[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 167 (Wednesday, October 31, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO VELMA ALLEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 31, 2007

  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Velma 
Allen as she retires from Mott Children's Health Center. Dr. Allen is 
the President and Chief Executive Officer and will retire on December 
31. A dinner in her honor will be held on November 8 in Flint, MI.
  Dr. Allen began her career as an English teacher in Mississippi. She 
moved to Michigan and became the Supervisor of Secondary Special 
Education with the Grand Rapids School System. She served as the 
Director of Special Education with the Lansing Schools from 1977 
through 1981. She moved to Flint and was program officer for the C.S. 
Mott Foundation from 1981 to 1984. After serving as the Superintendent 
of the Michigan School of the Blind, Velma started to work at the Mott 
Children's Health Center. She has spent the last 17 years working to 
improve the care for the children of Genesee County who have special 
health or developmental problems.
  Under her leadership, the C.S. Mott Children's Health Center has 
expanded its role in Genesee County. Working with the Genesee 
Intermediate School District, the Center has implemented four school-
based health centers offering multiple services to elementary, middle 
school, and high school students and offer dental health screening and 
prevention in elementary schools. The Center works with the Cedar 
Street Children's Center and the Child Welfare Society of Flint to 
offer mental health prevention services. She has added a fifth 
pediatric dental resident and partnered with the University of Michigan 
Dental School to offer an Advanced Education in General Residency 
resident. The Center also has implemented a child obesity prevention 
program and offers a 2-week summer camp.
  Working with community allies she has advocated on behalf of children 
at both the state and national level. Recognizing that the life of the 
larger community has an affect on children, Dr. Allen works with 
various organizations to improve the quality of life. She is a 
Commissioner with the Michigan Commission for the Blind, a Board Member 
for the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, a Member of the 
Genesee County Community Collaborative, a Board Member of the ``Ready, 
Set, Grow!'' Passport Program, a Board Member of Priority Children, the 
Vice Chair of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, a member of 
the Flint Journal Community Advisory Committee, a Board Member of 
United Way of Genesee County, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Inc.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
congratulating Dr. Velma Allen for her work on behalf of the children 
in Genesee County. I wish her the best as she retires from the C.S. 
Mott Children's Health Center.

                          ____________________