[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO BRANDON AND TONY SILVERIA IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR DEDICATION 
              TO CURBING UNDERAGE DRINKING IN OUR COUNTRY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2009

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Brandon 
Silveria and his father, Tony Silveria, two courageous individuals who 
have turned a personal tragedy into a message of hope and possibility 
for teenagers and their families across the country.
  On March 1, 1987, Brandon Silveria had the world at his fingertips. 
He was a popular high school athlete in Los Gatos, California. He and 
his friends had dreams of making the Olympic rowing team and attending 
Boston College on rowing scholarships.
  But on that day, Brandon's dreams were shattered by one bad decision. 
Brandon and his friends went to a party and drank alcohol. Seventeen-
year-old Brandon drove everyone home. After he dropped his best friend 
off, Brandon continued the short drive to his house. He never made it. 
Brandon crashed his car into a tree and barely survived.
  Brandon's parents, Tony and Shirley Silveria, rushed to the hospital 
to be by Brandon's side and faced the nightmare of almost losing their 
son to an underage drinking and driving crash. Brandon spent 3 months 
in a coma followed by 3 years in rehabilitation. Brandon had to relearn 
everything. Walking, talking and eating were skills he had to regain. 
He worked hard to recover and his family stood by his side and nursed 
him back to health.
  Today, Brandon and Tony travel the country for The Century Council, a 
not-for-profit organization funded by distillers to fight drunk driving 
and underage drinking. Over the last 20 years they have spoken to over 
2 million students in all 50 states across the nation--from Maine to 
California--and their story has been told on ``Rescue911,'' NBC's 
``TODAY Show,'' and the Discovery Channel's ``HEALTHWATCH.'' Their 
message focuses on encouraging teens to make the right choices, resist 
peer pressure, and realize the trauma created by this kind of personal 
tragedy.
  I first met the Silverias in the fall of 2007 when The Brandon Tells 
His Story program was featured at one of the high schools in my 
district. I was so moved by their presentation that I have worked with 
The Century Council to bring this compelling message to the teenagers 
and parents in two other high schools in my district.
  Brandon walks and talks with great difficulty but that doesn't 
prevent him from delivering a forceful message to teens about the 
dangers and consequences of drinking and driving. He has permanent 
health problems as a result of a traumatic brain injury and must travel 
the country with his father. Tony has his own program for parents 
called Tony's Tips where he discusses the impact Brandon's crash had on 
his family and about the importance of talking to your kids about 
underage drinking. Many families unravel emotionally or financially in 
the face of a tragedy like Brandon's. Despite this often sad reality, 
the Silverias managed to pull together and make it their mission to 
deliver a lifesaving message to teenagers and families across the 
country.
  Madam Speaker, because of the Silverias' mission to share their 
story, more than 2 million students have seen firsthand the tragic 
consequences of underage drinking and driving. I ask my colleagues to 
please join me in thanking Brandon and Tony for their courage and 
commitment to saving the lives of our nation's children, and in 
extending to them our best wishes for continued success in exemplifying 
for all us what it means to overcome tragedy and work to make a 
difference.

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