[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 133 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO THE INSTITUTE FOR THE PUERTO RICAN/HISPANIC ELDERLY, INC.

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                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2003

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to The Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, 
Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the lives of low income 
minority seniors and their families in the city of New York. This 
invaluable organization will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Friday, 
October 3, 2003.
  The Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc., was 
founded in 1978 to remove communication and other service barriers that 
separated Puerto Rican and Hispanic seniors from their rights and 
entitlements under the law. Today, the Institute is the premier 
Hispanic non-profit organization serving New York City's ethnic 
minority seniors and their families, with the mission to improve their 
quality of life.
  Serving more than 140,000 seniors annually, the institute's services 
are delivered in a citywide complex of offices, facilities, programs 
and senior centers. In addition, the Institute has four subsidiaries: 
El Cemi Houses, which provides affordable housing for homeless seniors; 
the Institute Home Care Services; the licensed Innovative Home Health 
Care Systems; and Clinica Nueva Esperanza, a mental health clinic for 
seniors.
  The Institute also serves as an important resource for non-profits, 
government agencies and businesses, providing technical assistance and 
consultation in areas such as management training, culturally 
responsive service delivery, and access to minority communities.
  Mr. Speaker, under the leadership of Suleika Cabrera Drinane, this 
fine institution has helped to provide essential and quality services 
to the low income minority seniors of New York City for a quarter of a 
century. Because of its pioneering and outstanding work, the Institute 
has received awards and recognitions from city, state, and federal 
agencies, as well as by other organizations in the community.
  For their long standing commitment to the disadvantaged seniors of 
New York City, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the 
Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc., on their 25th 
Anniversary.

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