[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF MS. BRITTANY BERGQUIST

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2009

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Madam Speaker, I rise today so that my colleagues in 
the House of Representatives can join me in congratulating a young, 
profoundly dedicated community volunteer--and a constituent of mine--
Ms. Brittany Bergquist.
  As a distinguished winner of the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community 
Award, Brittany was recently named as one of our nation's top 10 youth 
volunteers. Her passion for improving the lives of others was sparked 
five years ago by a TV news story about an Army reservist who struggled 
with overwhelming cell phone bills while trying to keep in touch with 
his loved ones overseas. Sympathetic to our brave men and women in 
uniform, Brittany and her brother Robbie began raising money to send on 
their behalf. They scraped together piggy-bank savings, hosted car 
washes, and organized bake sales as their dedication to the cause 
intensified day-by-day.
  Today, the nonprofit organization that the Bergquist kids co-
founded--``Cell Phones for Soldiers''--has collected and recycled 
nearly 700,000 pre-paid phone cards for the men and women serving in 
our armed forces. She and her brother arranged for a recycling company 
to purchase donated phones; designed a Web site to spread awareness of 
their campaign; recruited volunteers from across the continent; and 
secured a large donation from a mobile phone company. To date, the 
Bergquist children have sent more than $2.5 million worth of one-hour 
phone cards to military hospitals and bases around the world.
  What began as the idealistic initiative of a young girl and her 
brother, ``Cell Phones for Soldiers'' has blossomed into a national 
effort well-deserving of the recognition it has received. Brittany is 
an inspiration not only to the people of her home state of 
Massachusetts, but to young adults nationwide who aspire to make a 
difference.
  On behalf of the thousands of soldiers who have been able to 
communicate with their families thanks to Brittany's efforts, I want to 
take this opportunity to recognize and thank her for her exemplary work 
and compassion. She is a young woman of exceptional potential, and I 
wish her the very best of luck in all her future endeavors.

                          ____________________