[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 26 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE SALT LAKE COUNCIL OF WOMEN

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the Salt 
Lake Council of Women on the upcoming 100th anniversary of its 
founding.
  In the ranks of those who greatly admire this wonderful organization 
and its exemplary members, I stand front and center today to salute 
them for their accomplishments and outstanding public service. As I do 
so, I am humbled by the magnitude of the task. It is difficult to find 
the right words that will do justice to their extraordinary 
contributions to Utah.
  A century after its founding, this remarkable group has more than 
lived up to its motto: ``Community Service for Civic Improvement.'' 
Evidence of its good works is found throughout the Wasatch Front, 
including the International Peace Gardens the group was instrumental in 
making a reality in 1947 and has helped preside over ever since.
  That alone is sufficient to ensure that the Salt Lake Council of 
Women's legacy will long endure in the heads and hearts of its legions 
of admirers. But this service organization's legacy neither begins nor 
ends there.
  Its service began on February 26, 1912, when it organized with the 
aim of bettering the ``social, civic and moral'' environment of the 
Salt Lake City area, and that service has continued unabated and on an 
ever-increasing scale ever since.
  Over the years, members of the Council have been a tireless advocate 
for Utah's youth, supporting child labor laws, visiting nurse and 
teacher programs for children who are ill, respect for the American 
flag, and the installation of the first drinking fountains in public 
schools.
  They have further assisted with the Boy and Girl Scouts programs and 
helped found a home for troubled girls, which has evolved into what is 
now known as the Utah Youth Village. The organization has also helped 
the Utah State Development Center, Alcoholics Anonymous, Ronald 
McDonald House, and numerous hospitals, nursing homes, and homeless 
shelters and animal shelters, just to name a few.
  And Utahns have not been the only beneficiaries. During World War I, 
the group provided relief to the embattled and starving Finnish people. 
When World War II erupted, the council gave generously to the USO, 
American Red Cross, and War Bond Drives. The council also has been a 
strong advocate for the arts, supporting the Utah Symphony, Ballet West 
and the Days of '47, Utah's annual July celebration to commemorate the 
1847 arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley.
  Today, as the Salt Lake Council of Women's centennial anniversary 
nears, its 200 members--representing 40 organizations and 5,000 women--
are as engaging and anxiously engaged in the community as ever. Along 
with their continued commitment to the International Peace Gardens and 
Utah Youth Village, council members are involved with the YWCA, 
University Hospital Project, Wasatch Youth Center, and with an ever-
widening variety of special projects. This month, for instance, the 
council will award a college scholarship to a victim of domestic 
violence, who will be chosen from mothers in the YWCA's long-term 
transitional housing program.
  No matter what they do or who they serve, members of the Salt Lake 
Council of Women are the embodiment of what Mahatma Gandhi called ``the 
spirit of service and sacrifice.'' As the council gathers February 25th 
to celebrate its 100th anniversary, I add my voice to the chorus of 
praise in saluting its visionary and selfless members, both past and 
present, who have done so much for so many to make Utah the great place 
it is today.

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