[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E895-E896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO KEN BORELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in gratitude to 
recognize the social services and social work practices of Mr. Ken 
Borelli so valued by the residents of Santa Clara County today. Mr. 
Borelli has worked with the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency 
for 36 years. I first met Ken over 25 years ago when I was a member of 
the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors which had responsibility 
for funding the Department of Social Services and providing oversight 
for the Department. Ken was a standout then and he has remained so to 
this day. He began his career as a Social Work

[[Page E896]]

Supervisor in the Food Stamps Unit and moved throughout the Social 
Services system to include: the Multicultural Child Welfare Unit, Basic 
Services, Adult Protective Services, Immigration, Social Work 
Coordinator, Voluntary Foster Home Intake and Coordinator of Special 
Projects.
  Mr. Borelli developed the first Immigration Services Unit for Santa 
Clara County in 1974, where he worked closely with neighborhood youth 
groups. In fact, Ken is an expert and leader in the field of 
Immigration Services and has exhibited his accomplishments in many 
ways. He not only provided professional development training in the 
field of immigration, but also significantly contributed to the 
development of the 1990 Federal legislation which established ``Special 
Immigrant Juvenile Status'' laws to help immigrant children in the 
Child Welfare System across the country. Ken also was responsible for 
the development of an invaluable ``Immigration Resource and Practice 
Guide'' which helped so many families. Ken accomplished other written 
work in the field of Social work practice including topics such as: 
Child Welfare, International Social Services, and Domestic Violence. 
Mr. Borelli continues to remain involved in all levels of social 
service issues, including: child welfare abuse issues, dependency court 
investigations, AIDS research and fund-raising, immigration, and 
development and enhancement of our library systems. His participation 
in Committees and Advisory Boards included: the Multi-Disciplinary 
Interview Committee of the Child Abuse Council of Santa Clara County 
(20 years), the Alum Rock Library Committee, the County Library 
Commission, the Advisory Board of the Eastside Athletic Club, and the 
Board of Catholic Charities Immigration Services.
  Mr. Borelli is a prominent leader in the community and continues to 
demonstrate his innovative contributions. He was a founding member and 
Chair for 20 years of the Social Service Agency's AIDS Services 
Committee. He is a supporter of the Opera San Jose and is being honored 
as ``2006 Volunteer of the Year'' by the Italian American Foundation. I 
hereby honor Ken Borelli, on the closure of this chapter of his life, 
but know he will continue to have a tremendous impact on social 
services in the county.

                          ____________________