[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 23, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING DR. JUAN LORENZO HINOJOSA AND SOLIDARITY BRIDGE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 23, 2016

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank and congratulate 
Juan Lorenzo Hinojosa, PhD, for his founding of Solidarity Bridge, the 
Evanston-based non-profit, now in its 16th year. Through this 
organization, Dr. Hinojosa has dedicated himself to transforming lives 
by promoting solidarity and justice, harnessing the good will of 
generous people in the United States and in Bolivia to heal and empower 
in a spirit of mutuality and profound respect. I am proud that many who 
participate in the Solidarity Bridge mission as physicians, nurses, 
interpreters, chaplains, and helpers are residents of the 9th 
Congressional District of Illinois.
  In 1999, Dr. Hinojosa launched the first Solidarity Bridge medical 
mission trip to Bolivia. Over the next 16 years, guided by his 
extraordinary vision and leadership, Solidarity Bridge grew far beyond 
its initial purpose of bringing medical volunteers on short-term 
mission trips. In close collaboration with medical communities in the 
U.S. and in South America, and with its sister organization, Puente de 
Solidaridad, Solidarity Bridge developed four year-round programs in 
Bolivia to provide high-complexity surgery, as well as a Center for the 
Development of Neurosurgery. Through those efforts, lifesaving and 
life-transforming care has been provided for over 60,000 people who 
otherwise would not have had access to the care they desperately need.
  Dr. Hinojosa is Bolivian-American and a naturalized citizen of the 
United States. His memory of the poverty and suffering he witnessed as 
a child never ceased to pull on his heart. Over many years, his longing 
to serve the impoverished people of his native land was strengthened by 
his Catholic faith, with its focus on compassion and justice. Then, in 
1999, Dr. Hinojosa met Dr. Enrique ViaReque, also a Bolivian-American 
living in the Chicago area, and, with his invaluable help, was finally 
able to fulfill his heart's longing by founding Solidarity Bridge.
  Dr. Hinojosa and Dr. ViaReque are outstanding examples of the 
important contributions immigrants make to the social fabric of the 
United States of America. One of the greatest qualities of our citizens 
is the responsibility we feel to share our material abundance with 
those who have less. Dr. Hinojosa nurtured that sense of responsibility 
in others and created a highly effective means by which the abundant 
good will and generosity of volunteers, donors, hospitals, and medical 
supply companies are channeled to serve those who live in poverty. 
Through Solidarity Bridge, he has promoted and strengthened bonds of 
solidarity among thousands of people of good will in the United States 
and in Bolivia.
  Dr. Hinojosa has created a bridge of solidarity between diverse 
individuals and communities, a bridge that enriches and heals every 
person who walks on it, whatever their role may be. I invite my 
colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Juan Lorenzo Hinojosa and 
congratulating him on the fruitful work he has accomplished.

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