[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING TRI COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Tri County 
Community Action (TCCA) upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. The 
organization's decades of committed service have brought awareness to 
the issue of poverty and helped lessen its impact in Pennsylvania. 
Helping families to identify and achieve economic self-sufficiency has 
enabled TCCA to increase the standards of living for my constituents in 
Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties.
   Founded in 1966 as a private, nonprofit, anti-poverty planning 
agency, TCCA has transformed into a dynamic organization with the 
mission of ``creating and maximizing the resources necessary for 
individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency throughout a 
multi-county region.'' Over the course of the last 50 years, TCCA has 
evolved into a network of programs offering specialized assistance to 
at-risk youth, low income families, and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. 
Some of their services include providing credit counseling for families 
that are struggling financially, arranging self-sufficiency guidance, 
engaging with youth mentor programs, and leading neighborhood 
revitalization efforts. The organization strives to help those stricken 
by poverty and financial instability on an individual and family basis, 
with personalized action plans for socioeconomic advancement.
   The lives of many in my district have been greatly improved by the 
work of TCCA since its inception 50 years ago. In 2014 alone, TCCA 
served 12,997 families representing 38,629 individuals across three 
counties. They have brought to light the root causes of poverty that 
otherwise may not have been exposed, and subsequently worked to empower 
members of our community to create better lives for themselves. Through 
strategic identification, TCCA works to empower existing community 
programs that can act as vessels for combating poverty and its 
consequences.
   Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent a district that is home to such 
an impactful, successful, and benevolent organization. I commend Tri 
County Community Action for its accomplishments in improving the lives 
of my constituents, family by family, and I wish them all of the best 
in their continued efforts. No one chooses to live in poverty, and the 
pathway out can be painfully difficult, but the good work of 
organizations like theirs help families grow and see possibility, where 
before there was only despair.

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