[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 138 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PYXERA GLOBAL'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2015

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in congratulating PYXERA Global, 
headquartered in Washington, D.C., on its 25th anniversary, and for its 
work to improve lives and build capacity of individuals and 
institutions around the world.
  On January 1, 1990, President George H.W. Bush announced the 
formation of the Citizens Democracy Corps (CDC), created by executive 
order after the fall of the Berlin Wall. A New Vision for Global 
Engagement was launched. Americans wanted to help in Eastern Europe and 
the former Soviet Union to strengthen the foundations of free society. 
CDC sent American business professionals who volunteered their 
expertise to support the transition to a market economy and promote 
international understanding. The Corporate Assistance Program 
established an innovative approach wherein United States corporations 
provided free technical and business assistance to enterprises and 
institutions. These programs had a lasting and positive impact in 
Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. In 1991, 
the Citizens Volunteer Program was launched. This program sent advisors 
to work with local municipal governments, nonprofits, and institutions 
of higher education. In 1995, CDC launched its first Local Content 
Development program in Russia, in which small and medium enterprises 
gained the capabilities to supply the rapidly expanding oil and gas 
industry, creating new jobs and mutually profitable, sustainable 
enterprises. The Enterprise and Economic Development Program was 
created, operating out of key cities to support local business 
development.
  In 2000, the MBA Enterprise Corps joined the organization, and in 
2002 the name changed to Citizens Development Corps, and later, CDC 
Development Solutions (CDS) with the inclusion of MBAs Without Borders. 
A landmark pro bono program for corporate employees was pioneered by 
IBM with CDS in 2008 with teams in Romania, Ghana, and Tanzania. The 
IBM Corporate Service Corps became a new model of global leadership 
development and corporate social responsibility. Following the 
publication of the Harvard Case Study, IBM: The Corporate Service 
Corps, CDS hosted the First International Corporate Volunteerism 
Conference, and IBM, USAID, and CDC Development Solutions formed the 
Center for Excellence in International Corporate Volunteerism. Today, 
more than 30 major companies send employees into underserved 
communities to build capability and capacity through skills-based 
volunteerism.
  In 2012, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) became part of 
CDS, and with their expanded mission, the organization adopted a new 
name in 2013, PYXERA Global.
  Today, PYXERA Global takes pride in the solutions that have inspired, 
enriched, and endured for a quarter century in more than 90 countries. 
They continue to facilitate groundbreaking partnerships between the 
public, private, and social sectors in dozens of countries, reinventing 
international development through purposeful global engagement to 
address the world's most pressing challenges.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
celebrating the 25th anniversary of PYXERA Global and its work 
enriching lives and livelihoods inclusively and sustainably.

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