[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E305-E306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              KAYCE WELCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN RATCLIFFE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2015

  Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and honor a 
young student from my district who has achieved national recognition 
for exemplary volunteer service in her community. Kayce Welch of 
Texarkana has just been named one of the top honorees in Texas by the 
2015 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor 
conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state and 
the District of Columbia.
  Ms. Kayce Welch is being recognized for creating the ``One of a 
Kind'' project to help raise funds and awareness of juvenile diabetes, 
the disease she was diagnosed with at age 11, and so far raised $3,000 
through a charity walk to support a summer camp for children with 
diabetes. Ms. Welch is currently planning a ``One of a Kind Gala for 
Diabetes,'' to be held in the spring of 2015, which she hopes will 
raise at least $30,000 to help fund research into a cure.
  Given the challenges we face today, it is vital that we encourage and 
support the kind of selfless contributions that these young citizens 
have made. Youth volunteers like Ms. Welch are inspiring examples to 
all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention--The 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by Prudential 
Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that 
their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other

[[Page E306]]

young people to follow their example. Over the past 20 years, the 
program has become the nation's largest youth recognition effort based 
solely on community service, and has honored more than 100,000 young 
volunteers at the local, state and national level.
  Ms. Welch should be extremely proud to have been singled out from the 
thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this year's 
program. I heartily applaud Ms. Welch for her initiative in seeking to 
make her community a better place to live, and for the positive impact 
she has had on the lives of others. She has demonstrated a level of 
commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's 
world, and deserves our sincere admiration and respect. Her actions 
show that young Americans can--and do--play important roles in our 
communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold 
tremendous promise for the future. Congratulations.

                          ____________________