[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHRISTIAN RELIEF SERVICES CHARITIES

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                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 2005

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise because today marks a very 
proud day for Virginia's Eighth Congressional district. I am deeply 
honored to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Christian Relief 
Services Charities, an international charitable organization located in 
the heart of my district, founded by a great Virginian and a man I'm 
proud to call my good friend, Eugene L. Krizek.
  Throughout its 20-year history, Christian Relief has held true to one 
overriding principle: to help those in need both in the United States 
and around the world.
  From this humble objective, Christian Relief has worked to improve 
the lives of thousands worldwide. No example illustrates this more than 
the efforts of Christian Relief in Africa. In some of the most poverty 
stricken regions on the continent, Christian Relief has offered vital 
development programs that address the long-term sustainability of 
communities for water, farming, housing, and clinics and hospitals. One 
particular program has educated African women, their children, and 
countless orphans. Christian Relief's school construction, vocational 
and literacy programs, and micro-credit and micro-enterprise 
opportunities have made it possible that new generations will possess 
the skills necessary for long-term community survival.
  As prosperous and fortunate as our great nation is, poverty and need 
still exist in American communities and neighborhoods. In our urban 
areas, the Appalachian region, American Indian reservations, and small 
towns throughout our country, Christian Relief has learned firsthand 
how to address the basic needs for food, medicine, and affordable 
housing of Americans.
  This last point, affordable housing, is what Christian Relief has 
taken special interest in. Its multi-family housing programs confront 
many of the long-term needs of low-wage working families and 
individuals caught in the debilitating cycle of poverty. In over 2,800 
living units spread across Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina and 
Virginia, Christian Relief is empowering residents to get actively 
involved in their own communities and also helping them develop local 
programs and services to meet specific needs. At the very doorstep of 
this nation's Capitol, Fairfax County, Christian Relief has coordinated 
transitional housing for the homeless, working poor, and the disabled. 
Its ``Safe Places Residential Program'' provides a hospitable 
alternative to homelessness for women and children fleeing domestic 
violence.
  Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the challenges that 
Christian Relief has overcome on American Indian reservations. For 
decades, they have assisted reservation families with agricultural 
self-sufficiency programs, culture and language preservation, water, 
housing, utilities, and youth centers and programs.
  In particular, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the site of one of 
their most proud accomplishments. With a dire need for water and 
sustainable agriculture, Christian Relief provided Pine Ridge with over 
300 drilled wells and installed water pumps that have provided a vital 
inventory of water for twenty years to families living on this remote 
reservation. The availability of water has allowed families to grow 
fresh food. Today, tribal members plant over 500 organic gardens each 
year.
  In ending, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my most sincere 
gratitude to Christian Relief's Founder and President, Eugene Krizek, 
its Board of Directors and dedicated professional staff. They have 
truly been at the service of humanity by providing hope in a sometimes 
unforgiving world. As I reflect on the past twenty years, I am reminded 
of a thought Albert Einstein offered about the nature of man. He 
believed that ``the value of man resides in what he gives and not in 
what he is capable of receiving.'' Using this as my guide, I realize 
how blessed we are to have Christian Relief, and I forever understand 
how immeasurable their value is to mankind.

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