[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACHIEVABLE DREAM TENNIS BALL

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                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2012

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate An 
Achievable Dream and the Rotary Club of the Virginia Peninsula, a 
longtime sponsor of the event, on the occasion of the 20th Annual 
Achievable Dream Tennis Ball. An Achievable Dream, with the generous 
help of the Rotary Club of the Virginia Peninsula and other sponsors, 
offers an extraordinary education program in my home district which 
provides tremendous promise to young at-risk students.
  The motto of An Achievable Dream is ``Teaching Kids Winning Ways.'' 
The Achievable Dream program is structured to give young people the 
skills needed to succeed in life. Those skills are taught at An 
Achievable Dream on the tennis court, in the classroom, on field trips, 
and in sharing experiences with successful and caring adults in the 
community.
  Often, young people don't think too much about the future, and don't 
realize that choices made today may limit those in the future. The 
staff, supporters and sponsors at An Achievable Dream have worked to 
ensure that their students have every opportunity to be successful in 
the future, setting and achieving a goal of graduating 100% of students 
on time in the past, and hope to send all graduating seniors off to 
college.
  As a public-private partnership with Newport News Public Schools, the 
City of Newport News, the Newport News Sheriff's Department, the U.S. 
Army, the Rotary Club, Riverside Health System, and the College of 
William and Mary, An Achievable Dream has received national recognition 
as one of the most effective urban school programs in the country and 
has provided a model for integrating support from the business 
community to support quality educational opportunities for at-risk 
students. The Achievable Dream Tennis Ball seeks to highlight the 
community's dedication to these students and to An Achievable Dream.
  I am pleased that I have been involved with An Achievable Dream as a 
supporter since its beginnings. As An Achievable Dream and our 
community gathers to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the An 
Achievable Dream Tennis Ball, the community can look forward to the 
continued success of An Achievable Dream and the programs that have 
been put in place at these schools. I would like to congratulate the 
staff, supporters and sponsors at An Achievable Dream on this 
monumental occasion, and hope to see continued success from An 
Achievable Dream in the future.

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