[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1215-E1216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CESAR CHAVEZ DAY OF SERVICE AND LEARNING

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2001

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Mr. 
Berman, to congratulate Governor Davis on the first annual Cesar Chavez 
Day of Service and Learning, funded through the Governor's Office on 
Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV).
  Cesar E. Chavez, a civil rights leader and community servant, 
committed his life to empowering people. He championed the cause of 
thousands of farm workers in order to improve their lives and 
communities and to work for social justice. Chavez believed that 
service to others was a way of life, not merely an occupation of an 
occasional act of charity. He forged a legacy of service, conviction 
and principled leadership. Californians celebrate and

[[Page E1216]]

learn about the life and works of Chavez annually through civic 
engagement.
  On March 30, 2001, the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism 
commemorated the first annual Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning 
by involving K-12 students in service and teaching children about the 
life and work of Cesar E. Chavez. Individuals, business and community 
members, teachers and school children came together to perform 
meaningful service projects to honor the principles by which Chavez 
conducted his life. GO SERV awarded grants to 71 projects which 
performed community activities, such as community garden projects, 
mural painting, theater/teatro performances, environmental restoration 
projects, community beautification activities, and agricultural/
farmworker projects. As a result of these partnerships, over 300,000 
students engaged in service activities to honor Cesar E. Chavez.
  One striking example was a program in Orange County. At the Orange 
County Cesar Chavez Day initiative, over 500 4th grade students 
participated in gleaning fields and harvesting crops. All of the food 
gathered was donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank which distributed 
the food locally. Over 25,000 pounds of cabbage, radishes, carrots, 
onions, romaine, iceberg and butter lettuce was gathered as a result of 
the program. In addition to gathering food, students planted over 800 
seedlings. In June, the program will engage over 400 additional 4th 
grade students in the program to harvest crops for donation to the Food 
Bank. The activities are a fitting introduction for students to the 
life and work of Cesar E. Chavez.
  Another program called Barrios Unidos, a nonprofit organization 
dedicated to violence prevention, developed Cesar Chavez service clubs 
to commemorate Cesar Chavez Day. Barrios Unidos commemorated the day in 
seven sites statewide including Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Salinas, Fresno, 
Santa Monica, Venice, and San Diego. Through these Cesar Chavez clubs, 
youth participated in community beautification projects while learning 
about the life and values of Chavez. In Santa Monica for example, 
people joined to celebrate the day by cleaning up Virginia Avenue Park 
and painting a 20-foot long mural depicting city life.
  GO SERV worked in conjunction with Senator Richard Polanco's office, 
the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, the Chavez family, and the Department 
of Education to promote the first annual Cesar Chavez Day of Service 
and Learning. We are proud of the undertakings of the first annual 
Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning and look forward to continuing 
to seeing the impact GO SERV will have in our community while 
commemorating and teaching Californians about the legacy of Cesar E. 
Chavez.

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