[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E231-E232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO ERIN LAVERY, WINNER OF THE PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY 
                                 AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2006

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Erin Lavery, of 
Huntington, WV for being named a top honoree in the 2006 Prudential 
Spirit of Community Award. I would like to congratulate and honor this 
innovative young woman who has shown exemplary volunteer service in her 
community.
  Ms. Lavery is being recognized for organizing a monthlong nutrition 
and physical fitness education program that included the use of 
pedometers by all 1,600 students and faculty at Huntington High School. 
As an athlete and lifelong volunteer, Erin wanted to help classmates 
and staff members develop a commitment to healthy eating habits and 
physical activity. Motivated by the high rate of obesity that is 
prevalent in West Virginia, she states that she wanted to take a 
proactive stand to do something about the problem.
  Erin had heard about a small pilot program using pedometers at a 
nearby school, and thought that idea could be of a comprehensive health 
education program for her entire school. She developed handouts and a 
video to introduce her program, and then recruited student volunteers 
to help her distribute pedometers donated by the county health 
department to all students and teachers, along with sheets for them to 
record the number of steps taken each week. To encourage participation, 
Erin publicized the program through

[[Page E232]]

school and community media, and awarded random prizes for turning in 
completed record sheets. She also hung 252 large posters of nutrition 
and fitness information all over the school, and arranged for taste 
tests and fitness demonstrations during lunch. After she had collected 
and analyzed their data, Erin found that 35 percent of the participants 
had increased their activity level, and 62 percent said they were more 
motivated to live a healthier lifestyle.
  The program that brought this innovative young woman to our 
attention--The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by 
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of 
Secondary School Principals in 1995 to show youth volunteers that their 
contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other young people to follow their example.
  Ms. Lavery should be extremely proud to have been singled out from 
the thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this years 
program. I fully applaud Ms. Lavery for her initiative in seeking to 
make her community, and West Virginia as a whole, a better place to 
live, and for the positive impact she has had on the lives of others. 
She has demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is 
truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere 
admiration and respect. Her actions show that young Americans can--and 
do--play important roles in our communities, and that America's 
community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

                          ____________________