[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 139 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MS. AMALIA V. BETANZOS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2005

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to a woman of great integrity and character. Ms. Amalia 
V. Betanzos has decided to retire from the Wildcat Service Corporation 
after 27 years of dedicated leadership. Tonight, she will be honored 
for her service in the city of New York.
  Born and raised in the South Bronx, Amalia is a graduate of New York 
University and has extensive experience in the public and private not-
for-profit sectors. She has served in a variety of positions in the 
administrations of several New York Mayors. As Commissioner of the 
Youth Services Agency she helped to shape the destinies of more than 
half a million New York youth and gained a reputation for being an 
outstanding administrator with an untiring capacity to meet new 
challenges. As Executive Secretary to Mayor John Lindsay she was in 
charge of programs for the poor and the physically and mentally 
handicapped. As Commissioner of Relocation and Management services in 
the Housing and Development Administration, Amalia was directly in 
charge of coordinating relocation services to families in conjunction 
with the City's Urban Renewal programs and emergency housing.
  Amalia's extensive experience in city government provided her with 
the breadth of knowledge necessary to lead an organization such as 
Wildcat Service Corporation. Founded in 1972, Wildcat's mission is to 
bring the chronically unemployed, for example, ex-offenders, public 
assistance recipients, former alcohol and substance abusers, high 
school dropouts, youth involved with the criminal justice system and 
persons with limited English language proficiency, into the regular 
labor force, thus breaking their cycle of poverty, addiction and crime. 
Under Amalia's strong leadership Wildcat changed the lives of countless 
New Yorkers, providing them and their families with a new lease on 
life.
  Mr. Speaker, it is rare to find individuals who are willing to 
dedicate their entire lives to uplifting others. Amalia V. Betanzos is 
indeed one of these special people. She has literally improved the 
lives of thousands of individuals. Her efforts to empower society's 
most vulnerable citizens will not only change their destinies but also 
the destinies of generations to come. Surely that is the mark of a 
great career.
  For her unyielding service and untiring spirit, I ask my colleagues 
to join me in paying tribute to a dear friend, Ms. Amalia V. Betanzos.

                          ____________________