[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MRS. JESSIE HALE DOWNS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ARTUR DAVIS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 2005

  Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
exceptional leadership, character, and outstanding achievements of Mrs. 
Jessie Hale Downs.
  In 1944, a young couple expecting their first child began a ministry 
known as the Jimmie Hale Mission with the purpose of reaching out to 
the poor in downtown Birmingham. The couple did not have much material 
wealth, but what they lacked in money they made up in vision. 
Unfortunately, the young husband passed away eight months later, 
leaving his 27-year-old wife and unborn daughter widowed and 
fatherless.
  A single, homeless mother, Jessie Hale resolved to continue the 
ministry. Serving as the Executive Director for 46 years, Miss Jessie 
shepherded the Mission to its present state of 6 different facilities 
in central Alabama. Mrs. Downs has touched the lives of countless men, 
women, and children through her selfless acts of compassion and 
charity.
  Now 88 years old, Miss Jessie remains the matriarch of the Jimmie 
Hale Mission. She continues to travel around central Alabama speaking 
about the vision and ministry of the Mission. She is the epitome of 
compassionate activism, and I am proud to call her one of my 
constituents. 

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