[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 68 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H3833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING HILL T.O.P.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a group of 
remarkable volunteers in my district call Hill T.O.P., which stands for 
Tupelo Outreach Project.
  Conceived by the head of the local FBI field office in Tupelo, 
Mississippi, Hill T.O.P.'s mission is to meet the physical, spiritual, 
emotional, and social needs of the people of Tupelo and Lee counties.
  Since its formation in 1995, Hill T.O.P. has quickly grown into one 
of the preeminent youth outreach ministries in the region. Just a few 
weekends ago, the annual event had teenage workers and adult 
supervisors at 57 different sites, helping needy families with yard 
work, clean up, painting, and minor home repairs.
  With the idea that ``mission work begins at home,'' the organization 
started by FBI agent Mark Denham, truly embodies the finest principles 
of the Golden Rule and the biblical admonition to love thy neighbor as 
thyself.
  Once a year, Hill T.O.P. seeks to provide what may seem simple 
services to dozens of elderly and less fortunate families in and around 
Lee County, such as painting a fence or raking a yard. To the 
recipients, these services would otherwise be financially or physically 
impossible.
  This ministry is a wonderful example of the kind of commitment to 
community service that, I am proud to say, is evidenced throughout my 
home State of Mississippi. The work performed by Hill T.O.P. 
participants, youth and adults, demonstrates the strong volunteer 
spirit and Judeo-Christian values which lead so many Mississippians and 
Americans to become involved in activities to help friends and 
neighbors in need.
  The organization's simple focus over the past 9 years has been on 
team work and serving God. This is probably one of the main reasons 
Hill T.O.P. continues to attract more enthusiastic volunteers each 
year. When Hill T.O.P. was started in 1995, Mr. Speaker, volunteers 
numbered 75 youths, and the group helped eight local families. This 
year's events included 347 volunteers working on 57 different projects. 
The volunteers came from different religious denominations, social 
backgrounds, and races, with more than 35 church youth groups being 
involved.
  Everything Hill T.O.P. contributes to the community is the result of 
a massive outpouring of generosity and a volunteer spirit which is 
quite alive and well in our society. Professionals give of their time. 
Donations come from the wealthy and not-so-wealthy alike. Civic clubs 
and other organizations provide food, and the list goes on.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an editorial about Hill T.O.P., which appeared 
in the April 25, 2003, edition of the Northeast Mississippi Daily 
Journal.
  The editorial calls the efforts ``an amazing pooling of the local 
volunteerism, inter-church cooperation, and efficient organization.''
  Mr. Speaker, the editorial reads as follows:

     [From the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Apr. 26, 2003]

   At the Hill T.O.P.--Amazing Volunteer Days Accomplish Great Things

       The unusual number of home repair projects visible to 
     passersby today and Sunday in Tupelo and Lee County grows 
     from the work of more than 400 volunteers involved in Hill 
     T.O.P.--Tupelo Outreach Project.
       The annual weekend of building, painting, cleaning, 
     repairing, roofing and other chores places kids and adult 
     supervisors at 57 sites. The work for people physically or 
     financially unable to do it themselves can be as simple as 
     raking yards and as complex as rebuilding porches or 
     installing handicap access ramps.
       The project started in one congregation. Now, it involves 
     dozens who share a common understanding that service to 
     others is at the heart of Christian discipleship.
       Everything about the weekend is provided without cost to 
     the people given help. Tools and materials used in the 
     weekend are mostly donated, and they are stored in a 
     warehouse funded by the Carpenter Foundation, a major funding 
     source for many philanthropic enterprises in the greater 
     Tupelo area. Many of the adult volunteers bring to the 
     weekend a lifetime of professional skills in engineering, 
     home-building, landscaping, administration, the arts, 
     education, and the health sciences. All their labor and 
     knowledge is freely given.
       Behind the scenes, volunteers from many congregations pool 
     their time and talent to provide food for most meals and 
     snacks for each shift of workers. Outback Steakhouse 
     continues its amazing record of corporate generosity with 
     donation of the Saturday night meals.
       Ecumenical worship services sustain the inspiration for the 
     weekend.
       The event also has strong support from many civic clubs, 
     Tupelo's banking community, and individuals who make 
     donations. All in all, it is an amazing pooling of local 
     voluntarism, inter-church cooperation, and efficient 
     organization.
       Volunteers range from kids in their second decades to 
     seniors in their ninth decade.
       Mark Denham is the volunteer director, and Bill Dickson is 
     his chief assistant. The two accomplish in one Hill T.O.P. 
     weekend what some would consider the feat of a lifetime.

  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my friend, FBI agent Mark Denham, for his 
vision and leadership, and I commend the citizen volunteers of Hill 
T.O.P. for truly making a difference in the lives of their neighbors.

                          ____________________