[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING MURRAY/CALLOWAY AND OHIO COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2005

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize two outstanding 
communities in my District which were recently selected as two of the 
100 Best Communities for Young People by the America's Promise--The 
Alliance for Youth organization. Murray/Calloway County and Ohio 
County, Kentucky, were chosen based on the their fulfillment of the 
America's Promise Five Promises: Safe Places, Effective Education, 
Opportunities to Serve, Healthy Start, and Caring Adults. These 
communities have demonstrated their commitment to the success of our 
area's youth by focusing on these promises and working together to 
ensure our youth have the skills and resources they need to succeed in 
life. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to represent them in 
Congress and grateful for their hard work and determination.
  Murray/Calloway County was recognized for the healthy start and safe 
places it provides area students. In the fall of 2005, Calloway County 
implemented a countywide after school program for grades K-5. Up to 175 
students participated in the program last year alone. In addition, 
partnerships between Big Brothers and Big Sisters and local schools 
have been highly successful in establishing mentoring relationships 
among citizens and elementary and middle school students. Murray can 
also be proud of the low dropout rate at Murray High School, which is 
only one percent. In terms of health, Murray/Calloway County has a 
teenage birthrate significantly below the statewide average and has 
decreased drug use among its youth. Clearly, this community has much to 
be proud of and the youth have an ideal community in which to learn and 
grow.
  Ohio County found itself in the spotlight because of the caring 
adults in the community, the safe places and healthy start it offers 
youth, and its effective education policies. Most experts will agree 
that parental involvement is important in the success of a child's 
education. In Ohio County, this lesson is certainly understood by the 
parents who volunteered over 13,800 hours in local schools. The County 
also invested in a state-of-the-art fitness center and now has 21 
percent of the county as members. The birthrate among 15-17 year-olds 
decreased from 43 percent in 1997 to 14.7 percent in 2001, and the 
dropout rate among high school students also decreased from 8.5 percent 
to just over 1 percent. Perhaps most impressively, local students and 
adults involved in the Together We Care/Ohio County Schools community 
partnership decided to tackle tobacco use among kids. In a county where 
the largest crop is tobacco, this was a real challenge. These student/
adult groups visited stores selling tobacco products and requested that 
they remove ads for tobacco products in their stores and move products 
to less visible locations. One month later, 95 percent of the stores 
had made the requested changes.
  Again, I am proud of the progress these communities are making and 
pleased that they have been selected as two of the 100 Best Communities 
for Youth.

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