[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATIONS TO NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS FOR 
     ITS OUTSTANDING FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL

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                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2000

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the National 
Association of Federal Credit Unions for deciding to take a leadership 
role in helping to raise funds for the National World War II Memorial.
  At its annual Defense Credit Union Summit, NAFCU President Fred 
Becker announced that association members will be encouraged to make a 
personal donation, or by encouraging their credit union members to 
support the memorial through a NAFCU/World War II Memorial pledge card. 
Members will also be able to use the pledge card to submit names for 
the Registry of Remembrances for the Memorial.
  I believe that all veterans and all families of veterans will 
appreciate this special campaign by the National Association of Federal 
Credit Unions. I encourage all of our colleagues to read the press 
release from NAFCU that I am submitting and to promote the program 
within their own Congressional Districts for the benefit of all World 
War II veterans.

      NAFCU JOINS FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL WWII MEMORIAL

       Honolulu, HI.--The National Association of Federal Credit 
     Unions (NAFCU) announced today at its annual Defense Credit 
     Union Summit that it will take a leadership role in helping 
     to raise funds for the National World War II Memorial.
       NAFCU President Fred Becker made the announcement at a 
     gathering of defense credit union officials, just miles from 
     Pearl Harbor where the war began for America in December 
     1941. The Defense Summit is a one-day, defense credit union 
     meeting that precedes NAFCU's Annual Conference and 
     Exhibition, held this year at the Hawaii Convention Center, 
     July 19-22.
       President Clinton signed legislation authorizing the 
     establishment of a National World War II Memorial in 1993, 
     and a fundraising campaign spearheaded by Senator Bob Dole 
     and FedEx Corporation CEO Fred Smith has now raised more than 
     $92 million of the estimated $100 million required to design, 
     construct and maintain a memorial. The NAFCU Board voted last 
     month to lend NAFCU's support to the campaign and to 
     encourage its members to promote the effort as well.
       ``I think it is appropriate that we announce our 
     participation in the campaign here, in Honolulu, where the 
     battleship Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Memorial serve as 
     solemn reminders of America's involvement in the last world 
     war,'' Becker said. He noted that 16 million Americans served 
     in uniform during the war, and more than 400,000 died. 
     ``World War II was the most significant event in the last 
     century,'' he said. ``Without the sacrifice of that 
     generation, we would not enjoy the freedoms and opportunities 
     we have today.''
       ``The World War II Memorial Campaign sincerely appreciates 
     the efforts of the National Association of Federal Credit 
     Unions and the support of the nation's federal credit unions 
     and their members in helping to make this memorial 
     possible,'' said Senator Dole.
       NAFCU members will be able to participate in the campaign 
     in two ways: either by making a personal donation, or by 
     encouraging their credit union members to support the 
     memorial through a NAFCU/World War II Memorial pledge card 
     that can be obtained from the NAFCU website (or by diskette) 
     and distributed as a statement stuffer.
       The NAFCU/WWII Memorial pledge card also will allow credit 
     union members to submit names for the World War II Registry 
     of Remembrances, which will include the names of veterans and 
     individuals on the home front who contributed to the war 
     effort. The registry will be kept on permanent display at the 
     National World War II Memorial.
       ``The memorial and its registry will be a fitting tribute 
     to those who served,'' said NAFCU Chair Ron Keeler. ``I know 
     that many NAFCU credit union leaders and their members either 
     supported or served in World War II. This is a unique 
     opportunity to create a lasting legacy commemorating their 
     efforts.'' Keeler said that America is losing its WWII 
     veterans at the rate of 1,000 a day, adding a sense of 
     urgency to the campaign. ``Of the 16 million Americans who 
     served, fewer than six million are alive today,'' he said.
       The artwork for the NAFCU/World War II Memorial pledge card 
     will be available on NAFCU's website at www.nafcunet.org.
 Copies of the artwork can also be obtained by calling Joelle 
     Hahn in NAFCU's Marketing Division at 1-800-336-4644, ext. 
     227.
       NAFCU is the only national organization of credit unions 
     that focuses exclusively on federal issues affecting credit 
     unions, representing its members before the federal 
     government and the public.

     

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