[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 74 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO TELACU FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO THE ADVANCEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT 
                               OF LATINOS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2007

  Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to revise and 
extend my remarks.
  The people of this great Nation share a common spirit and heritage. 
Whether born on the soil of this land or having chosen to come here in 
search of a better life--one free of political, social, and economic 
oppression, we are a Nation of pioneers. We believe in the American 
dream, and the promise that through our labors we can achieve 
educational and economic success. No barrier is too imposing, no 
obstacle to tall that it should stand in the way of pursuing this 
dream.
  Two of my congressional predecessors, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and 
Jacob Javits, advanced legislation in the 1960s that promoted this 
dream by laying the foundation for an organization called TELACU. Since 
its founding in 1968, TELACU has become the largest community and 
economic development corporation in the United States. TELACU is a 
pioneered institution committed to service, empowerment, advancement 
and the creation of self-sufficiency within the Latino community.
  Brought to life through a small investment appropriated by Congress, 
TELACU has grown to become an organization with nearly $500 million in 
assets, creating thousands of jobs, affordable homes, loans to small 
business people, and most importantly, numerous educational 
opportunities for our Latino youth and veterans.
  TELACU established the LINC TELACU Education Foundation, LTEF. For 
more than 2 decades, the Education Foundation has been working towards 
removing the formidable barriers that prevent Latino youth from 
achieving academic success. Latino youth not only struggle against the 
effects of low-income households, inadequate support and counseling, 
but a lack of professional and academic role models, all of which 
contribute to why only 39 percent of Latino high school graduates in 
Los Angeles County go on to higher education.
  TELACU Education Foundation realized that there is no more vital 
asset in any community than its human capital, which is why they began 
their efforts to reverse these trends. For more than 2 decades, the 
LINC TELACU Education Foundation has contributed to the development of 
our future Latino leaders through a variety of programs designed to 
maximize the potential of our youth.
  The LINC TELACU Scholarship Program, established in 1983, is one 
program that helps students realize their dream of a college education 
by providing scholarships, supplemented by other essential support.
  In conceiving the foundation, TELACU discovered that while financial 
assistance is vital for college students to achieve academic success, 
other factors are also important. Students who are the first in their 
families ever to attend college often lack the support system necessary 
to achieve their dream. Socioeconomic factors, family responsibilities, 
cultural identity and financial stress create very real conflicting 
challenges to academic life.
  The LINC TELACU Scholarship Program provides its youth not only with 
monetary assistance, but also counseling, leadership training, classes 
in time management and other subjects that will help them succeed in 
college.
  TELACU has partnered with corporate donors, private individuals, and 
a vast network of colleges and universities, providing the driving 
force behind one of the most effective national institutions ever to 
impact the educational needs of the Latino community.
  The LINC TELACU Education Foundation has accepted this challenge head 
on, combining important financial assistance with highly effective 
programs that ensure college completion. The foundation supports 600 
college students and serves 2,000 elementary, middle and high school 
students and veterans each year. The success of this extraordinary 
foundation is best summarized by the numbers: Its scholar retention and 
college graduation rates are an astounding 100 percent.
  Madam Speaker, I join today with community leaders throughout my 
State to express our Nation's gratitude to TELACU, the LINC TELACU 
Education Foundation and for scholarship programs like this one, for 
believing in the dream of higher education for all of America's next 
generation of leaders.

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