[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF THE SALINAS WOMEN'S CLUB

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                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 26, 2006

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of the 
Salinas Women's Club, which recently commemorated its 100th year of 
existence. In the century that it has been around, the Salinas Women's 
Club has contributed greatly to the progress that the city of Salinas 
has enjoyed through its amazing fundraising abilities and true 
compassion for the welfare of this city. This organization has helped 
in several ways, from funding important and needed amenities to 
awarding scholarships to young people to cleaning up the streets.
  The club was founded on August 25, 1906 by a group of active Salinas 
ladies whose main areas of focus were civic affairs, current events, 
and public health. The club immediately focused on an overall community 
need, a library. After circulating a petition for the library, the club 
pushed the City Council to support and approve the funding for the 
project. The ladies of the club raised the funds from a variety of 
events. They held dances, plays, and talent shows, and they sold flower 
arrangements. By 1915 they had raised the funds and also acquired a 
grant to build the library.
  Because of the success of its first project, the Salinas Women's Club 
thrived. The club continued to develop community projects such as 
tennis courts and playgrounds. And in 1923, it funded its own building 
to be the site for meetings and to be an open environment for all those 
who wish to express their views about the community in which they live.
  The Salinas Women's Club has done so much for the city of Salinas in 
its one hundred years that the city is indebted forever. This club 
began the Exchange Student program, which helped to further the 
cultural aspect of the town. It helped in the founding of Meals on 
Wheels, and fundraised for the National Steinbeck Center. It promotes 
music and the arts, and always is willing to help those in need. They 
entertained soldiers at luncheons and fought against the pollution of 
the city.
  Mr. Speaker, the Salinas Women's Club has contributed so much to the 
city of Salinas and the surrounding community; I have only scratched 
the surface of its beneficial and compassionate dedication. I commend 
the Salinas Women's Club for all that it has done in its one hundred 
years, and I hope that it will continue for another hundred years with 
the same service, attitude, and contribution to the community.

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