[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 43 (Thursday, March 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PAYING TRIBUTE TO GLADYS MUHAMMAD-WARD OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2008

  Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, today I pay tribute to an outstanding 
citizen of South Bend, Gladys Muhammad-Ward, who devoted her life to 
the service of her community. Her impact on the city is immeasurable, 
the result of her unflagging efforts to improve the quality of life for 
all its citizens. She has been a blessing to her large and loving 
family as well as to the extended family of those whose lives she has 
changed.
  Whether on the grassroots or executive level, Mrs. Muhammad-Ward's 
vision, talent and energy have benefited young and old alike. In 1978 
she helped establish and became the first director of the YWCA's 
Battered Women's Shelter, a post she held for six years. Subsequently, 
as the Deputy Director of South Bend's Code Enforcement, she was 
instrumental in helping to develop what had been a drug infested and 
dangerous neighborhood into sixty-five units of affordable housing and 
cultivating the Charles Martin Youth Center.
  Mrs. Muhammad-Ward's influence extends to the national level. She was 
in the first class of the Washington D.C.-based Center for Community 
Change's ``Change Agent Project.'' She was also invited to participate 
in President Clinton's roundtable on neighborhoods held in Little Rock, 
Arkansas.
  Locally, Mrs. Muhammad-Ward has lent her talents to many 
organizations and served on numerous boards, including The Martin 
Luther King Jr. Foundation, the Saint Joseph County Democratic Party, 
the African American Community Fund, the Indiana University South Bend 
Civil Rights Heritage Center, Bridges Out of Poverty Committee and the 
Memorial Health Foundation Board of Directors.
  Gladys Mohammad-Ward was awarded the key to the City of South Bend in 
2007 and the Sagamore of the Wabash in 1998, and in 1994 she was 
inducted into the South Bend Hall of Fame and named YWCA Woman of the 
Year. In addition, she was named Citizen of the Year by the National 
Social Worker Association in 1999 and received the Distinguished Alumni 
Award from Indiana University South Bend. She has been honored by WNDU-
TV, The Indiana Black Expo, Essence Magazine, Kiwanis Club and the 
YMCA.
  So, today, on behalf of the citizens of Indiana's Second District, I 
thank Gladys Mohammad-Ward for her years of selfless dedication. As she 
continues her work on behalf of all of our citizens, regardless of 
race, gender or socio-economic class, let us pay special tribute to 
this outstanding woman who serves as a role model to us all.

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