[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 2010-2011 CONGRESSIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR 500 
      HOURS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY--ZACH PALISCH

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                            HON. SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2011

  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and 
privilege to inform the Members of the United States House of 
Representatives that the students of the 2010-2011 Congressional Youth 
Advisory Council (CYAC) from the Third District of Texas have completed 
a total of 500 community service hours, fulfilling and far surpassing 
the requirements of their assigned CYAC in the Community service 
project.
  This year 46 students from public, private, and home schools in 
grades 10 through 12 made their voices heard by joining CYAC. As the 
Third District's young ambassadors to Congress, these bright high 
school students met with me on a quarterly basis to discuss current 
events and public policy. These impressive young people recognize an 
important truth: the heart of public service is found when giving back 
to the community. CYAC students volunteered their time and talents with 
over 30 organizations including Adopt-A-Highway, Habitat for Humanity, 
Meals on Wheels, Teen Court, and the USO, to name a few. As one student 
shared, ``CYAC in the Community has allowed me to realize my calling to 
serve those in the U.S. Armed Forces.'' I am beyond thrilled that CYAC 
has helped students unleash their full potential and chase their 
dreams.
  President George H.W. Bush once said, ``A volunteer is a person who 
can see what others cannot see; who can feel what most do not feel. 
Often, such gifted persons do not think of themselves as volunteers, 
but as citizens--citizens in the fullest sense: partners in 
civilization.''
  With this statement as a benchmark, I am proud to congratulate the 
members of the 2010-2011 Congressional Youth Advisory Council for 
showing themselves to be outstanding young citizens of this nation. It 
is my privilege to submit summaries of their work to the Congressional 
Record to be preserved for posterity and antiquity. To these young 
public servants, thank you, and keep up the great work! I salute you!
  A copy of each submitted student summary follows:

       For the past three months. I have been volunteering my time 
     weekly at the local elementary school by my house, Faith 
     Lutheran. I am a volunteer basketball coach for a group of 
     about eleven 5th and 6th graders who attend the school. We 
     have a couple of games each week and have practices every 
     Saturday morning at the school. The group of kids is very 
     inexperienced as a whole so our practices are very important. 
     We practice dribbling, passing, team building, team plays, 
     and shooting for fun at the end. The practices were highly 
     successful as I managed to teach the guys 8 plays total and 
     everyone improved their skills individually as well over the 
     year. The weekly games were always a fun and frustrating 
     experience as I tried to coach a team to win as well as 
     making it a fun learning experience for the kids. In the end 
     all the hard work paid off as the boys had the first-ever 
     undefeated season for the school and won the tournament at 
     the end of the season. I can tell the kids learned a lot 
     throughout the season, and I know I learned how rewarding an 
     experience it can be to teach young children and watch them 
     learn and grow.
     --Zack Palisch

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