[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MRS. JANE B. GARRISON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 1, 2001

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a woman from my 
district whose hard work and leadership are rivaled by only a few. This 
woman, Mrs. Jane B. Garrison, has dedicated the past eight years to the 
Safe Kids of Savannah Coalition and to the prevention of unintentional 
injury to children, the number one killer of children. Her hard work 
has, indeed, made my hometown, Savannah, Georgia, a safer place for 
children.
  Working as the Coalition's Coordinator, Jane Garrison has made Safe 
Kids of Savannah a truly successful organization. She has been the 
driving force behind its many charities and functions. Because of Mrs. 
Garrison, Safe Kids of Savannah has been given many awards, including 
the 1994 Outstanding Health Promotion Program from the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services, the 1995 SAFE KIDS of Georgia Coalition 
of the Year and the 1996 Outstanding Coalition of the National SAFE 
KIDS Campaign.
  Mrs. Garrison has quietly been an outstanding supporter of protecting 
and promoting the welfare of children in Savannah since she moved there 
in 1985. Her other achievements include: the establishment of Boy Scout 
Troop #57 on Skidaway Island; Chairman of Lifeline of Children, Inc. (a 
volunteer group that works with the Chatham County DFCS Department to 
prevent child abuse and neglect); most recent former Chairperson of the 
Board of Directors of Chatham County DFCS; and recipient of the Richard 
A. Schieber, MD Award for 2001 from SAFE KIDS of Georgia, as an 
outstanding SAFE KIDS Coordinator.
  I think it is only fitting, Mr. Speaker, to add a prayer for the 
children in honor of Mrs. Garrison's hard work and the SAFE KIDS of 
Savannah's 10th Anniversary Celebration. This prayer, taken from the 
SAFE KIDS of Savannah Coalition's 1999-2000 Annual Report, was adapted 
from Ina J. Hughes by the Children's Defense Fund. It is entitled, Lest 
We Forget: A Prayer of Responsibility for Children

     WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN
     Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
     Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

     WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN
     Who never get dessert,
     Who do not have any rooms to clean up,
     Whose pictures are not on anybody's dresser,
     Whose monsters are real.

     WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN
     Who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their 
         food,
     Who squirm in church and scream in the phone,
     Whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make 
         us cry.

     WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN
     Whose nightmares come in the daytime,
     Who are not spoiled by anybody,
     Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
     Who live and move, but have no being

     WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN
     Who want to be carried, and for those who must,
     For those we never give up on and for those who do not get a 
         second chance,
     For those we smother . . .
     And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough 
         to offer it.

     WE PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN, O GOD
     May we, ourselves, be an answer to prayer.

  Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on behalf of a 
loyal servant of God; a woman whose efforts keep children alive and 
healthy. Thank yo for your dedication Mrs. Garrison, you keep 
children's dreams alive. God bless these children and Mrs. Jane 
Garrison for helping them.

                          ____________________