[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING GENTLE'MEN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE SHELTER FOR 
                  ABUSED WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN NAPLES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2016

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize three Naples 
men who have traveled 1,256 miles by bicycle from Naples, FL to 
Washington, DC to raise awareness for Gentle'men Against Domestic 
Violence (GADV), an initiative of The Shelter for Abused Women and 
Children in Naples, FL. GADV calls on men to stand as equal partners 
with women to end domestic violence.
   GADV seeks to prevent the generational cycle of abuse through 
prevention programs such as Raising Gentle'men, a school-based 
curriculum, which teaches boys and young men that strength does not 
equal violence and true gentle'men exhibit the traits of respect, 
loyalty, honesty and accountability. GADV dispels myths of masculinity 
as based on aggression, and is working toward a cultural shift that 
will eliminate domestic violence.
   GADV is associated with The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in 
Naples, which does excellent work as well. The shelter not only 
operates as a haven for survivors of domestic violence, but performs 
outreach and operates prevention programs in the community. The work 
that the shelter does has touched countless lives, strengthened the 
community, and drawn praise from various sectors of the South Florida 
community, including schools, police officers, and those involved with 
the judicial system.
   According to the National Council Against Domestic Violence, one in 
four women have been victims of some form of physical violence by an 
intimate partner in their lifetime. Numbers like that are far too high. 
We have a responsibility to continue to create policy that prevents, 
protects and prevails over domestic violence.
   Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Colin Estrem, Gordon Kellam 
and Glen Schwesinger for their mission to raise awareness for the 
Gentle'men Against Domestic Violence program and The Shelter for Abused 
Women and Children in Naples, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
paying tribute to this worthy cause.

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