[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING HENRY SHELTON

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and honor the life 
and significant accomplishments of Henry Shelton, a tireless advocate 
for Rhode Island's poorest citizens, who passed away on September 21, 
2016. Our world is a better place because Henry was in it, and he will 
be sorely missed.
  Born and raised in Central Falls, RI, Henry served as a priest in 
Providence, where he began his lifelong fight for those in need. After 
leaving the priesthood, he led the Coalition for Consumer Justice and 
founded the Pawtucket-based George Wiley Center, where he served as 
director for over 30 years. Henry empowered low-income Rhode Islanders 
to push for social change and policies to alleviate poverty and provide 
access to basic needs. He truly put the word ``active'' into activism. 
From protesting in the street to arguing in the courtroom, Henry made a 
difference in the causes he championed, including securing bus passes 
for the elderly, working to provide free school breakfast and summer 
meals for low-income children, and promoting access to unemployment 
services, to name a few.
  Henry Shelton's legacy is perhaps most felt in his work to lower 
utility costs and to help low-income families with their energy bills 
so that their heat or electricity was not turned off. New England 
winters can be particularly brutal. Henry understood that paying 
utility bills is a real struggle for those who are trying to make ends 
meet. His mission was to make sure that no one was left out in the 
cold. He was a vocal supporter of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance 
Program, LIHEAP, which I too have long championed, to provide vital 
assistance to help low-income households, seniors, and veterans pay 
their energy bills. Accessing this assistance is not automatic and each 
year individuals have to prove their eligibility. That takes a lot of 
work by dedicated individuals on the ground who help people enroll and 
get the assistance they need. Henry was unrelenting in working for each 
and every person who needed help.
  Henry played this essential role by bringing LIHEAP funds and 
protections across the finish line. He worked to make sure families 
understood their rights, could navigate the utility assistance process, 
and were able to access payment forgiveness plans when needed. Indeed, 
Henry was such an effective advocate that when Rhode Island State 
lawmakers passed a bill allowing for a utility payment-forgiveness 
program for low-income, disabled, and elderly Rhode Islanders, they 
named it the Henry Shelton Act.
  Henry received a number of awards for his work, including the 
Providence Newspaper Guild's John F. Kiffney community service award, 
which is given to a Rhode Islander ``whose caring, courage and humor 
light the way for those who follow,'' and he was inducted into the 
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2015. Despite his many 
accomplishments, Henry was exceptionally humble, never seeking praise 
or recognition for his work to help others.
  I ask that my colleagues join me in remembering Henry Shelton, who 
was kind, caring, courageous, and passionate about helping and 
empowering those who were less fortunate. I offer my heartfelt 
condolences to Mr. Shelton's wife, Carol; his sisters Rosemarie and 
Catherine; his five children, Joseph, James, Patrick, Eamon, and 
Caitlin; and grandchildren, Benjamin, Mathew, Henry, Emmett, Frederic, 
and Felicity. I know that Henry's constant example of good will and 
selflessness will continue to sustain and inspire his family and all of 
us.

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