[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 84 (Friday, June 21, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ROSWELL WINS ALL-AMERICA CONTEST

 Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, today I recognize the 
impressive civic achievements of Roswell, NM. These civic achievements 
have not only bettered this New Mexico community, but have earned 
Roswell the national honor of receiving an All-American City Award. The 
All-America City Award is the oldest and most respected community 
recognition program in the Nation. This award recognizes communities, 
such as Roswell, whose citizens work together to identify and address 
community-wide challenges and achieve extraordinary goals. This year 
Roswell not only met, but exceeded the selection criteria of the 
contest through its enthusiastic public participation, its involvement 
of diverse perspectives in decisions, and its city accomplishments 
which have significantly improved community life. Roswell met the 
challenge of the All-America contest by identifying its largest 
community challenges and displaying how the community has worked 
together to make these challenges areas of success. The people of 
Roswell identified their biggest challenges as lack of access to health 
care and unemployment and then demonstrated how, as a community, they 
had worked to improve these areas over the past 3 years.
  The city of Roswell highlighted three admirable projects that 
impacted their areas of challenge including ``Incidentally Roswell,'' 
the Youth Dental Initiative and Dress for Success. Through the 
``Incidentally Roswell'' project the community has successfully used 
the historical extraterrestrial phenomenon of Roswell to better its 
economy. The people of Roswell have worked to use its historical 
exposure to increase tourism thus creating more jobs and bringing more 
money into the community. In their presentation the Roswell 
representatives made light of the situation by cleverly centering their 
presentation around questions asked by E.T. Holmes, a space alien 
detective. Along with the economy the people of Roswell also rightly 
focus on bettering the lives of the children in their community. 
Through the Youth Dental Initiative Roswell is using Medicaid money to 
provide children with dental care. The program includes a dental clinic 
at which patients can be treated as well as a dental van that goes to 
schools to provide dental services to children. Since 1999 the Youth 
Dental Initiative the program has serviced a remarkable 4,000 children 
in Chavez County. Roswell's dedication to the well being of their 
children is both impressive and commendable. And finally, Roswell 
presented their Dress for Success program, which aids children and 
adults to dress in an appropriate manner to achieve success in their 
schools and work places. This program has shown especially good results 
in the Roswell school system through providing uniforms to the 86 
percent of children who are in poverty in the area. Through eliminating 
the visual clothing differences among the students, Roswell is 
experiencing improved behavior, and increases in grade point averages, 
attendance and self-esteem. Equally impressive is the fact that this 
program is fueled by the generosity and concern of the community for 
their children. The Dress for Success program shows Roswell's great 
support of their children and their determination to help them succeed.
  These three projects that strive for civic betterment are only a 
glimpse of the efforts Roswell is making in order to make their city a 
noteworthy part of the Nation. It is a great honor for Roswell, as well 
as for the entire state of New Mexico, for this community to receive 
the All-America Award. Through their dedication, patriotism, and hard 
work the people of Roswell have shown that American citizens can indeed 
make a difference in their communities. Roswell is a community that has 
taken great strides to overcome its challenges. I commend the citizens 
of Roswell for striving to achieve a high quality of life and thus 
helping the State of New Mexico continue to be the land of enchantment. 
I would like to congratulate the city of Roswell on their great 
achievements and the well deserved recognition of their 
efforts.

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