[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 91 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1422]]
                   RECOGNIZING MR. MATTHEW TRUESDALE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 30, 2005

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Matthew 
Truesdale, from Altoona, Pennsylvania, as one of 20 national winners in 
a new award program called The Alexander Hamilton Citizenship 
Achievement Award. The award is sponsored by a new 501(c)3 non-profit 
organization, The Alexander Hamilton Friends Association (AHFA) of 
Seattle, Washington. Fourteen States were represented and amongst the 
20 winners, Pennsylvania had three, all whom happened to be from 
Altoona Area High School. Over 200 candidates were considered for the 
award and it is a remarkable achievement for these three students and 
the Altoona Area school district.
  The Alexander Hamilton Friends Association is a non-profit 
organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Washington. 
The AHFA's goal is to preserve Alexander Hamilton's legacy by 
recognizing and honoring young people who share Hamilton's strong sense 
of integrity, achievement, pragmatism, and service. For a student to 
win the award the student needs to exhibit a high degree of personal 
integrity and receive an outstanding rating in two of the five areas, 
which are: Community service, school-related extracurricular activity, 
entrepreneurial skill, scholastic record, and personal achievement. 
George Cox, president of AHFA said, ``The key question we asked 
ourselves was this: If a young Alexander Hamilton were placed in a 
situation like this student, would he have responded in a similar 
manner? In the case of our winners, we think the answer is yes.''
  Mr. Matthew Truesdale is a sophomore at Altoona High School. Be 
started and completed a project to help the Blair County Wildlife 
Refuge of Blair County, Pennsylvania. This organization needed primate 
cages. Truesdale made and sold 38 food trays embellished with the 
American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance, solicited other donations, 
negotiated material discounts, and organized and supervised a 
constructor crew. Over $1,150 was raised, and today the Refuge has four 
new large primate cages. Truesdale is an eagle scout and mentors at 
scouting activities in his region.
  Mr. Speaker, we would like to congratulate Mr. Matthew Truesdale on 
his outstanding achievements in community service and we are proud to 
have him as one of our constituents.

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