[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 26 (Monday, February 25, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S812-S813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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               RECOGNIZING ALASKA'S OUTSTANDING STUDENTS

 Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate and 
honor two young Alaska students who have achieved national recognition 
for exemplary volunteer service in their communities. Shaylee Rizzo of 
Kenai and Samuel Allred of Wasilla have just been named State Honorees 
in the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Program, an annual 
honor conferred on only one high school student and one middle-level 
student in each State and the District of Columbia.
  Ms. Rizzo earned recognition for starting a public service campaign 
called ``Missy the Moose Program'' to raise youth awareness of the 
dangers of cars hitting moose on Alaska's highways--a common occurrence 
in her area during the hazardous winter months. Her idea was inspired 
by a photograph of a local motel owner posing with an orphaned moose he 
had saved after its mother was killed by a car. To launch her program, 
Shaylee wrote and illustrated a children's book that told the story of 
a collision from a moose calf's perspective. Wearing a moose costume, 
she then visited elementary school classrooms as Missy the Moose, 
sharing her book with the kids and offering ideas on how to encourage 
their parents to watch out for Missy and her friends. With her father's 
help, she wrote a theme song, recorded radio announcements urging 
children to get their parents to slow down, and solicited local 
businesses to buy more air time for her announcements. Currently, she 
is trying to gain State of Alaska's approval to post Missy the Moose 
signs in high moose-traffic areas to remind motorists to drive with 
care.
  Mr. Allred earned recognition for making travel-size pillows and 
distributing them to children's hospitals across the country to provide 
comfort to sick kids. As a toddler, he was diagnosed with a rare kidney 
disease that resulted in hospitalizations and the need to take 
medications that altered his appearance. In 2008, a video of Samuel 
singing went viral on YouTube and garnered millions of views--along 
with comments that were mostly good--but judged his appearance. He 
decided to start a nonprofit organization with the

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goal of changing lives through compassion. In 2009, Samuel, along with 
friends and family members, made 300 pillows out of bright, cheerful 
fabric and donated them to a local children's hospital. But Samuel knew 
he could do even more if he got the community involved, so he began 
visiting local schools to talk about kindness and compassion. It wasn't 
long before others were helping to craft pillows for Samuel's ``Project 
Comfort.'' Elementary school students stuffed pillows, senior citizens 
stitched them closed, and middle-school students made more than 1,700 
pillows. Today, many groups in Alaska are creating pillows. Samuel 
sends the pillows to children's hospitals throughout the United States.
  Given the challenges we face today, it is important that we encourage 
and support the kind of selfless contributions that these young 
Alaskans have made. Youth volunteers like Ms. Rizzo and Mr. Allred are 
inspiring examples to all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for 
a better tomorrow.
  I thank Ms. Rizzo and Mr. Allred for their initiative in seeking to 
make their communities better places to live, and for the positive 
impact they have had on the lives of others. I also would like to 
salute Allison Ostrander and Reese Qualls, young people in my State who 
were named distinguished finalists by The Prudential Spirit of 
Community Awards for their outstanding volunteer service.
  All of these young people demonstrate a level of commitment and 
accomplishment that is rarely seen today, and they deserve our sincere 
admiration and respect. Their actions show that young Americans can, 
and do, play important roles in their communities, and that America's 
community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.
  Thank you for allowing me to take a moment to recognize these great 
young volunteers in Alaska.

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