[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 23, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING OMEGA BOYS CLUB/STREET SOLDIERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 23, 2012

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 25th 
Anniversary of the Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers, an award-winning 
Bay Area non-profit organization providing a safe space for thousands 
of at-risk youth to learn violence-prevention skills, survive hardship 
and thrive in their communities. Under the helm of Executive Director, 
Dr. Joseph E. Marshall, Jr. and cofounder Jack Jacqua, young men and 
women throughout the San Francisco Bay Area have gained conflict 
reduction tools, mentorship opportunities and a new outlook on life--
helping them to achieve stellar education, career and family goals that 
seemed previously out of reach.
  In 1987, two middle school teachers, Joe Marshall and Jack Jacqua, 
began the Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers as a program of the Potrero 
Hill Neighborhood House in response to growing numbers of African 
American young people dropping out of school and becoming dangerously 
involved in illegal activity. At first the Club offered traditional 
activities in recreation and education, but the founders soon adopted 
an innovative public health intervention method to address the systemic 
culture of violence deeply ingrained in every facet of the youths' 
communities. Omega decided to treat violence as a disease that must be 
diagnosed, addressed and eradicated.
  As a result of this early vision, the Omega Leadership Academy has 
provided more than 1300 boys and girls with academic support, life 
skills training, college preparation and assistance securing 
scholarships--all free of charge. With over 175 college graduates and 
40 graduate school graduates (and counting), the program has a proven 
track record of not only changing--but saving lives. Through wrap-
around, targeted life services, Omega has kept countless youth out of 
harm's way and free from incarceration. Moreover, the Omega Training 
Institute teaches individuals who work with youth--like police 
officers, development workers and school faculty--how to employ the 
Omega model's Alive & Free Prescription violence prevention 
methodology. This program, along with its Street Soldiers National 
Consortium, School Adoption Program, outreach-conducting Street 
Soldiers Violence Prevention Program and its acclaimed Nationally 
Syndicated Street Soldiers Radio Show, have impacted more than 15,000 
Bay Area students and countless more across the nation.
  Dr. Marshall and Mr. Jacqua have personally spent their entire 
careers preparing young men and women to achieve their dreams and 
positively contribute to society. These achievements are unparalleled, 
and the renowned success of Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers reflect 
their many decades of compassionate sacrifice, hard work and 
groundbreaking ingenuity. I also want to thank and congratulate Omega's 
many students and alumni for their amazing commitment to pursue these 
hard-earned achievements.
  Omega has proven that communities benefit when youth are given 
opportunities to live, study and participate as informed and valued 
citizens. The Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers is more than a 
destination for youth seeking a new path; it's a gathering place, a 
place to find common cause and friendship, and a place to learn and 
grow. Ultimately, Omega is a place that teaches and empowers all of us 
to recommit to the principles of nonviolence each and every day.
  On behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, I want to 
extend my congratulations on this 25-year milestone in your mission to 
keep young people ``alive and free.'' I thank all of the many people 
who have contributed to the continued success of the Omega Boys Club/
Street Soldiers and wish you the very best in the coming years.

                          ____________________