[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 105 (Monday, July 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1457]]
                             THE SYCAMORES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 26, 2002

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of Pasadena's 
finest community organizations, The Sycamores. On September 29, 2002, 
The Sycamores will celebrate its 100th anniversary as one of the 
nation's premier mental health agencies serving California's children 
and families.
  In 1902, Fannie Rowland, wife of John Rowland, the first President of 
the Tournament of Roses, called a meeting of thirty prominent Pasadena 
community leaders. She wanted to discuss the ``advisability of 
establishing a home for the care of needy children.'' From that 
meeting, the Pasadena Children's Training Society was founded. 
Initially, the Society's two-story yellow building served as a home for 
``door-step'' babies--infants left on the facility's front steps.
  It was from the front steps that this agency grew. By the mid-1960s 
the Society had outgrown its home and moved to the neighboring 
community of Altadena. With the new home came a new name--The 
Sycamores--a moniker selected in honor of the many trees surrounding 
the new campus. As the physical location and name of the Society 
changed, so did its focus. What began as a small orphanage, bloomed 
into a residential treatment center by the 1960s.
  Since then, The Sycamores has increased its capacity to help. Its 
board of directors purchased additional properties, developed a state-
certified school, offering family and adoptive services, a neighborhood 
family resource center and expanded mental health and transitional 
living programs.
  Over the years, The Sycamores, as one of the area's most acclaimed 
and capable facilities, has cared for some of the most troubled and 
needy children in California. The extraordinary staff uses innovative 
and effective methods to help children and families learn to live 
productive, but more importantly, happy lives. It is their dedication 
that makes The Sycamores a vibrant and valuable asset to the community.
  I ask all Members to join me in congratulating The Sycamores for 100 
years of service and thank them for all that they do for the children 
of our community.

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