[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 GAINESVILLE-HALL COUNTY JUNIOR LEAGUE CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                                SERVICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
commend the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia as that 
group celebrates its 50th anniversary of service to our community. The 
Junior League is an organization of women committed to promoting 
volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the 
community; and the women of Gainesville and Hall counties have 
certainly demonstrated during the past half century that hard work and 
good spirits can make a powerful difference in the community that we 
live in.
  The Gainesville-Hall County chapter of the Junior League was founded 
by Ms. Idalu Haugabook Slack and chartered on May 21, 1951. The group 
began making a strong impact then, and I am proud to report that their 
work has not only continued but has intensified since that time. In 
1951, the 21 charter members donated some 515 hours of community 
service. This year's membership donated over 8,000 hours, all while 
raising some $80,000 in a single year.
  Early projects from the Gainesville-Hall County Junior League 
included services to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, a story hour for 
children at the Hall County Library, and school lunches for less 
fortunate children. In 1952, this strong group of women began two 
permanent projects as well, the Green Hunter Homes Nursery, and the 
Charity Ball. Their list of accomplishments continued through the 
years, and in 1954 the first ``Fall Thrift Sale'' began.
  The Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County has a special tradition 
of helping children with speech problems. After spending 4 years 
transporting children to the Atlanta Speech School, the members 
retained a speech correctionist to allow the children of Gainesville 
and Hall counties to get help closer to home. In the early 1970s, the 
Northeast Georgia Speech and Hearing Center was opened, and I had the 
honor of serving on that first board of directors. The Junior League 
also donated money for newborn intensive care equipment.
  In recent years, the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County 
underwrote a $30,000 grant to help open a new child advocacy center and 
has participated in the massive restoration of the Gainesville Civic 
Center. Joining with the Association of Junior Leagues International, 
health concerns emerged as major initiatives and projects were begun, 
including the creation of a mobile health van and the hosting of a 
Child Welfare Forum. History shows that the women of Gainesville-Hall 
County Junior League are able to continue old projects even as they 
engage in new endeavors that help our community.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the main problems of the Junior League is 
demonstrating the effectiveness of trained volunteers, and they are 
certainly doing a great job at it. League members have a strong history 
as State and community leaders, and I commend the Gainesville-Hall 
County Junior League for their continuing legacy of service and 
achievement.

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