[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 102 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE OF TESS MANALO-VENTRESCA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 25, 2005

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of 
Tess Manalo- Ventresca, devoted wife, mother, dedicated community 
activist, environmentalist, child advocate and friend and mentor to 
countless people.
  Mrs. Manalo-Ventresca was born and raised in the Philippines, and 
immigrated to San Francisco with the hope of a better life for herself 
and her three children. A single mother, Ms. Manalo-Ventresca worked 
full-time at a union trustfund, yet still found time to become deeply 
involved in the issues of her urban neighborhood, particularly, quality 
of life issues, environmental issues and concerns regarding the youth 
of the community.
  Mrs. Manalo-Ventresca's tireless advocacy on behalf of the people of 
her community was framed by heart, personal strength and conviction. In 
2000, she joined Experience Corps, a national organization that links 
volunteers with public schools. Her focus on uplifting the lives of the 
children of her neighborhood was unwavering, and she spent countless 
hours volunteering her time at Francis Scott Key Elementary School in 
the Outer Sunset neighborhood, even long after her own children were 
grown. She became a permanent source of hope and energy at the school, 
serving as a member of the PTA, and leading the effort to organize 
environmental projects and programs. Her efforts to protect and improve 
her neighborhood are numerous and significant. She organized her 
neighbors to rally against the intrusion of adult businesses into her 
neighborhood, and led a triumphant effort to stop an international 
coffee shop chain from establishing a store in her community, 
preventing a detrimental impact to independently owned businesses 
nearby.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance 
of Tess Manalo-Ventresca, an exceptional human being whose integrity, 
kindness and concern for others has instilled light, hope and justice 
throughout San Francisco. I offer my deepest condolences to her 
husband, Joel; her children, Mark, Michael and Aurelia; her eight 
grandchildren; and her extended family and many friends. Her journey 
through life has made our world a better place, and her legacy will 
live on, carried aloft by every tree she planted and everyone whose 
lives were changed forever by knowing her.

                          ____________________