[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2111-E2112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FIVE TRUE HEROES IN AMERICAN LIFE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 2003

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, if we were to believe the television and 
radio and even the newspapers, we would think that the most important 
figures in America are professional athletes, movie stars, rock 
performers, and financial tycoons.
  But we all know that this is not true. There are millions of 
Americans who do heroic work every day. Some are teachers, some nurses, 
some work in day care. Some prepare meals for the elderly; others take 
care of their elderly parents or of spouses or children who are ill or 
disabled. Men and women all over America go off to work each day, 
sometimes at two or even three jobs, to make sure that there is food on 
the table for their families, and money to send their children to 
college.
  Today, I want to recognize five citizens of Vermont who are heroes: 
Mary Jean Inglee, Emma Katherine Ely, Bev Priest, Theresa Emmons, and 
Christina Crawford. They come from every corner of Vermont, and each 
has been tireless in advocating for the needs of the low-income 
citizens of our state.
  Mary Jean Inglee was born in Whitehall, New York and raised in an 
Irish Catholic Democratic family. She graduated from Whitehall High 
School, Class of 1968, and married Harold Inglee in November of that 
same year. She and her husband now live in Rutland; they have two 
daughters and three granddaughters.
  Mary Jean Inglee's interest in low-income issues started when she was 
a child, when a poor family lived in a shack on the rocky area above 
her house. To Mary Jean's own family, it was a natural thing to share 
what they had with that family. Her parents provided them with rides to 
doctors and food and clothing whenever they could.
  Mary Jean at times got in trouble at school because she believed it 
was her duty to advocate for classmates that were being treated 
unfairly. She remembers those classmates as the kids who experienced 
the cruel realities of poverty.
  Mary Jean worked in the public school system for 10 years in a 
special education classroom. She had a first-hand look at how state 
systems worked--and how they didn't work for kids that had the least 
going for them. Once again some saw her as a troublemaker, for she took 
advocacy for families who needed extra consideration, very seriously. 
She says this kind of work brought her to know BROC (the community 
action agency in southern Vermont), which was a worksite for some of 
the students she worked with. Going there on a weekly basis, she was 
able to observe the difficult situation facing clients and workers.
  Mary Jean has worked for the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation 
for the past 15 years, an agency charged with removing barriers to 
employment for people with disabilities. Most of the people she works 
with have no income or the minimal benefits of Supplemental Security 
Income or Social Security Disability payments. This translates into 
poverty. She advocates every day for programs, training, and dollars to 
help people improve their lives.
  A new opportunity to help came in 1992 when she was asked to join the 
BROC Board of Directors as a low-income representative. The timing was 
perfect for Mary Jean to be called into service. Her husband was ill 
and not able to work. This gave her an instant ``reminder course'' in 
what it was like to owe rent and wonder how it would be paid. In their 
35 years together, they have been there a few times, but unlike many of 
the people BROC serves, there was usually someone in the family who 
could help out.
  Mary Jean has worked tirelessly for others, but she has also pursued 
a path of learning for herself. She received a Bachelor of Science 
degree in Human Services from Springfield College in 2002. She is 
currently a Masters Candidate and expects to receive her Masters in 
Human Services with a concentration in Community Psychology in the 
spring of 2004.
  Emma Katherine Ely is another outstanding advocate for low-income 
people. During the past 15 years (and probably longer than that!) Ms. 
Ely has served the low-income community of northeastern Vermont. While 
being a parent in the program--she is the mother of ten children--Ms. 
Ely served on the Champlain Valley OEO Head Start Policy Council. That 
interest in parent advocacy led to seats on the New England Regional 
Head Start Board and also on the Vermont State Head Start Parents 
Association. For the past 10 years, Ms. Ely has played a central role 
organizing the Vermont Early Childhood Conference. In addition to this 
work, Ms. Ely has been active in many roles

[[Page E2112]]

at the King Street Youth Center in Burlington. She currently organizes 
the Holiday Program at that Center.
  She represents the needs and interests of the whole community, not 
just of children. Ms. Ely has also been a member of the Chittenden 
Emergency Food Shelf Advisory Board for the past 14 years. She is 
currently a low-income representative on the Champlain Valley OEO Board 
of Directors, and is at the present moment serving in her second term. 
She does all of these things as a dedicated, spirited advocate.
  Bev Priest is another dedicated advocate for low-income people. A 
resident of Jay, Vermont for over 25 years, she served as a low-income 
representative on the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Board of 
Directors for 10 years. During that time, she regularly attended the 
Low-Income Association meetings, Physically Disabled Association 
meetings, and other meetings in the state capital of Montpelier: at all 
of them she unstintingly shared with everyone her knowledge of what she 
learned.
  Bev Priest opened a food shelf and clothing center in the Jay Town 
Clerk's building and provided many holiday baskets to the local 
families. During the Christmas season she often played Santa at the 
low-income children's Christmas parties; she herself acquired many of 
the gifts that were distributed. She has been a consistent advocate for 
people in crisis; she has assisted in any way she could in helping 
people in crisis locate the resources they needed. Bev would many times 
call the NEKCA office stating, ``If I had transportation I would be on 
your desk right now.'' As one Vermonter in her community stated, ``Bev 
promoted the continual awareness of others of the struggles that low-
income families face by `pointing out the squeaks in the wheel'.''
  Theresa Emmons has been involved with the Central Vermont Community 
Action Council for over 20 years. It is safe to say that without her 
influence, CVCAC would not have accomplished as much as it has. Theresa 
served on the Board of Directors as a representative of the town of 
Washington in Orange County. She also has the distinction of having the 
longest tenure on the CVCAC Board, which she has served in every 
possible way: as President, as Vice President, as Treasurer and as 
Secretary.
  As if this weren't enough, she has also served on the Head Start 
Policy Council and has been a leader in the Vermont Head Start Parent's 
Association. She has been a long time volunteer for the USDA Commodity 
food distribution program and local food shelves; she was also involved 
in the conception and growth of the Vermont Food Bank. As far as 
Theresa is concerned, if people are in need they deserve to receive 
help. If there is a cause that will help someone in need, that cause 
deserves to be supported--and Theresa is always first in line to 
volunteer and to recruit others to volunteer.
  Christina Crawford of Springfield, Vermont has been an outstanding 
example of persevering in the face of difficulties, and of triumphing 
over many of them.
  It was seven years ago that Chris left an abusive relationship. She 
left with a broken foot, no transportation, four children and the 
clothes on her back. After three months of being homeless, she found a 
place to live. She studied for the GED and passed. She then began 
taking administrative classes at the local high school as well as 
taking on a part-time job at an agency where she was given the 
opportunity to use the skills she was learning, although the job at the 
agency was temporary.
  At the age of 30 Chris took driving lessons and eventually got her 
driver's license and a vehicle for the first time in her life. She then 
went to the Employment & Training agency in search of part-time, entry 
level work in the clerical field. She was offered an opportunity to 
enroll in an on-the-job training program and was placed at Southeastern 
Vermont Community Action. Chris has worked at SEVCA for nearly four 
years now as receptionist.
  Three years ago, one of Chris's children was diagnosed as having an 
autistic disorder. She has since spent much of her time researching her 
daughter's disability and working tirelessly to put the needed supports 
in place for her daughter to be able to attend school. Chris is now in 
the process of trying to form a local support group for parents of 
special needs children.
  Chris currently represents SEVCA and the southeastern part of Vermont 
on the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council. She attended her first 
meeting in September and looks forward to attending as many as she can 
to use the opportunity to speak out about the struggles she has 
overcome and the struggles she has yet to face. She hopes to inspire 
other low-income people to speak out and create change.
  In spite of the heavy load Chris continues to carry, she hopes that 
one day she will be able to go to college and obtain a degree in Human 
Services.

                          ____________________