[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 145 (Thursday, October 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    HONORING EGGLESTON SERVICES AND THE SARAH BONWELL HUDGINS CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 7, 2009

  Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I am privileged to rise today to honor 
Eggleston Services for the meaningful opportunities they provide for 
individuals with disabilities. Eggleston Services is a company in 
southeastern Virginia that has close to 600 employees, and upwards of 
three fourths of those employees have a disability. Many of these 
workers are able to work through a federal program called Ability One. 
Ability One encourages federal entities to work directly with agencies 
like Eggleston to provide valuable work at a fair price, all the while 
utilizing the skills of persons with disabilities.
  Eggleston Services is dedicated to providing a broad array of 
programs and services for individuals with disabilities. Since 1955 
their goal has been to assist people in obtaining meaningful work 
opportunities, and to help them participate fully in their communities. 
Eggleston Services helps individuals with disabilities gain freedom 
from dependence on government support by providing them on-the-job 
training and stable work opportunities.
  Just recently, I had the honor to visit the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins 
Center in Hampton, Virginia. The center is owned by the Sarah Bonwell 
Hudgins Foundation and managed by Eggleston Services, Inc. The center 
provides dynamic programs for individuals with mental and/or physical 
disabilities. Through its partnership with Eggleston Services, the 
Foundation helps persons with disabilities by providing a place to 
work, a place to live in a safe caring environment, and a place to 
learn to live independently.
  The profound work and programs that are available at the center help 
many and are invaluable. At the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Center, Eggleston 
Services operates a Life Enhancement Program, which provides 
specialized services, activities, and residential care. Eggleston 
Services also provides programs at the center, including Eggleston 
Document Destruction, a full-service secure document destruction and 
shredding business, a business fulfillment center, and a ceramics 
manufacturing facility.
  These remarkable programs serve as a way for people with disabilities 
to find independence and a sense of one's own. None of this would be 
possible without the Ability One Program and the dedication of 
Eggleston Services. Businesses can look to Eggleston Services and the 
Ability One program and use their successful programs as a model for 
their own business practices. Persons with disabilities can be key 
contributors in the workplace and I commend Eggleston Services in 
conjunction with the Ability One program and the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins 
Foundation for their work in providing opportunities for individuals 
with disabilities.

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