[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING MARY CZEMERDA FOR RECEIVING THE CLEARVIEW FEDERAL CREDIT 
           UNION'S JOSEPH C. CIRELLI COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

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                           HON. MARK S. CRITZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 18, 2012

  Mr. CRITZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a skilled and selfless 
community leader for receiving an award for outstanding dedication to 
the greater good. Each year, the Clearview Federal Credit Union 
presents the Joseph C. Cirelli Community Service Award to an individual 
who works ardently and effectively to advance the foundational cause of 
a charity. This year's recipient is Mary Czemerda, Program Director for 
Lower Burrell Meals on Wheels. Thanks to Mary's exceptional managerial 
skills and kindhearted spirit, the Meals on Wheels program in Lower 
Burrell has grown from a small, church-based charity into a 501(c)(3) 
not-for-profit organization. I am proud to represent a woman of such 
great character and ability in Congress.
  Clearview's Award includes a $2,500 donation to a charity of the 
recipient's choice. Mary has already given this money to Meals on 
Wheels. It will be used to feed five meal recipients who cannot afford 
the $4 per day charge for an entire year.
  Mary has been with Lower Burrell Meals on Wheels for the last seven 
years. She came to this organization desiring to be a driver, but due 
to her track record as a proven leader at the Alcoa Technical Center, 
she was almost immediately appointed to her current post. As program 
director, she records financial transactions, solicits donations and 
manages driver schedules. Her ability to adeptly juggle these multiple 
responsibilities is a testament to the wide range of her talents.
  Mary began volunteering long before getting involved with Meals on 
Wheels. Over the years, she has done extensive work with scout troops, 
the United Way of Westmoreland County and a number of religious 
education programs. Devotion to others has been the abiding theme of 
Mary's life. In addition to being a model philanthropist, she is a 
loving and dedicated wife, mother of three and grandmother of two.
  Mary has said that the driving force behind her community service is 
her faith in the inherent goodness of the people she works with and 
serves. I share this faith; the kindness and selflessness of those I 
represent hold the communities of western Pennsylvania together. Mary's 
own example serves as clear evidence for this.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mary for receiving such a well-
deserved honor.

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