[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 129 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO REV. DONALD F. DeVOS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 3, 2002

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the Rev. Donald F. DeVos, president of the Detroit Rescue Mission 
Ministries (DRMM), who peacefully left this world on Saturday 
afternoon, September 28, 2002.
  Don dedicated his life to serving the least, the last, and the lost. 
I witnessed this firsthand as late as March of this year when I met 
with Don in my office. He was here in Washington, 81 years old, 
resplendent in his attire, walking the marble halls of Congress 
strongly advocating on behalf of Michigan's at-risk and abused youth.
  Don brought tremendous vision, leadership, grace and love to his 
work. He came to the Mission in 1990 to just ``help out'' and two years 
later he became the organization's president. When Don arrived, the 
Mission quietly operated on a small budget, with few facilities, and a 
narrow focus in the city. Under Don's strong leadership, the Mission 
expanded its services and has become the largest provider to the 
homeless and addicted in southeast Michigan.
  In 1998, Don DeVos was awarded Executive of the Year by United Way 
Community Services. A year earlier, the City of Detroit awarded the 
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Agency of the Year. Today, the 
Mission has an $8 million budget, operates facilities in 18 locations 
throughout the Metro area, including Highland Park and Howell. The 
Mission successfully transforms the lives of gang members, drug 
addicts, prostitutes, juvenile offenders, and the homeless with time-
tested, cost-effective programs, and through the power of the Living 
Gospel. The Mission's programs, which include drug treatment, 
transitional housing, education, job training, and youth assistance, 
have a combined success rate of 77 percent.
  Don would often say that his most satisfying moments came when he 
would meet someone who held out his or her hand and said, ``Mr. DeVos, 
I went through your program and it changed my life!'' It occurred at 
his favorite lunch spot, Mario's restaurant; on the street outside his 
office on the notorious Cass Corridor; even the doorman to Don's 
apartment building was once a Mission resident. This is Don's legacy.
  While Don's energy and inspiration came from above, the person who 
gave him daily encouragement and strength was his beloved wife, Betty, 
who passed away last year. Losing his life-long partner was difficult 
for Don. Now they are together again.
  Don was a graduate of Union High School in Grand Rapids. After 
graduating in 1942 from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago he served 
in the U.S. Navy. Beginning in 1944, Don worked with Christian leaders 
throughout the world, including the Rev. Billy Graham, to found Youth 
for Christ International and to direct public relations for other 
faith-based international organizations, including World Vision and 
Global Concern. Before coming to the Mission, he founded a long-term 
residential treatment program in Texas for young substance abusers that 
has changed the lives of thousands of boys and girls.
  In Don's office hangs a beautiful motto that reads, ``The will of God 
will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.'' The 
greatest thing I can say about Don is that he lived every day of his 
life by this sacred promise.
  Don DeVos died one year, one month, and one day after his beloved 
wife, Betty.

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