[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CONGRESSIONAL VICTIMS' RIGHTS CAUCUS AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during National Crime 
Victims' Rights Week, to congratulate the winner of the Congressional 
Victims' Rights Caucus Awards.
  Congressman Jim Costa of California and I are the co-founders and co-
chairs of the Victims' Rights Caucus, a bi-partisan group of 60 members 
who work to be a voice for victims' rights in Congress and before the 
administration.
  Last week, we honored six incredible individuals who have made a real 
difference in the lives of victims and have greatly influenced the 
victims' rights movement.
  Some of the award recipients, including my nominee, Jess Smochek, 
were victims themselves and are now fighting for other victims' rights 
and changes in the system.
  Jess was terribly beaten, raped, and left for dead while volunteering 
for the Peace Corps in Bangladesh.
  The Peace Corps basically ignored Jess and did nothing to aid her in 
a time of great need.
  Jess found out that other volunteers in the Peace Corps, who were 
victimized during their service, were treated the same way.
  Instead of letting this go on, Jess took her awful experience and 
decided to advocate for a change in the Peace Corps policy toward 
victims.
  Because of her bravery in speaking out about this tough issue, the 
national media and Congress are aware of this unacceptable matter and 
are working with her to push for changes in the Peace Corps.
  We honored her with the Suzanne McDaniel Public Awareness Award 
because of her hard work to ensure no other selfless volunteer in the 
Peace Corps has to endure this treatment.
  Helga Luest is another award recipient who chose to seek change in 
the system after having a traumatic experience as a crime victim.
  After a brutal attack that almost cost her and her mother's lives, 
Helga began an organization called Witness Justice that works to help 
victims seek justice and experience healing.
  She is able to help countless victims with her first-hand knowledge 
of trauma and its direct impact on the well being of the individual.
  Helga received the Eva Murillo Unsung Hero Award because it truly 
takes a hero to rise up and use lessons from a terrible situation to 
help others.
  We also recognized heroes in the victims' rights community that 
directly aid crime victims through their work at shelters and with 
programs that assist victims and facilitate healing.
  Pam Kallsen, nominated by Victims' Rights Caucus Co-Chair Congressman 
Jim Costa, is the Executive Director of the Marjaree Mason Center in 
California's Central Valley.
  Through her leadership, the Center goes above and beyond traditional 
services providing legal representation, hotline services, and 
counseling sessions all of which are critical in responding to and 
preventing domestic and sexual abuse.
  Another exceptional leader in the field is Mary Ellen Stone, the 
Executive Director of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center 
(KCSARC) in Washington State, a position in which she has served since 
1979.
  Mary Ellen has not only helped KCSARC grow to be the largest sexual 
assault victims' service organization in the state but has also been 
involved in transforming the legal and political landscape of sexual 
assault violence in Washington and throughout the nation.
  Without these exemplary individuals, many victims would have nowhere 
to turn when facing a difficult situation and that is why these two 
wonderful women received the Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding 
Victim Advocacy.
  A leader on the public policy front, receiving the the Lois Haight 
Award for Excellence and Innovation is Susan Smith Howley, Director of 
Public Policy for the National Center for Victims of Crime.
  She has devoted the past 20 years to the development and 
implementation of major crime victim related public policy initiatives 
at the local, state and national levels.
  Not long ago crime victims had few to no rights, and we are still 
working hard to ensure victims receive all the care and compensation 
they deserve.
  People like Susan, who work to ensure that the government protects 
innocent victims through creating and promoting innovative policies, 
are invaluable to victims throughout the country.
  Our last award, the Allied Professional Award was presented to Nilda 
Valmores who has dedicated her life to helping victims of domestic 
violence.
  The shelter where she serves as Executive Director, My Sister's 
House, focuses on the needs of immigrant Asian/Pacific Islander women 
and children.
  Through Nilda's collaborations with organizations throughout her 
community, My Sister's House and the larger issue of domestic violence 
facing immigrant women has received much needed attention.
  Congratulations to these amazing people, who are the reason why the 
victims' rights movement has made so much progress.
  And that's just the way it is.

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