[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 170 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENT OF CHAD PREGRACKE

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                           HON. CHERI BUSTOS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2013

  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chad Pregracke 
of East Moline, Illinois, who was recently named CNN's ``Hero of the 
Year.''
   Chad grew up in the Quad-Cities, only 15 feet from the Mississippi 
River. He spent his free time on the river with his family and worked 
as a shell diver and fisherman during summer breaks, where he was 
struck by the amount of waste and debris he saw on the river. In 1998, 
when Chad was 23, he founded Living Lands & Waters to clean up and 
support the nation's waterways. Over the last 15 years, Chad has worked 
with 70,000 volunteers to remove 7 million pounds of debris from rivers 
all over the country. Additionally, Living Lands & Waters organizes 
floating classrooms, bringing high school students to rivers and 
teaching them about the importance of river ecosystems and the damage 
pollution causes. They are also halfway through their goal of planting 
one million trees along Midwestern rivers.
   Chad Pregracke has received many awards for his work, notably the 
Jefferson Award in 2002, which was created to be an American Nobel 
Prize for community and public service. In 2011, Chad was recognized as 
a Service Hero and invited to speak to all four living ex-U.S. 
Presidents at the Points of Light Tribute in Washington, D.C. He was 
chosen CNN's ``Hero of the Year'' this November by a public vote, 
winning a $250,000 award for Living Lands & Waters to continue its 
important work. Chad has also pledged a portion of his prize to the 
other people in CNN's ``Hero of the Year'' top ten to support their 
worthy programs.
   Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Chad Pregracke for his extraordinary 
work in our community and across the country, and I am proud that 
Illinois celebrated Chad Pregracke Day this December 1st.

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