[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 28, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE DONELSON SENIOR CENTER FOR ITS FIRST PLACE AWARD IN 
      THE 2004 OLDER AMERICANS MONTH NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM COOPER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 28, 2004

  Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have the honor today of 
congratulating the Donelson Senior Center in Nashville, Tennessee, for 
its recent first-place award in the 2004 Older Americans Month National 
Photography Contest, sponsored by the National Council on Aging.
  The theme for this year's contest was ``Aging Well, Living Well,'' 
and it is a fitting motto for the extraordinary seniors who are the 
members of the Donelson Senior Center. Under the leadership of Director 
Jane Schnelle, the Donelson Senior Center is one of the leading 
community organizations in Nashville and offers a wide variety of 
services to thousands of seniors in the Nashville area. In recent 
years, the Center has become especially renowned for its theatrical 
productions and promotion of the arts. We in Nashville have been 
especially proud to support the Center's recent efforts to build the 
Donelson Senior Center for the Arts, one of only a few of its kind in 
the country.
  The winning photo submitted by the Donelson Senior Center, taken by 
member Bob Churchwell, perfectly captures the exuberance and community 
spirit of the Center's membership. Titled ``Red Hat Honeys Revving Up 
to Age Well,'' this photo is a portrait of one of the Center's most 
popular groups, the Red Hat Honeys. In addition to their distinctive 
attire--purple dresses and red hats--the Red Hat Honeys are well-known 
for their many contributions to the community. Last year, the Red Hat 
Honeys lent their assistance to a variety of local causes, including a 
battered women's shelter, a school and the humane society. The group 
also collected items for children in foster care and for our troops in 
Iraq. An essay that accompanied the winning photo includes the 
following lines about the Red Hat Honeys: ``The Donelson Senior Center 
Red Hat Honeys are taking each day and living it to the fullest not 
only by just having a good time but by giving back to each other and 
the community--they are aging well and living well.''
  The Donelson Senior Center and its many members are a vital and 
vibrant part of Nashville's community, and I am proud of the national 
recognition they have achieved. On behalf of the people of the Fifth 
District of Tennessee, I extend the heartiest congratulations and 
thanks to each of the seniors of the Donelson Senior Center--and 
especially to the Red Hat Honeys--for setting us all such a fine 
example of what it means to live and age with grace.

                          ____________________