[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MRS. NANCY DAWKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 2009

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mrs. 
Nancy Dawkins, who will be recognized by the Heritage Trail Advisory 
Committee in collaboration with the Martin Luther King Economic 
Development Corporation, Liberty City Trust and the City of Miami for 
her invaluable service to the residents of Liberty City and the City of 
Miami. Mrs. Dawkins' generosity and community activism in the fields of 
education, counseling and leadership development serve as hallmarks to 
her unwavering dedication to the South Florida community and the 17th 
Congressional District.
  Mrs. Dawkins, a teacher in the Miami-Dade County Public School System 
for 35 years, has been at the forefront of various community endeavors. 
She co-authored the program concept that became the COPE school program 
for pregnant teenagers, served as a career and occupational specialist 
at Booker T. Washington Middle School and was a former early childhood 
education instructor of Miami-Dade College North Campus. Among her many 
awards and accolades throughout the years, Mrs. Dawkins has received 
the Dade Heritage Trust Plaque for Outstanding Contribution in 
Promoting Commemorative Services, the Miami Police Department's 
Recognition Plaque for Community Service and the Metropolitan Dade 
County Appreciation Plaque from former Mayor Stephen P. Clark.
  As a tireless activist devoted to the advancement of equality and 
human rights, Mrs. Dawkins received The Miami Herald's Spirit of 
Excellence Award. She currently serves on the board of the Children's 
Home Society and has been a driving force in the largest African-
American chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, AARP, 
in the northwestern Miami community where she actively participates by 
attending state and national conventions.
  Throughout the years Mrs. Dawkins has served as a charter member, 
organizer and past president of the National Association of Negro 
Business and Professional Women's Club, South Florida chapter, which 
has spearheaded the establishment of several nationally recognized 
programs for children who provide countless hours of volunteer 
community service. Moreover, Mrs. Dawkins sought out summer jobs for 
her students in order to broaden their experiences in cultural affairs 
and in her continued activism, encouraged her students at Miami-Dade 
Community College to establish early childhood centers.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in 
recognizing Mrs. Nancy Dawkins' tremendous humanitarian efforts and 
overwhelming dedication to our South Florida community. I wish her 
every happiness and continued success.

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