[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE GENEROSITY OF IDAHOANS

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                             HON. BILL SALI

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 18, 2007

  Mr. SALI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary 
example of the American spirit, the ability for us as individuals and 
as businesses to give back to the community, support our neighbors, and 
do for ourselves--without relying on government to do for us.
  Last week, the crew of the TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition 
arrived in Middleton, Idaho. The show travels the country and selects a 
deserving family for a top-to-bottom remodel. In Idaho, the show's 
producers picked Ryan and Karia Stockdale.
  The Stockdales are a loving couple with four children ages 2 to 6. 
All four children have an extremely rare disease that attacks their 
blood, their lungs and kidneys, and their digestive systems. Because of 
this disorder, all four children are unable to eat food, and have to be 
fed through a special tube.
  Karia became a stay-at-home mom to tend to the children.
  To find a cure for his children, Ryan went back to school full-time 
studying immunology--in addition to working full-time to support his 
family.
  What's more, the Stockdale home had major problems. The house was not 
insulated. It had a coal-burning furnace and no air conditioning. The 
ceiling had a hole. The basement leaked. The water and ventilation 
systems were bad.
  The people of Idaho rallied--sending the Extreme Makeover program 
more than a thousand emails in support of the Stockdales.
  But they didn't stop there. In Idaho, our communities and our 
citizens place high value on the ability of individuals to make a 
difference, the power of the private sector. We don't sit back and wait 
for government to do things for us.
  So when Extreme Makeover decided to come to Idaho, the citizens and 
businesses of my state sent nothing short of an army of volunteers to 
help give the Stockdales a new home. Corey Barton of CBH Homes led the 
effort, bringing in competing construction crews to work together to 
build this 4,000 square foot home.
  I wish I could name all the companies that contributed to this cause, 
but I can't. More than 200 companies pitched in--everything from 
construction equipment and supplies to bags of ice and beverages.
  I wish I could name all of the people who volunteered to do a 
multitude of tasks--from the framing to running electrical and hanging 
sheetrock. But I can't. More than three thousand volunteers came out. 
That's three thousand people working together to build one house for 
one family.
  And the volunteers kept coming as the work got dirtier and more 
grueling and the temperature reached triple-digits. I'm told that 
despite the heat and the stress of building a large home in four or 
five days, the volunteer response was the largest a community has ever 
given to an Extreme Makeover project. These volunteers finished in a 
week what it would take government months to accomplish.
  I was at the job site on Saturday with my wife, Terry, and here's 
what we saw: we saw the most enthusiastic, engaged, and excited 
volunteers we have ever seen. They weren't doing it for the fame or 
glory; they were not doing it to get a few seconds of time on TV. They 
were not doing it because some government agency told them to. They 
were doing it because they wanted to. Many had never met the 
Stockdales. They didn't have to. They just knew there was a family in 
need and work to be done. It was up to Idahoans to do it.
  This is the home that Idahoans built. Their work goes beyond 
generous. It is a testament to the American spirit: volunteers giving 
their time, experience, and a lot of sweat to help make a beautiful 
home for a beautiful family. This was a true labor of love. Idahoans 
should be very proud of what they've done.

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