[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 99 (Thursday, June 28, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF UNITED WAY'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2012

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to extend a 
heartfelt congratulations to the volunteers, employees and 
representatives of United Way as they celebrate 125 years of motivating 
millions of people to advance the common good.
  On June 21, 2012, the worldwide network celebrated their United Way 
Day of Action, a day dedicated to volunteer and community service 
activities and encouraging others to pledge to become readers, tutors, 
or mentors. Also, on June 28, 2012, they will be celebrating the 
official United Way Founders Day, commemorating community leaders 
Frances Wisebart Jacobs, the Rev. Myron W. Reed, Msgr. William J. 
O'Ryan, Dean H. Martyn Hart and Rabbi William S. Friedman for founding 
the Charity Organizations Society, the first ``United Way'' 
Organization in Denver, Colorado in 1887.
  In 125 years, United Way has expanded beyond Denver and Colorado and 
beyond the United States to become a network of almost 1,800 community-
based United Ways in 45 countries and territories around the world. In 
as many years, United Way has become one of the biggest and most 
influential charity organizations in the world. To emphasize this 
point, United Way, in a partnership with the National Football League 
(NFL), raised more than $1 billion dollars in 1974--the first time in 
history that an annual campaign of a single organization had raised 
this much money.
  United Way envisions ``a world where all individuals and families 
achieve their human potential through education, income stability and 
healthy lives.'' For this reason, in 2008, they set forth a 10-year 
program to achieve three goals by 2018: (1) Improve education and cut 
the number of high school dropouts (1.2 million students every year) in 
half; (2) help people achieve financial stability and get at least half 
of lower-income families (1.9 million families) on the way to economic 
independence; (3) promote healthy lives and increase by one-third the 
number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors. 
These are ambitious goals but I am confident that the thousands of 
United Way advocates will work tirelessly to achieve them.
  I would like to especially recognize the local United Way 
organizations in Georgia's Second Congressional District: Greater 
Valdosta United Way, Inc., United Way of South Central Georgia, United 
Way of Southwest Georgia, Bainbridge--Decatur United Way, United Way of 
Colquitt County, and United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley. I applaud 
the members and volunteers of these organizations for dedicating their 
time and efforts to support their neighbors in need.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing I ask that my colleagues join me in 
expressing our collective and profound gratitude to the volunteers, 
employees and representatives of United Way for all they have done to 
improve the quality of life for the residents of Georgia's Second 
Congressional District and all around the world.

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