[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL EXCHANGE CLUB BIRTHDAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Weber) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Today, I have the distinct honor of wishing a 
belated ``happy birthday'' to an organization that I am a proud member 
of back home in Texas 14.
  I want to take a moment to say thank you to the Exchange Club of 
Pearland of which I have been a member for a number of years. They've 
done a lot of good work in the community, and I look forward to the 
expansion of their club and the work they will continue to do to better 
that community.
  I would also like to welcome the newest chapter in Friendswood, 
Texas, where I currently reside. I look forward to working with them in 
promoting American exceptionalism and in helping to serve our 
community.
  For those of you who might not know, the National Exchange Club is a 
service organization with over 700 clubs and 21,000 members throughout 
the United States and Puerto Rico. On March 27, 2013, they celebrated 
their 102nd birthday. From a handful of members in Detroit, Michigan, 
at the turn of the 20th century, Exchange has developed into an 
outstanding national service organization comprised of tens of 
thousands of men and women who serve their local communities and 
advance their motto of ``Unity for Service.''
  Exchange-sponsored activities are designed to benefit, award, and 
develop our Nation's youth, promote crime prevention, serve senior 
citizens, and recognize military and public safety service providers. 
Exchange also promotes Americanism, and its national project is the 
Prevention of Child Abuse program. In addition to these programs, the 
National Exchange Club has been at the forefront of significant 
developments throughout American history, including the early days of 
aviation progress. The spirit of patriotism, along with a desire to 
heighten the awareness of our rich religious heritage, placed Exchange 
in a position of leadership with other organizations that led to the 
addition of the words ``under God'' to the Pledge of Allegiance in 
1954.
  As Reagan said, ``If we ever forget we are `one Nation under God,' we 
will be a Nation gone under.''
  The Exchange Club is America's service club, an organization that 
promotes American exceptionalism. I am a believer in our country's 
exceptionalism, and I will never apologize for it.
  Think about this for a second, folks. Whether it's a hurricane, 
whether it's a tsunami, whether it's an earthquake, whatever it is, 
when the world has a catastrophe and dials 911, who is it that answers? 
It's America, isn't it? It's the red, white, and blue. It's the land of 
the free, the home of the brave.
  For a safe world, we need a strong America. For a strong America, we 
need a safe America. The Exchange Club works ever so hard to keep 
America strong and safe.
  So, to them, I wish a very happy birthday, especially to the Pearland 
club and the Friendswood club. I say thank you for all of your hard 
work.
  I am Randy Weber, and that's the way I see it from where I sit here 
in America.

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