[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4715-S4716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO THOMAS VANDEN BERK

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to thank 
Thomas Vanden Berk for his extraordinary service to the city of 
Chicago. Tom has spent 40 years devoted to one cause: improving the 
lives of Chicago's most vulnerable by working with children and 
families who have been abused, neglected, and traumatized. Earlier this 
year, Tom announced he would be retiring as chief executive officer of 
the Uhlich Children's Advantage network, UCAN.
  In 1987, when Tom joined UCAN, it was a small shelter housing 50 boys 
and girls, operating under a $1.7 million budget and on the verge of 
closing. Under Tom's direction, UCAN grew into a multifaceted and 
financially sound shelter focusing on child welfare programs, violence 
prevention, and strategies for combating gun violence. Today UCAN is a 
leading child welfare organization in Chicago with a new $41 million 
campus providing a full continuum of over 30 programs, servicing more 
than 10,000 people every year.
  Tom's been the recipient of numerous awards, including the ``Friend 
of Child'' award from the Illinois Council on Training; Peace Leader 
Award from the Illinois Council for the Prevention of Violence; and the 
Council for Health

[[Page S4716]]

and Human Service Ministries Executive of the Year award.
  Through Tom's creative leadership and hard work, UCAN has become a 
vital sanctuary for young people, providing security and healing for 
those who have suffered trauma. Over the last 29 years, Tom has built 
UCAN on one simple, but powerful premise: ``Kids raised in violence are 
traumatized and trauma can be healed.'' Tom knows trauma better than 
most. As a young boy, his father, a part-time janitor at their church, 
was killed when a boiler he was repairing exploded. And on April 25, 
1992, when kids barged into a party and started shooting, Tom lost his 
15-year-old son. After the shooting, one thing became clear: ``these 
were kids with absurdly easy access to guns.'' So Tom asked himself, 
``What am I going to do with this anger?'' What he has done is become a 
leading voice and advocate in the campaign to reduce gun violence. Tom 
understands that it is not just a criminal justice issue; it is a 
public health crisis.
  After his son's death, Tom realized that many of the troubled, 
neglected, and abused children that he spent his career working with 
had been traumatized by gun violence in their homes and community. His 
work through UCAN began to reflect that reality. He founded HELP for 
Survivors, a support group for parents who have lost loved ones to gun 
violence. Tom also became a founding member of the Bell Campaign, known 
today as the Million Mom March, which formed an alliance with the Brady 
Campaign in 2001. In 2002, Tom was named the Join Together Hero, which 
recognizes true leaders of the gun violence prevention movement. And in 
2007, he received the Citizens Advocacy Award from the Illinois Council 
against Handgun Violence.
  When asked to reflect on his career, Tom remains focused on the 
problems facing the community: not enough beds for impoverished kids 
who endure violence, a ridiculously high number of shootings, effective 
gun laws blocked by the National Rifle Association, and on and on. He 
says, ``I can't sit here and say, `Oh, my God, I've done wonderful 
things and its better.' '' We have a long way to go and progress is 
hard, but no one can deny the difference Tom has made.
  Just listen to those that know Tom and UCAN best--young people like 
Tatiara, who came to UCAN in 2012 through the Family Works program. 
Here is what she said: ``UCAN takes you under their wing. You are not 
just another number but you are your own person. They really care about 
you. It's like you're part of a family.'' Or take Alexis, a 23-year-old 
mother, whose daughter Aliyah was born premature with multiple 
complications including Down's syndrome, a tethered spinal cord, and a 
heart defect. Here is what she said: ``I would recommend UCAN because 
if you need something or need to get somewhere they will find the 
answer. I would be lost without them.'' Alexis and Aliyah are 1 of more 
than 100 families that UCAN's High-Risk Infant Program provides 
preventive and supportive services to every year. These are just a 
couple of the countless success stories.
  I have visited UCAN and met the children it serves. Their stories are 
inspiring. And I am thankful that UCAN is making a difference in the 
lives of so many young people in Illinois. So on behalf of all those 
UCAN has served during Tom Vanden Berk's tenure, I want to tell him he 
has done wonderful things, and because of his passion and dedication, 
people's lives have gotten better.
  Fortunately for Chicago, Tom isn't going far. Later this summer, he 
will transition to CEO emeritus and will continue to fundraise and 
advocate for UCAN and the children and families it serves. I want to 
congratulate Thomas Vanden Berk on his distinguished career and thank 
him for all he has done--and all he will continue to do. Illinois and 
the country are grateful for his service.

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