[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E310-E311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HALEY SACK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 8, 2006

  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a 
young student from my district who has achieved national recognition 
for exemplary volunteer service in her community. Haley Sack of Mendota 
has just been named one of the top honorees in Illinois

[[Page E311]]

by The 2006 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual 
honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state 
and the District of Columbia.
  Ms. Sack is being recognized for conducting personal interviews and 
research to create museum-like displays and a dramatic play that 
portray important aspects of her city's history.
  In light of numerous statistics that indicate Americans today are 
less involved in their communities than they once were, it's vital that 
we encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution this young 
citizen has made. People of all ages need to think more about how we, 
as individual citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure 
the health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young 
volunteers like Ms. Sack are inspiring examples to all of us, and are 
among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention--The 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by Prudential 
Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principles in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that 
their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other young people to follow their example. Over the past 11 
years, the program has become the nation's largest youth recognition 
effort based solely on community service, and has more than 70,000 
young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
  Ms. Sack should be extremely proud to have been singled out from the 
thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this year's 
program. I heartily applaud Ms. Sack for her initiative in seeking to 
make her community 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.

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