[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 34 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING KANSAS YOUTH FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2002

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor three 
young students from my district who have achieved national recognition 
for exemplary volunteer service in their communities. Ashley Wright, 
Aishling O'Connor, and Emily Gipple have been named three of my state's 
top honorees in the 2002 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, 
an annual honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in 
each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
  Miss Wright is being recognized for forming a vocal music performance 
class for developmentally challenged adults in her community. Miss 
O'Connor is being recognized for her effort to raise over $30,000 to 
build an intergenerational playground for an inner-city neighborhood. 
Miss Gipple is being recognized for starting a school club that helps 
foreign exchange and limited-English speaking students make friends and 
integrate successfully into both the school and community.
  In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans are less 
involved in their communities than they once were, it's vital that we 
encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution these young 
citizens have made. People of all ages need to think more about how we, 
as individual citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure 
the health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young 
volunteers like Miss Wright, Miss O'Connor, and Miss Gipple are 
inspiring examples to all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for 
a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought these young role models to our attention--
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by Prudential 
Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that 
their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other young people to follow their example. Over the past seven 
years, the program has become the nation's largest youth recognition 
effort based solely on community service, with nearly 125,000 young 
people participating since its inception.
  Miss Wright, Miss O'Connor, and Miss Gipple should be extremely proud 
to have been singled out from such a large group of dedicated 
volunteers. I applaud Miss Wright, Miss O'Connor, and Miss Gipple for 
their initiative in seeking to make their communities better places to 
live, and for the positive impact they have had on the lives of others. 
They have demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is 
truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserve our sincere 
admiration and respect. Their actions show that young Americans can--
and do--play an important role in our communities, and that America's 
spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

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