[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 11, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H6174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING MICHAEL BELAY FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMANITY

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Michael Belay of 
Orange County. On a trip back to his native Ethiopia to a town called 
Abbiyi Addi, Belay saw children playing on the hulk of a helicopter 
that had crashed near their school. The dry, cracked earth was the 
floor of their classroom. They had no chalk, chairs or blackboard.
  Belay saw an opportunity to help brighten the future for these 
children. He scrimped together $10,000 and took it back to his village. 
With this, he bought clothing, shoes and bags of food. When he returned 
to California, he organized HAPPY, Hands Across the Planet to Poor 
Youth, to raise $200,000 for these children to buy televisions, 
computers, construction materials, and chalk.
  We can all find inspiration in Belay's actions. I am especially proud 
of him, Mr. Speaker, since he works part time as a security guard at 
Chapman University where I am a proud alum and a member of the board of 
trustees there.
  It is people like Michael Belay that truly make our world a better 
place to live.

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