[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING JUDITH LAPP OF INVERNESS, FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Judith Lapp of Inverness, Florida. Mrs. Lapp was recently 
honored as ``The Most Admired Mother in All of Citrus County'' by the 
Citrus Altrusa Club, as well as the Citrus County Chronicle.
  Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Mrs. Lapp married her husband 
Roger in 1956. After Roger was drafted into the U.S. Army, the Lapps 
moved to Fort Benning, Georgia for his military service. In 1963, Mrs. 
Lapp and her husband moved to Clearwater, Florida to start a family. 
Sadly, only four months after their first son Eric was born, he had an 
extremely serious seizure that changed the Lapps' lives forever.
  The seizure, which was caused by an encephalitis outbreak, left Eric 
with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. When Judith 
first began to deal with the challenges of a disabled son, she found 
that there were few programs in the region that dealt with disabled and 
handicapped children. Spurred to action, Judith served on the board of 
both the Christian Care Foundation for the Mentally Retarded and the 
Isaiah Foundation. Her work on these charitable organizations improved 
respite care for the handicapped throughout Florida.
  One of the most successful fundraisers Judith organized was for the 
Upper Pinellas County Florida Association for Retarded Citizens. Called 
``Favorite Recipes from Famous People,'' Judith was able to obtain 
recipies from the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Patricia Nixon, and Mamie 
Eisenhower.
  While Eric is now grown and well cared for, Judith has shouldered 
burdens of her own. She has successfully battled cancer twice, all 
while being an incredibly supportive figure for her entire family.
  Mr. Speaker, Judith Lapp is a courageous, giving woman. She is a role 
model for the entire Citrus County community, and deserves recognition 
for her service to the handicapped and disabled community, her son 
Eric, and to her family.

                          ____________________