[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S801-S802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 425--CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE TO AMERICA ON 
  ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY AND RECOGNIZING ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIGHT 
                            AGAINST POVERTY

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself and Mr. Cochran) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 425

       Whereas Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) has made 
     an extraordinary contribution to alleviating poverty and 
     improving American society since the program began in 1965;
       Whereas more than 175,000 individuals of all ages and from 
     different walks of life have answered VISTA's call to devote 
     a year of full-time service living and working in low-income 
     communities to help eradicate poverty;
       Whereas VISTA members have helped create many successful 
     and sustainable community initiatives, including Head Start 
     centers, credit unions, and neighborhood watch groups, with 
     VISTA alumni going on to serve in leadership positions in 
     government, private, and nonprofit sectors throughout the 
     United States;
       Whereas VISTA, which became part of AmeriCorps in 1993 and 
     is administered by the Corporation for National and Community 
     Service, annually engages more than 7,000 members in helping 
     more than 1,000 local organizations build sustainable anti-
     poverty programs;
       Whereas AmeriCorps VISTA members improve the lives of the 
     most vulnerable citizens in our Nation by fighting 
     illiteracy, improving health services, reducing unemployment, 
     increasing housing opportunities, reducing crime and 
     recidivism, and expanding access to technology;
       Whereas AmeriCorps VISTA members develop programs, recruit 
     community volunteers, generate resources, manage projects, 
     and enhance the ability of nonprofit organizations to become 
     and remain sustainable, thereby strengthening the nonprofit 
     sector in low-income communities across the United States;
       Whereas AmeriCorps VISTA members generate more than 
     $100,000,000 in cash and in-kind resources annually for 
     organizations throughout the Nation, as well as recruit and 
     manage more than 1,000,000 volunteers who provide 10,000,000 
     hours of community service for local organizations; and
       Whereas AmeriCorps VISTA acted swiftly to help implement 
     the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 
     Law 111-5), engaging more than 3,700 members in distressed 
     communities to provide foreclosure prevention and financial 
     counseling, expand college access, and support health care 
     and independent living services: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the more than 175,000 men and women who have 
     served in VISTA for their dedication and commitment to the 
     fight against poverty;
       (2) recognizes VISTA members for leveraging human, 
     financial, and material resources to increase the ability of 
     thousands of low-income areas across the country to address 
     challenges and improve their communities; and
       (3) encourages the continued commitment of VISTA members to 
     creating and expanding programs designed to bring individuals 
     and communities out of poverty.

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today, to celebrate a 
remarkable anniversary. This month, Volunteers in Service to America, 
better known as VISTA, celebrates the 45th anniversary of its founding. 
I am delighted to have Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi as my 
cosponsor. Public service is a bipartisan issue.
  Forty-five years of bringing people together, lifting communities up, 
fighting poverty, making America stronger.
  Forty-five years of fighting illiteracy, improving health services, 
reducing unemployment, increasing housing opportunities, reducing crime 
and recidivism, and expanding access to technology.
  Forty-five years of leveraging resources and building capacity while 
providing thousands of Americans the opportunity to devote a year of 
full-time service living and working in low-income communities to help 
eradicate poverty.
  VISTA did not invent these ideas; America has a long and rich history 
of public service. But when John F. Kennedy became president, these 
enduring values found new life. The person in his new administration 
who truly pursued that vision with all his might was President 
Kennedy's brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver. I will always know him as a 
hero and a friend.
  He created a legacy of programs that promote social equality and 
human dignity--such as Legal Services, Job

[[Page S802]]

Corps, and yes, VISTA. He was also the driving force behind the 
creation of the Peace Corps, which is how I originally came to know 
him.
  When we first met in the early 1960s, I was still studying Chinese 
and interested in Southeast Asia affairs, but my life was quickly 
transformed after meeting Sargent Shriver.
  He understood that one way to improve the world was to start with our 
own communities--and that if we unite together with a common mission of 
making our communities stronger, we can make the world a better place.
  That was when I became a VISTA volunteer, shortly after the program 
began. I was lucky enough to come to West Virginia--and that was when 
my life changed forever. I often say that while I was technically born 
in New York, I was really born in West Virginia that year.
  I truly believe that people are liberated when they get outside of 
themselves to help others.
  When I first came to West Virginia, over 40 years ago, much of my 
work was with children who didn't have great opportunities in life. I 
was a VISTA member in Emmons, West Virginia, a small, coal mining 
community on the Boone-Kanawha County line.
  It took me 6 months to finally be accepted by the community. I used 
to sit on the railroad tracks with the kids, throwing rocks and just 
talking with them. One day, one of the kids invited me into their home; 
then the others soon followed.
  I had found what I wanted by working with this community--what my gut 
was telling me was important. I found out a few other things as well. 
There was not any organization in the community or a general effort to 
better the living conditions of the area.
  Many of the children didn't even go to school because it was several 
miles to a paved road and the school board wouldn't send a bus to 
Emmons.
  So, we fought for a school bus. We built a small library. We built a 
park. We started a baseball team. We didn't win a single game, but that 
wasn't what was important. It was opening up new possibilities for 
those kids.
  My experience was just one of thousands. Since 1965, more than 
175,000 Americans of all ages and walks of life have answered VISTA's 
call. I am proud to count myself as a member of that very special 
group.
  So VISTA's anniversary is also my own. When I look back on VISTA 
beginnings, I see my own roots--the foundation on which I have built 
the rest of my life.
  I got into politics shortly thereafter. I knew I could not be a VISTA 
forever, so I ran for the House of Delegates, knowing that was the way 
I could continue to make change.
  I knew there were a thousand Emmons all across Appalachia. But 
everything that I have done in my career in public office has been 
grounded in the VISTA experience and in those kids and families who 
taught me so much about life.
  Today, VISTA, which became part of AmeriCorps in 1993, continues to 
engage more than 7,000 members in helping more than 1,000 local 
organizations build sustainable anti-poverty programs every year.
  So to them--to VISTA's members, past and present--to its numerous 
devoted host organizations and communities which give as much to the 
program as they receive--to my friend and mentor Sargent Shriver--to 
everyone who carries on VISTA's noble work every day--congratulations 
and thank you.
  Now, watch out. We have only just begun: In these times of enormous 
economic uncertainty and challenge, our nation needs VISTA's, courage, 
commitment and service more than ever. Your impact is real. I know 
without a doubt, from the bottom my heart that for years to come, VISTA 
members will continue to transform our communities and our nation--for 
the better.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to join the distinguished 
Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Rockefeller, in submitting a resolution 
to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Volunteers in Service to 
America, or VISTA, program.
  President Kennedy suggested in 1963 a program of national service 
that would provide assistance to those in need in urban and rural 
areas. Less than 2 years later, President Johnson launched the ``War on 
Poverty,'' and included the VISTA program created by the Economic 
Opportunity Act of 1964.
  Incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA 
has been hard at work in the fight against poverty for 45 years. Today, 
the VISTA program is stronger than ever, placing 6,500 full-time 
volunteers at 1,200 nonprofit organizations and public agencies each 
year. These volunteers are committed to serving the needs of the 
poorest Americans at numerous program sites, and they are to be 
commended for their unselfish contributions to helping others.
  I am proud to say that there are 87 VISTA volunteers at 21 program 
sites in my home State of Mississippi. I understand the sacrifices that 
are being made by these young men and women and the important impact 
that these volunteers have made in our communities.
  I am pleased to congratulate VISTA on 45 years of distinguished 
service to our country.

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