[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 76 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF SACRAMENTO'S CHILD SAFETY ADVOCATES

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                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2008

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize many of 
Sacramento's outstanding individuals and businesses as members of the 
Sacramento community gather at the Child Abuse Prevention Center's 
annual Inspirations luncheon. The men and women being honored this 
afternoon are dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and well-being 
of Sacramento's children and families. I ask all my colleagues to join 
me in honoring these fine Sacramentans.
  David Ballard and the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento are 
receiving the community service provider award. The Children's 
Receiving Home of Sacramento is a shelter for abused and neglected 
children in Sacramento County. The only shelter of its kind, the 
Children's Receiving Home serves over 1,800 children each year. I would 
like to commend them on their ability to help these children in their 
time of need. David is being honored for his contributions to a variety 
of campaigns that have secured funding to help improve and expand the 
facilities and make changes in the care children receive there. In 
addition to his dedication to the Children's Receiving Home of 
Sacramento, Mr. Ballard has served on the Children's Coalition's board, 
the human services planning council, the family support collaborative 
executive committee and the child welfare redesign steering committee.
  The hearts and hands award is being presented to Anthony Pico for his 
work with our foster care system. Mr. Pico was raised in foster homes 
and at 15 he began working with other youth in the California Youth 
Connection and the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Programs. He has worked with the 
American Bar Association, Casey Family Programs, Pitzer College, the 
California Institute for Mental Health, the John Burton Foundation for 
Children Without Homes, and has held positions with the San Francisco 
Youth Commission--Mayoral Appointee Commission and the Blue Ribbon 
Commission on Children in Foster Care. For his dedication to improving 
our foster care system, Mr. Pico was the 2005, 2006, and 2007 recipient 
of the Youth Leadership Award from the City and County of San Francisco 
and is now being honored by his Sacramento partners.
  This year, the Board of Directors Award goes to a coalition of health 
care providers and agencies in Sacramento for launching California's 
first Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Program (SBS). The Sacramento 
County Departments of Health and Human Services, Child Protective 
Services, and Public Health Nursing in conjunction with Catholic 
Healthcare West-Mercy, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, the DC Davis 
Medical Center and the Child Abuse Prevention Center have championed 
this important cause. This program is modeled after a program in New 
York which has greatly reduced incidents of SBS by 50 percent in that 
State. With this program hospitals will provide educational materials 
to new parents on the dangers of shaking their babies and the 
prevention techniques that parents can use to avoid this heartbreaking 
form of child abuse. These organizations have come together to reduce 
the incidence of SBS and most importantly protect our children.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize these individuals and 
businesses for their extraordinary work on behalf of children and 
families in the Sacramento area, and I would like to thank the Child 
Abuse Prevention Center for their dedication to our children's safety. 
On behalf of the people of Sacramento and the Fifth Congressional 
District of California, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring 
their unwavering commitment to Sacramento's youth.

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