 
supplies, teachers and other materials needed to support the center's 
ethnic reconciliation programs. She then expanded her mission to 
promote racial harmony among youth in her city. So far, she has raised 
$2,500 through various school and community fund-raising for her 
project.
  Mr. Owen is being recognized for conceiving and organizing a school-
wide assembly on bus safety and emergency procedures. During his 
school's semiannual bus evacuation drills, Gustav noticed that his 
fellow students did not fully understand what to do or why the drills 
were necessary. He felt that if the students were more aware, they 
would be better prepared for a true emergency. So Gustav approached his 
principal with the idea of conducting a school assembly on the subject, 
and began researching the bus driver's handbook for more information on 
emergency procedures. He then called a meeting with the bus drivers, 
the fire chief, and a police officer to discuss how to involve the 
students. Finally, he wrote a plan for assembly, recruited volunteers 
to help, and hosted the actual event, which was followed by bus 
evacuation demonstrations for the entire school.
  Mr. President, in light of numerous statistics that indicate 
Americans today are less involved in their communities then they once 
were, it's vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless 
contributions these young People have made. People of all ages need to 
think more about how we, as individual citizens, can work together at 
the local level to ensure the health and vitality of our towns and 
neighborhoods. Young volunteers like Ms. Tobias and Mr. Owen are 
inspiring examples to all of us, and are among

[[Page S3509]]

our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.
  I applaud Ms. Tobias and Mr. Owen for their initiative in seeking to 
make their communities better places to live, and for the positive 
impact they have had on the lives of others. It is an honor to serve 
both Ms. Tobias and Mr. Owen in the United States Senate.

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