[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 25, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR AND RECOGNITION OF THE VIRGINIA MARTI COLLEGE OF ART AND 
                                 DESIGN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 25, 2006

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute and recognition of 
the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design as they celebrate 40 years 
of devotion to artistic exploration and advanced academics.
  Located in the cultural hub of Lakewood, Ohio, the Virginia Marti 
College was founded in 1966 by visionary Virginia Marti Veith to 
stimulate innovation in the field of art and design. The culturally 
diverse campus engages students on an individual level to develop their 
unique talents and creativity, making Virginia Marti an inspirational 
learning environment. For 40 years students from around the world have 
met the rigorous academic challenges of Virginia Marti College with 
determined passion and graduated on to successful careers, creating 
vibrant ripples throughout the fashion world.
  In the early 1990s, inspired by a trip she made with her husband Herb 
to Africa, Virginia Veith founded Mission to the Fatherless, a 
nonprofit operating in Kenya to provide orphaned children with food, 
healthcare, education, and a loving home. The organization is supported 
by proceeds from Virginia Marti Designer Fabrics store, located on the 
college campus. Due to the devastation of diseases like HIV/AIDS, more 
than a million children are orphaned in Kenya alone, a number that 
grows from day to day. Mission to the Fatherless is dedicated not only 
to providing children with basic needs but nourishing their spiritual 
and moral development to inspire principled civic engagement. All of 
the proceeds from Virginia Marti College's 40th anniversary black-tie 
celebration will go directly to Mission to the Fatherless, with the 
hopes of building a third orphanage in Kenya.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition 
of the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design as it celebrates 40 
years of excellence in design with a noble fundraiser for Mission to 
the Fatherless, rescuing children from a life of poverty, starvation, 
and violence.

                          ____________________