[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1066-E1067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING BROWARD COUNTY ANNUAL SENIOR HALL OF FAME HONOREES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ROBERT WEXLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2007

  Mr. WEXLER. Madam Speaker, today in Tamarac, Florida, 11 outstanding 
Broward elders will be honored at the Annual Senior Hall of Fame 
Breakfast. These 11 seniors being honored have volunteered in their 
communities and have contributed countless hours to helping others. 
Their outstanding character and compassion have truly set them apart. 
Those being honored are Dr. Kamala Anadam, Lucille D'Orso, Ron English, 
Elizabeth ``Betty'' Mate, Evelyn Miller, Pearl Monchek, Commissioner 
Allegra Webb Murphy, Sister Germana Sala, Charles Singer, Eleanor 
Sobel, and Willie Mae Williams.
  Dr. Kamala Anadam of Weston, a former professor of Child Development 
in India, has been participating in the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers 
Project since 1998. She personally coordinated the Project in her 
congregation, overseeing 22 volunteers and visiting frail homebound 
elderly in their homes. Dr. Anadam is a Member of the Fort Lauderdale 
Branch of America Association of University Women, a member of the 
Broward County Chapter of the United Nations of U.S.A., and a Member of 
the Advisory Committee of Senior Volunteer Services, Inc.
  Lucille D'Orso of Lauderdale Lakes, a retired hairdresser, has been 
volunteering for the Foster Grandparents Program for over 32 years and 
has spent a majority of her time at several Broward County elementary 
schools, including Pinewood Elementary in North Lauderdale for 10 
years, Northside Elementary in Fort Lauderdale for 15 years, Oriole 
Elementary in Lauderdale Lakes, and Larkdale Elementary in Fort 
Lauderdale.
  Ron English of Fort Lauderdale has a passion for caring for the 
marginalized and less fortunate members of the community, leading to 
the creation of ground-breaking institutions such as AmFar (American 
Foundation for AIDS Research), the Sunshine Cathedral Foundation, and 
SunServe, the world's first

[[Page E1067]]

senior center designed to meet the needs of gay and lesbian frail 
seniors and their caregivers.
  Elizabeth ``Betty'' Mate of Fort Lauderdale has been associated with 
the Alzheimer's Family Center since 1997 and has served on the agency's 
Board of Directors. In 200?, she became Chairman of the Alzheimer's 
Family Center's Black Tie Gala Committeee, and she recently completed a 
training program to volunteer for Project Lifesaver.
  Evelyn Miller of Tamarac is Broward President of the National 
Alliance for Mental Illness. She also serves on the Board of the 
Florida Alliance for Mental Illness, and through her legislative 
advocacy and facilitation of model programs, has established the local 
Mental Health Court, the Court Project, the Florida Assertive Community 
Treatment Teams, the Crisis Intervention team Model within local law 
enforcement, and the Peer-to-Peer and Family-to-Family Programs.
  Pearl Monchek of Hollywood is a lifetime member of the Jewish War 
Veterans Auxiliary and the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary. She 
also discovered the Southeast Focal Point Senior Center more man 10 
years ago and often fills in for the Site Manager for Broward Meals on 
Wheels. During the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, Pearl came to the aid 
of residents of the apartment complex adjacent to the Senior Center, 
purchasing and delivering food and supplies to needy individuals.
  Commissioner Allegra Webb Murphy of Oakland Park has served on the 
City of Oakland Park's Beautification Advisory Board, Charter Review 
Board, and Oakland Park Main Street Inc., in the offices of Vice 
President and Executive Board Secretary, and has contributed time as 
President of the Harris Chapel United Methodist Women's Group. Allegra 
actively participates with the Lakeside Homeowners Association, Zeta 
Phi Beta Sorority, and the Oakland Park Kiwanis Club, and she holds the 
distinction of being the first African American Mayor of the City of 
Oakland Park.
  Sister Germana Sala of Davie spent 15 years teaching mentally 
disabled children in North Miami and since then, has spent a majority 
of her time at Hope Outreach, providing Social Services to the low-
income, poor, and multicultural residents in and around the Davie area. 
Germana also visits the homebound, disabled, and frail elderly at home, 
nursing facilities, and hospitals.
  Charles Singer of Pompano Beach helped pursue the creation of Broward 
Homebound Program, Inc., an affordable in-home program to prevent the 
need for premature institutionalization. Charles has also served as 
President of the Central Bureau for Jewish Aged Association, Founder of 
the National Association of Jewish Homes for the Aged, Treasurer of the 
Men's Golf Association of Palm Aire and the B'nai B'rith Housing in 
Deerfield, and Vice President of the Auxiliary of the Memory Disorder 
Center.
  Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood was elected to the Broward School Board in 
2006 and is a former Florida State Representative. Eleanor served as 
Chair for Women in Power in the 1980s and as President of the Hollywood 
Chapter for the National Council for Jewish Women, and was the City 
Commissioner in Hollywood for 6 years in the 1990s. As a State 
Representative, Eleanor brought the concerns of citizens in Hollywood 
and Pembroke Pines before the state legislature and was influential in 
enacting reforms on many issues of importance.
  Willie Mae Williams of Lauderdale Lakes served as the Northwest 
Federated Woman's Club of Broward County for more than 25 years. As 
Second Vice President, Willie Mae diligently chairs the Food and Social 
Committee, and has raised funds for the organization by coordinating 
and implementing a weekly fish fry.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to again congratulate these 11 
outstanding Broward County citizens who are being honored at the Annual 
Senior Hall of Fame, and thank them for their years of service to their 
fellow Floridians.

                          ____________________