[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 138 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING FELICIA GASTON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2015

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Felicia Gaston, 
who, since founding Performing Stars of Marin 25 years ago, has 
endeavored to give low-income and at-risk children in the North Bay 
access to the arts. For two and a half decades, Ms. Gaston has worked 
tirelessly to help more than 1,300 young people in Marin City and San 
Rafael ``reach for the stars'' through performance, giving them an 
outlet for creativity and pushing them to develop discipline, self-
reliance, and self-esteem in their early years and beyond.
   Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Gaston moved to California with her 
family as a teenager, later relocating to the Bay Area in college. She 
founded Performing Stars in 1990 to give local children access to 
opportunities she never had. As a black child in the South, Ms. Gaston 
encountered segregation and discrimination, which prevented her from 
taking classes at her local ballet school. By providing opportunities 
for young people to dance, perform, and express themselves through art 
regardless of skin color or socioeconomic background, her leadership 
and tenacity has helped other children avoid the struggle she faced.
   Performing Stars has impacted hundreds of students and thousands of 
family members, classmates, and friends. Participants receive access to 
scholarships for arts programs, opportunities for performance, group 
trips to local arts events, and life skills workshops. More than that, 
they become part of the outstanding Performing Stars community that Ms. 
Gaston has created.
   Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that we honor and thank Felicia Gaston 
for her many years of dedicated service in improving young lives in our 
community. On behalf of the many individuals whose lives she's changed, 
I am privileged to express deep gratitude to Ms. Felicia Gaston for her 
continuing leadership, thoughtfulness, and passion.

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