[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 84 (Monday, June 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2011

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a renowned 
spiritual leader and multi-faceted humanitarian whose mission of 
uplifting human values and creating a stress-free, violence-free world 
has inspired millions of people around the world over the past 30 
years; and
  In 1981, Sri Sri established the Art of Living Foundation, an 
international nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization, with 
a presence in 151 countries, which offers educational and self-
development programs designed to eliminate stress and foster well-
being, including programs which are helping inner city youth turn away 
from gang violence and programs which are helping transform the lives 
of veterans, prison inmates, terrorists and victims of trauma around 
the world; and
  Through Sri Sri's message of religious harmony, non-violence, 
equality, tolerance and peace transcends class; race, religion and 
nationality and promotes ecumenical and universal human values; and
  In 1997, Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human 
Values, a humanitarian nonprofit organization that advances and 
strengthens society by strengthening the individual.
  The Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for 
Human Values collaborate on humanitarian initiatives that include some 
of the following: trauma relief at the site of the world's most 
horrific natural disasters and conflicts, including helping such 
traumatized populations as survivors, refugees, veterans, Katrina and 
9/11 survivors, earthquake and tsunami survivors in Japan, and others; 
and prison settings, where more than 350,000 staff and inmates in 32 
countries have participated in stress relief and life-skills programs, 
including both adult and juvenile offenders; and corporate, military, 
and government settings, bringing stress relief, team building, and a 
competitive edge to the World Bank, IBM, Shell Oil, Intel, the Third 
Circuit Court, the Army National Guard, and many other organizations in 
the U.S. and around the world; and addressing corruption and ethics, 
including hosting the World Forum for Ethics and Business each year at 
the European Parliament and speaking out against corruption in India; 
and the Youth Leadership Training Program, which has trained 100,000 
at-risk youth and others to become leaders, who in turn have brought 
transformation to more than 36,000 rural villages; and the environment, 
with numerous environmental initiatives, including clean-up and 
awareness programs, sustainable agriculture and the planting of 10 
million trees around the world; and U.S. school initiatives, with more 
than 12,000 U.S. students participating in school stress relief and 
life-skills programs in the last year alone; and
  The Foundation's self-development programs have benefitted over 30 
million people around the world over the past 30 years.

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