[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            HONORING THE WORK OF NANCY MERCER AND JILL EGLE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 27, 2011

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Nancy 
Mercer and Jill Egle, co-executive directors of The Arc of Northern 
Virginia, for their tremendous work on behalf of the disabled in our 
community.
  As my colleagues know, The Arc is a leading advocacy and service 
organization for people with intellectual and developmental 
disabilities, serving more than 7,000 families in Northern Virginia 
alone. I am sad to share that after 5 years of collaboration, Nancy and 
Jill have decided to move on, but they have left The Arc stronger than 
ever.
  Under Nancy and Jill's leadership, the local Arc staff, volunteers 
and community partners have been successful in promoting and protecting 
the rights of people of all abilities to live comfortably in the 
community. One of The Arc's primary missions is to provide full 
inclusion for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals 
in all aspects of the community.
  Through their combined efforts, The Arc has been expanded its 
advocacy efforts to become one of the strongest grassroots 
organizations in the Commonwealth. They spearheaded the formation of 
the Virginia Ability Alliance, creating a more unified voice for people 
with disabilities. Thanks to the compelling public awareness campaign, 
``A Life Like Yours . . . Take a Walk in Our Shoes,'' Nancy and Jill 
helped hammer home the message that community support is essential for 
The Arc to succeed. With the resulting increase in community and 
financial support, The Arc has been able to help more people with 
disabilities live comfortably within our community.
  Their voice also is being heard by state and national policy makers. 
The Arc of Northern Virginia helped lead a statewide campaign to 
eradicate use of the degrading ``R'' word in Virginia's State Code. 
They worked with community partners to launch a successful Get Out the 
Vote campaign that buoyed the participation rate of disabled voters in 
the 2008 Presidential election, and they recently have used their 
influence in the international arena to educate representatives from 
Russia, China, and Korea on the necessity of improving the rights of 
the disabled globally.
  It has been my pleasure to work with both Nancy and Jill, and I have 
a personal relationship with each of them. As Chairman of the Fairfax 
Board of Supervisors, I always looked forward to Jill's expert 
testimony. She successfully raised the level of public discourse on the 
struggles of the developmentally disabled in Northern Virginia. Nancy's 
desire to better the lives of those affected by intellectual disability 
also has been inspiring. She will continue her mission this August as 
the President and CEO of the PHILLIPS program, an organization 
dedicated to furthering the lives of the developmentally disabled 
throughout the National Capital Region.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
invaluable work of Nancy Mercer and Jill Egle to improve the lives of 
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and wishing 
them continued success in their future pursuits. While their presence 
will be missed at The Arc, we are glad to know their influence will 
continue to be felt in our community.

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