[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MR. JIM SCHMIT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 2009

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
numerous organizers and volunteers of the 2009 Special Olympics World 
Winter Games in Idaho. It was because of the hard work and dedication 
of the volunteers from Idaho and elsewhere and their commitment to 
Special Olympics that this great event was possible. I would like to 
recognize one volunteer in particular, Mr. Jim Schmit. Mr. Schmit 
served as the Chairman of the Games Fundraising Committee, and he did 
an exemplary job.
  The Special Olympics World Winter Games attracted more than 2,000 
athletes from nearly 100 countries. It was the largest multi-sport 
event ever held in the State of Idaho. While my home state was proud to 
host this prestigious event, we faced many unique challenges along the 
way. Host sites are typically named four years in advance of the Games, 
but Special Olympics International awarded the Games to Idaho just 24 
months in advance. This left the Fundraising Games Committee with an 
extremely condensed timeframe in which to raise money and prepare for 
the event. The Committee faced an even greater challenge created by the 
difficult economic times that our businesses, corporations, and 
citizens confronted, which caused donations to charities and non-
profits to drop significantly.
  Working on an unpaid volunteer basis, Mr. Schmit worked tirelessly 
with businesses and corporations in Idaho and throughout the country to 
secure both monetary donations and in-kind donations of food and 
beverages for the athletes as well as supplies needed to run the 
events. He coordinated with the state and local governments to obtain 
assistance from them. In addition, Mr. Schmit worked closely with 
Senator Craig and me to help us in our efforts to secure federal 
funding in support of the Games. Faced with such a difficult economic 
environment, Mr. Schmit and his team were able to raise sufficient 
funds to put on the hugely successful Games and still have funds left 
over to donate back to the community.
  Madam Speaker, I have had the honor of knowing and working with Mr. 
Schmit in his position as President of Qwest Idaho for many years. 
Today, I am honored to commend him for his tremendous work as the 
Chairman of the Games Fundraising Committee. His commitment and 
dedication were critical to making the Games such a huge success, and I 
would like to take this opportunity to recognize him for all of his 
hard work.

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