[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 120 (Wednesday, September 29, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7802-H7804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING FESTIVAL OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 759) commending the Festival of Children
Foundation for its outstanding efforts on behalf of children and
expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the
designation of a ``Child Awareness Month,'' as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 759
Whereas children represent the Nation's future and numerous
individuals and organizations across the United States devote
precious time, energy, and resources to enrich that future by
helping children advance their hopes and dreams and to
realize their aspirations;
Whereas it is in the public interest to increase awareness
of children's special needs and the demonstrably effective
efforts of those making a real difference in children's
lives, which in turn and over time will serve to strengthen
the social fabric of our country;
Whereas the Festival of Children Foundation has been
established in southern California (1) to showcase those non-
profit groups performing exemplary works, so that they may
through increased exposure secure and sustain the volunteer,
leadership, and financial support necessary to be successful,
(2) to provide a free resource to such groups so that they
might more easily leverage scarce resources through creative,
collaborative efforts to serve their shared constituencies
for the betterment of the community at large, and (3) to
provide a free and effective platform to facilitate such
groups sharing lessons learned in bringing a results
orientation to community mobilization, strategic planning,
and overall best practices;
Whereas during the last two years more than 100 non-profit
groups in southern California have benefited enormously from
exposure they could not otherwise have received but for the
Festival of Children Foundation, principally through programs
and activities at partner organizations such as retail,
commercial, and cultural centers;
Whereas September is a time, as children return to school,
that families and the Nation as a whole are especially
mindful of children and their special needs and
opportunities; and
Whereas in September 2004 the Festival of Children
Foundation, working with its partners, has invited 50
agencies and organizations that serve children throughout
southern California to have a month of high profile exhibits
along with another 50 such groups to participate in other
programs and activities as part the Foundation's ongoing
mission: Now, therefore, be it--
Resolved, That the House of Representatives commends the
Festival of Children Foundation of southern California--
(1) for its outstanding efforts on behalf of children; and
(2) for the difference that it is making in the communities
in which it is active and in the lives of children.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Woolsey) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).
General Leave
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 759.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Nebraska?
There was no objection.
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 759 offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher). This resolution honors the
Festival of Children Foundation for its outstanding efforts on behalf
of children.
Children represent the Nation's future, and numerous individuals and
organizations across the United States devote precious time, energy and
resources to enrich that future by helping children advance their hopes
and dreams and to realize their aspirations.
The Festival of Children Foundation is one such organization that has
experienced overwhelming success serving the needs of children in the
Orange County community. Through collaboration with numerous charities,
the foundation seeks to improve the lives of children and families
living in the community by fostering education, community involvement
and the arts. Instead of operating independently, charities are able to
pool both their resources and ideas to better serve the children and
families of southern California.
The Festival of Children Foundation expands the reach of the
nonprofits in their community, and their efforts on behalf of children
should be emulated. I would like to take this opportunity to commend
their work on behalf of children and also their efforts to increase
awareness of children's special needs.
I thank my colleague from California for introducing this resolution
and urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, Walt Disney once said that ``our greatest natural
resource is the minds of our children.''
Today, we honor the Festival of Children Foundation, an organization
that improves the lives of children and families in Orange County,
California, by collaborating with local children's charities to promote
education, community involvement and the arts.
In the last 2 years, more than 100 nonprofit groups in southern
California have benefited enormously from the exposure, partnership and
assistance of the Festival of Children Foundation. In particular, the
foundation has declared September 2004 as a month to ``Celebrate the
Magic of Childhood.'' It is working with 52 agencies and organizations
to serve the children of southern California with high-profile exhibits
to continue with the foundation's mission.
I would like to congratulate the foundation on its excellent work to
strengthen their community and to benefit the lives of children, and I
would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) for
introducing this meaningful legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for my own bill, H. Res. 759
commending the Festival of Children. Millions of good-hearted American
volunteers donate their time, their talent and their personal treasure
to help lost and needy children, but no matter how noble the cause,
these wonderful charities and their volunteers must struggle just to
let the community know
[[Page H7803]]
what is available to those who are in need. Clearly, children's
charities struggle to find private sources of money to sustain their
benevolent programs.
Mr. Speaker, in Orange County, California, we are trying to do our
best to do the best. Our needy children are put in this spotlight by a
month-long event dedicated to assist organizations that are working
with deprived and neglected children.
The Festival of Children Foundation hosts the activities of Child
Awareness Month at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, which
is part of my district.
{time} 1800
South Coast Plaza is a premier commercial and shopping location; yet
with generosity and kindness, this center also becomes a center of love
and caring for children.
There, among the upper crust and upper level stores and shops, you
will find new ways during this month of helping children and helping
those organizations that are designed to help children. Each year,
during the month of September, scores of charities, like the Make-a-
Wish Foundation and the Blind Children's Learning Center, are given
tremendous support to come together under one roof, and not just one
roof but under the roof of one of California's most visited shopping
centers, to reach out to tens of thousands of families and then make a
difference in the lives of multitudes of children.
Too often in our communities many families have not even been aware
that certain charities exist; and at the same time, there are many who
are willing to volunteer their energy and their resources to help these
charities, yet they do not know these charities even exist. In the
meantime, we see there are charities that spend much of their scarce
resources that should be going directly to the children to overcome
this gulf that separates them from both the donors and the needy.
Well, I take this problem very seriously, and I take caring for the
children very seriously. I always have, but that has been brought home
to me in a very special way, because yesterday marked the 5-month
anniversary of the birth of my three children, my triplets, Amika,
Christian, and Trestin. These are lovely little babies, but it
certainly has impressed upon me that we need to care for all the
babies. We need to make sure that all the children of this world can
reach their potential and have a happy life.
And so I applaud those individuals who are engaged in this noble,
noble effort. I especially applaud the individual initiative of Sandy
Segerstrom Daniels, the founder of the Festival of Children. She took
the initiative to form a private nonprofit organization bringing all of
Orange County's children's charities together. She enlisted nationally
known celebrities, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Newton-John and
Pat Riley, and others to boost the participation in the children's
charities at the Festival of Children.
The effort has paid off. Hundreds of charities and thousands of
families now look forward to the month of September when they can
gather at the Festival of Children, there at the South Coast Plaza. I
am pleased to see this example of a private initiative for a public
charity is catching on and that the Festival of Children is expending
into other States.
So with this pride in the accomplishment and the benevolence and the
good hearts of some of my constituents, I ask my colleagues to join me
in congratulating the Festival of Children.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), and I rise today in strong
support of H. Res. 759, a bill that recognizes and commends the
important work of the Festival of Children Foundation.
The Festival of Children Foundation is an umbrella organization that
helps foster collaboration between children's charities in the areas of
education, community involvement, and arts appreciation. I want to
acknowledge Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, who is here with us today, for
her work with respect to this festival.
We in Congress need to increase the public awareness of children's
special needs and to recognize our local organizations who lead the way
in providing the services in a very local way, in a very humane way, in
a very loving way in our own districts, particularly through private
and voluntary efforts. That is why I am a cosponsor of this bill with
my friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr.
Rohrabacher), and why I would urge my colleagues to support and to vote
for this.
Through its extensive network of community organizations, the
Festival of Children Foundation offers resources, such as training and
workshops, operation and technical support, and planning for
conferences and special events to over 100 organizations. The highlight
of all these activities is the Festival of Children, a month-long
celebration of children, featuring the work of local children's
charities.
Just last year, over 55 children's organizations from Orange County,
as well as a select group from Los Angeles County, gathered at the
South Coast Plaza retail center in Costa Mesa, California, for
exhibits, for lectures, presentations, and lots of entertainment. The
event was cosponsored by South Coast Plaza, and again I thank the
Segerstrom family and Children's Hospital of Orange County, which
actually sits in my district, and featured groups such as Elizabeth
Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, and the list goes
on and on of all the people who participated to help our special kids
in Orange County.
Over one million people visited South Coast Plaza during the
festival. Not only did we have the festival going on, but of course
there is great shopping there too; and we are very proud of that in
Orange County. But the charities really reaped the rewards of this
great opportunity because they were able to market themselves to our
community. I, for example, have a young adult student organization that
is a task force from all the high schools in my area, and they
participate in trying to get their young people to these volunteer
organizations because they have time on their hands. They just need to
know the information. This is a great way when we hold this at South
Coast Plaza.
In addition, all the programs that were presented that day were free
to the public. The Orange County Board of Supervisors and the
California legislature have already commended officially the Festival
of Children and even recognized the month of September as Child
Awareness Month.
I join my colleagues here today in recognizing the Festival of
Children as a model for organizing communities to provide for the needs
of their children.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Walt Disney once said that ``Our
greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.'' Today we
honor the Festival of Children Foundation, an organization with the
specific purpose to improve the lives of children and families
throughout Orange County, California by fostering education, community
involvement, and the arts by collaborating with local children's
charities.
Through their hard work and efforts, the Festival of Children
Foundation has been able to showcase the work of non-profit groups as a
way to increase exposure and sustain volunteer, leadership and
financial support for these groups. The Foundation, being an umbrella
organization, has made it possible to serve as a free recourse to these
groups by encouraging collaborative efforts to serve the community as
well as a place for groups to share ideas and lessons on community
mobilization, planning and overall best practices. In the last two
years, over 100 non-profit groups in southern California have benefited
enormously from the exposure, partnership and assistance from the
Festival of Children Foundation.
As another way to truly reach out and assist children, the Festival
of Children Foundation had declared September 2004 as a month to
``Celebrate the Magic of Childhood,'' working with 52 agencies and
organizations to serve the children of southern California with high
profile exhibits to continue with the Foundation's mission.
I would like to congratulate the Foundation on their excellent work
and assisting to strengthen their community--most importantly, their
efforts to benefit the lives of children.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise as Chairman of the Education and
Workforce Committee to add my voice to my voice to my distinguished
California colleagues in paying tribute to the Festival of Children
Foundation.
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I believe the exceptional contributions and services of the Festival
Foundation--both to the community and to the State of California--
deserves national recognition. The Festival is a good example of
private, non-profit groups and charities coming together to serve the
public interest--in this case for the benefit of children. Mr. Speaker,
the Education committee is always looking for children's programs that
are creative, voluntary and community based. Helping our young people--
whether it be in the area of children's education, health care,
personal development or special needs--should be our highest calling.
This month-long Festival will bring together over 50 private,
charitable organizations all under one roof. The goal is to improve
collaboration, provide free resources and offer a forum for issues
ranging from children's health care to the arts. It has become an
invaluable resource for children's charities in Orange County,
California.
I commend Sandy Segerstrom Daniels for her leadership in founding the
Festival and the Foundation. It is truly a model for other communities
in our country to follow.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this Resolution and to
recognize the Festival of Children Foundation for its valuable service
to the Orange County and Southern California communities.
As my colleagues said, the Foundation is an umbrella group with the
specific purpose to improve the lives of children and families. Sandy
Segerstrom Daniels, the founder, has had the vision and commitment to
create the Festival and the ability to bring together people and
organizations devoted to children's issues.
Groups involved in the fields of health, education and the arts all
collaborate in the Festival. Lectures, exhibits and information booths
at South Coast Plaza take place for the entire month of September. I
credit the Festival for increasing public awareness of children's
issues and for providing opportunities for the public and non-profit
organizations to donate their time and resources. I am told that over
two million visitors have seen the Festival's exhibits in the past.
Because of the success of the Festival, the California State Assembly
and the Orange County Board of Supervisors have taken official actions
commending the Festival. I believe it is now fitting and timely for the
U.S. Congress to also recognize the Festival of Children by this
Resolution.
I encourage all my colleagues to support the Resolution and thank my
colleague Dana Rohrabacher for presenting the Resolution.
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bonner). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 759, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A resolution commending the
Festival of Children Foundation for its outstanding efforts on behalf
of children''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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