[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 67 (Friday, April 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING WORCESTER COMMUNITY LEADER MARGARET ``PEGGY'' MIDDAUGH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 29, 2016

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 
accomplishments of a remarkable community leader and environmental 
advocate from my district, Margaret ``Peggy'' Middaugh.
  Peggy Middaugh's service in Worcester began when she joined the 
Regional Environmental Council as Executive Director in 1997. Serving 
in that role for 11 years, Peggy helped to transform REC from a small, 
volunteer-led organization into one of the region's leading 
environmental groups.
  One of Peggy's signature accomplishments with the REC was creating 
the Youth Environmental Service Corps. that connected urban youth with 
nature by providing opportunities for them to hike and maintain 
Worcester's trails. This program eventually merged with urban gardens 
to create YouthGROW, an urban agriculture-focused youth development and 
employment program for low-income teens. YouthGROW currently employs 
low-income high school teens year-round, giving them the opportunity to 
gain leadership and jobs skills as they maintain two urban organic 
farms. Hundreds of youth have graduated from YouthGROW since its 
inception in 2002.
  Under her leadership, the REC built on its foundation of good work 
and expanded its focus into areas of environmental justice, urban 
agriculture, toxic use reduction, community gardens and youth 
development and leadership.
  Peggy also built partnerships with state and local officials to 
implement a Toxic Use Reduction program that focused on educating 
residents in low income neighborhoods about how to reduce their 
exposure to household toxics, especially household cleaners and lead. 
The REC also developed Worcester's first Climate Action Plan under 
Peggy's leadership.
  Peggy has served in a wide range of roles over the years, and the 
truth is, no matter where she is, Peggy is making a difference. She 
helped form the Friends of the Five Mile River, established recycling 
centers in Stow and North Brookfield, and as the outreach coordinator 
for the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition and a Conservation 
Commissioner for the Town of North Brookfield; she worked hard to help 
pass the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act of 1996.
  Peggy has also worked diligently to bring together leaders from 
different parts of the community to address issues of hunger and food 
justice. She played a leading role in establishing ``UGROW''--a 
grassroots, citywide community garden network. Today, Worcester has 
sixty two community gardens, eighteen of which are at city schools, as 
well as half a dozen urban orchards.
  In response to the infestation of the invasive Asian Longhorn Beetle 
in Central Massachusetts, which led to the destruction of large 
portions of our urban forest, Peggy founded the Worcester Tree 
Initiative and acted as its Executive Director until her recent 
retirement. Under her leadership, the Worcester Tree Initiative brought 
together government, community and business leaders to develop and 
implement a plan that resulted in the planting of more than 30,000 
trees in Worcester and the surrounding communities.
  In addition to her work with the Regional Environmental Council and 
the Worcester Tree Initiative, Peggy has also been active in many 
community organizations and efforts through her roles as a founding 
member of the Blackstone Headwaters Coalition; on the Board of 
Directors of the Family Health Center of Worcester and the Main South 
Community Development Corporation; as a leader with the Castle Park 
Task Force; and as a volunteer for the homeless with the Interfaith 
Hospitality Network.
  Peggy has made everything that she has touched better. She is a 
shining example of what a truly dedicated public servant can achieve. 
And although Peggy is moving on to new challenges, just like the urban 
orchards she helped to establish, her contributions to my district will 
continue to grow and bear fruit for years to come.

                          ____________________