[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E639]
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--DALLAS RODRIGUEZ

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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 this project I wanted to focus specifically on what I 
     could do in five hours to make a difference in my community. 
     I decided to focus my CYAC community service on helping The 
     North Texas Food Bank with their current event called ``The 
     Souper Bowl of Caring''. This event is done in conjunction 
     with local grocery stores and allows shoppers to buy pre-
     packed bags of non-perishable food items to donate for 
     distribution to the local food banks and shelters. I walked 
     my neighborhood distributing flyers informing people about 
     the event and solicited cash donations to help me pre-
     purchase bags for the event. I was able to collect enough 
     money to buy 23 bags of groceries. Because I will volunteer 
     for the event on Sunday, February 6th, several others I 
     talked to promised to go in to Market Street and purchase 
     bags on Sunday. This experience has shown me how much one 
     person in a short amount of time can help several families 
     survive for a couple of weeks. It confirmed to me that we can 
     all make a difference in the lives of others by just taking a 
     few hours out of our lives and focusing on helping others.
     --Dallas Rodriquez

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