[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S9409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO KRISTIE FIEGEN

 Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I recognize the 
accomplishments of Junior Achievement of South Dakota. In particular, I 
would like to congratulate the organization's President, Kristie 
Fiegen, for winning JA Worldwide's 2008 Charles R. Hook Award. This 
award is bestowed on one Junior Achievement executive annually, and is 
the top honor for JA Presidents who demonstrate superior results in 
promoting the growth and development of Junior Achievement in their 
area.
  Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to 
teaching students in Kindergarten through 12th grade about the 
importance of economics, entrepreneurism, and financial literacy. The 
organization reaches over 9 million students around the world each 
year, with over 130 local offices in the United States and operations 
in over 110 countries worldwide. One of the things that makes JA so 
unique is its use of adult volunteers to bring business to life for 
students. In the U.S. alone, young people in more than 188,000 
classrooms benefit annually from these positive role models.
  Kristie is clearly deserving of receiving this year's Hook Award. She 
has served as President of Junior Achievement of South Dakota since 
1994. During this period, she has increased the organization's reach 
from 2 percent to more than 28 percent of all South Dakota students. 
The organization now reaches over 37,000 South Dakota students, 
impacting over 1,700 classrooms. The organization's programs are 
provided at no cost to schools and are funded entirely through the 
private sector.
  Especially in the current economic climate, teaching students the 
importance of economics and financial literacy is of the utmost 
importance, and I congratulate Kristie Fiegen and Junior Achievement of 
South Dakota for their efforts in South Dakota.




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