[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1222-E1223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   A TRIBUTE TO REVEREND LUIS CENTENO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2001

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Luis 
Centeno, the founder of Proclaimers of Hope Ministries, a faith-based 
recovery and addiction prevention program in West Kensington, 
Philadelphia.
  Reverend Centeno, who also is the pastor at Bethel Temple Church, was 
recently chosen to receive the nation's highest honor for community 
health leadership--a 2001 Community Health Leader award from The Robert 
Wood Johnson Foundation. The distinction, conferred annually on only 10 
people nationwide, includes a $100,000 award to continue his work.
  Reverend Centeno saw first hand the ravaging effects of addiction on 
individuals and

[[Page E1223]]

families in West Kensington--known as the ``Badlands'' because of its 
reputation as one of the worst drug centers in the United States. He 
was once a gang member himself and spent time in juvenile detention 
before turning his life around. In 1988, he created Proclaimers of Hope 
Ministries to take his message of change directly to the neighborhood's 
worst drug corners and create a local rehabilitation center.
  The Proclaimers of Hope Ministries now has 200 volunteers donating 
5,000 hours annually to serve the youth of the community and provide 
counseling and support to addicts. Its staff of 14 raises funds through 
personal donors and other churches throughout the country.
  With Reverend Centeno's leadership, Proclaimers of Hope and Bethel 
Temple Church have a created a diverse approach to prevention and 
recovery, using programs in the martial arts, music, drama, and 
tutoring, to help prevent crises in the lives of the community's young 
men and women. As one of his nominators explained, ``part of the reason 
Luis has been so effective is that he has not set himself apart from 
the people he serves. His brand of healing requires hard work and 
discipline as well as grace and forgiveness, and he freely dispenses 
them all.''
  Mr. Speaker, Reverend Luis Centeno has demonstrated tremendous 
leadership in the fight against drug addiction in his community and is 
clearly well deserving of this prestigious community health award. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Reverend Centeno on 
this wonderful achievement.

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