[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 97 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1309]]
                   KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS IN CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 24, 2000

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a successful anti-
violence organization in my district. Founded in 1982 in Kansas City, 
the STOP Violence Coalition's mission is to promote non-violence 
through education, programming, and collaboration. The program serves 
25,000 students, parents, educators, and inmates each year through 
kindness education, bullying prevention, and inmate rehabilitation. Its 
founder and one of my constituents, SuEllen Fried, is a well-known 
leader in the fields of child abuse and peer abuse prevention.
  The STOP Violence Coalition has had success with many of its 
programs. The Reaching Out From Within\TM\ program, directed toward 
inmate rehabilitation, has a 23% recidivism rate, compared to the 
national average of approximately 60%. The Coalition has also compiled 
the 12 Contributing Factors to Violence\TM\, organized the Elder Rights 
Coalition\TM\, and collaborated with area agencies to address issues 
related to violence prevention and organization. The Coalition has 
received the 1999 National American Community Award from the National 
Council on Crime and Delinquency.
  One of the STOP Violence Coalition's most effective programs is the 
Kindness is Contagious\TM\ program. Last week, at the request of 
another community leader, who is also of my constituents, Norman 
Polsky, I distributed Kindness is Contagious . . . Catch it! buttons to 
each of my colleagues in the House. The purpose of the buttons is to 
wear the Kindness button until someone is observed behaving kindly 
toward another, at which time the button is passed on. The recipient is 
asked to observe others for kind behavior and to pass on the button to 
someone else who deserves the recognition. Thus it become everyone's 
responsibility to continue the chain of kindness and giving.
  Though the program is school-based, the message is not just for 
youth. Youth and grown-ups alike need to keep in mind that although we 
have strong feelings and will disagree about certain things, at the end 
of the day we should always treat people with the dignity they deserve.
  Nearly 300,000 students in 400 Kansas City area schools have 
participated in Kindness is Contagious\TM\, which promotes the passing 
of the Kindness button. Since June of this year, over 1,500 inquiries 
from concerned citizens throughout the country and world have contacted 
the STOP Violence Coalition to see how they can start the Kindness 
program in their own communities.
  Mr. Speaker, this program is something that has made people around 
the nation stop and think about their personal behavior and how it 
affects others, something all of us--within and outside of Congress--
should always keep in mind. I would like to thank SuEllen Fried and 
Normal Polsky for their leadership and vision with these programs and 
their many efforts throughout our community. I commend them for their 
tireless service and dedication.
  I hope these buttons will change hands many times and encourage 
caring, consideration, and compassion. I will be wearing this button in 
an effort to promote kindness. I urge my colleagues to join me in this 
effort and spread this program to their districts.

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