[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 87 (Monday, July 10, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMENDING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE DEPARTMENT LEGAL DEPARTMENT

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                           HON. TONY P. HALL

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 10, 2000

  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to your 
attention the commendable actions of the International Finance 
Corporation (IFC) Legal Department, the private sector arm of the World 
Bank.
  Since 1994, the IFC Legal Department has been involved in a joint 
effort with Gospel Rescue Ministries (GRM), a homeless shelter and drug 
rehabilitation/educational training center for men on the edge of DC's 
Chinatown neighborhood. This partnership has helped rebuild the lives 
of numerous formerly homeless individuals.
  IFC offers men from Gospel Rescue Ministries the opportunity to work 
and receive training in the Legal Departments Records Room. The program 
allows these men to gain experience in records management while the IFC 
gains reliable help. Already, 14 men have taken part in the program and 
several of them have gone on to continue their studies, move to 
promising jobs with other firms, or take positions with other IFC 
Departments, while all have laid foundations for more stable lives.
  The idea of IFC's involvement came about at a Legal Department 
retreat, where staff members said they wished they could see 
development impact locally or at least find ways of reaching out to the 
community. IFC Deputy General Counsel Jennifer Sullivan knew GRM and 
knew that it needed jobs for the graduates of its computer training 
program. Aware of openings in her department paying between $8 and $10 
an hour, she proposed a partnership. As Ms. Sullivan has told me, it 
was definitely a win-win situation. These young men are gaining 
experience and training and IFC gets reliable, low-cost help.
  Office manager Viki Betancourt and Records Room manager Michael 
Cortese closely track the program with GRM. Both were devastated when 
their first hire reverted to drug use and had to leave both the shelter 
and his job at IFC. But their eyes shine when they talk about the other 
men they have hired since.
  One participant, who has earned his high school equivalency degree, 
is attending Strayer College and plans to become a minister. Others 
have landed jobs in other IFC departments. All feel a great 
responsibility to reach out to others in the shelter and show them that 
success is attainable. All have worked very hard and done well, 
according to Mr. Cortese. Other staff in the Records Room have come to 
appreciate the enthusiasm and dedication of these individuals.
  Dr. Edward Eyring, director of GRM, says that most men who walk into 
the shelter cannot even conceive of being successful. Dr. Eyring is a 
friend of mine and an orthopedic surgeon who moved to Washington from 
Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife Mary Jane to run the privately 
supported program.
  It is very appropriate that there is a sign over the front door of 
the program's facilities that reads, ``If you haven't got a friend in 
the world, you can find one here. Come in.'' GRM says it has a 70 
percent success rate in helping its men stay free of drugs and alcohol 
for at least 15 months but really offers more than just drug 
rehabilitation, aiming to give men support and training so that they 
can begin life anew. Nothing helps more than a job.
  The IFC Legal Department staff is committed to finding ways to reach 
out to the community. This commitment has gone beyond words to provide 
employment opportunities that have transformed lives and renewed hope 
for a brighter future. The IFC deserves our congratulations and thanks 
for their successful involvement in the fight to combat homelessness in 
our nation's capital.

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