[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE GREATER PALM BEACH AREA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED 
                                 CROSS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross on 
receiving the Outstanding Chapter Award from the International 
Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center for the work of chapter 
volunteers in their community outreach programs. This is the top honor 
awarded by the International Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center, 
a national clearinghouse for persons seeking the fates of loved ones 
missing since the Holocaust and its aftermath.
  The Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter has been delivering lifesaving 
services for over ninety years, providing relief to victims of 
disasters at home and abroad, teaching lifesaving skills, and 
supporting military members and families. This chapter, which covers 
most of the 23rd Congressional district, serves the counties of Glades, 
Hendry, Okeechobee, and Palm Beach, and reaches a population of 1.5 
million residents. The Red Cross has operated this specialized tracing 
service for the past 19 years.
  I commend the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter's leadership, staff and 
volunteers for their commitment to engage the community and diligently 
manage the influx of new requests to the Red Cross Holocaust Tracing 
Center. The Tracing Service offers to search for information about 
missing and deceased family members through personal services that are 
comprehensive, confidential and free of charge. The Greater Palm Beach 
Area Chapter has engaged the local Jewish communities, agencies and 
volunteers through notable educational outreach programs.
  The Outstanding Chapter Award will be presented to volunteer leaders 
from the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross at a 
special luncheon celebrating the Tracing Center's 20th anniversary in 
Baltimore, Maryland, on September 27, 2010, featuring keynote speaker 
Gail McGovern, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 
American Red Cross.
  The Red Cross provides an exemplary paradigm for providing support 
and answers to Holocaust survivors and their families. The Tracing 
Center is seventy percent successful in its tracing cases, having 
reunited 1,500 families and provided documents such as birth 
certificates and concentration camp records to others.
  Madam Speaker, I am especially pleased with this Chapter's award 
because, in a sense, it brings my involvement with the Tracing Service 
full circle. Years ago I, along with several of my colleagues, was a 
strong advocate for opening the Tracing Service's archives to the 
public and worked with the German government and the International 
Committee of the Red Cross to do so. In opening the archive in 2007, 
Germany and the ICRC provided an invaluable service to humanity. The 
Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter award demonstrates the extent to which 
thousands of Holocaust survivors and their families in South Florida 
have benefited from this service.
  Madam Speaker, the Center for Information on Holocaust Restitution 
estimates that five to ten survivors die each day. The urgency of 
affected family members initiating tracing services cannot be 
overstated. My local Red Cross has shown true dedication in assisting 
families in telling the stories of those who perished in the Holocaust, 
in discovering names and dates that have long been thought to be lost, 
and in giving families the necessary information so that they may pass 
on legacies and the truth. The Tracing Center's motto says it best: 
``Every Answer is a Gift.''
  Again, congratulations to the Greater Palm Beach Chapter of the 
American Red Cross on gaining national recognition for their enduring 
commitment to Holocaust survivors, their families, and the memory of 
those who were lost.

                          ____________________