[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO SHELBY GARDNER

 Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I would like to recognize Shelby 
Gardner, of Warren, AK, as this week's Arkansan of the Week, for her 
work with the Arkansas Veterans Hospital posttraumatic stress disorder 
program in Little Rock.
  Shelby is a senior at Warren High School in Bradley County and is 
proof that you are never too young to give back to your community. 
Shelby wanted to find a way to honor the men and women who put their 
lives on the line for our safety: our veterans. Specifically, she 
wanted to help those veterans who suffer from posttraumatic stress.
  After learning about the Arkansas Veterans Hospital posttraumatic 
stress disorder program, Shelby began to talk with anyone who would 
listen about the program--friends and family, her church congregation, 
civic clubs, and other organizations across Warren and Bradley County. 
She told them about her passion for helping veterans, the good work 
this program does, and how much it would benefit from additional 
support.
  Her hard work paid off. With the help of a local auctioneer, Shelby 
organized a community bake sale auction and managed to raise $8,000 for 
the Arkansas Veterans Hospital. But Shelby wasn't finished. She and a 
group of other volunteers spent hours preparing and selling sandwiches 
at the Bradley County fair and raised an additional $2,000, for a grand 
total of $10,000 for veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress.
  A veteran in Shelby's community was struck by her commitment to such 
a noble cause and in his nomination of Shelby wrote: ``Her actions are 
proof that patriotism runs deep in small town America. She is an 
exceptional representative of many young people in our nation deeply 
committed to the men and women who serve protecting and defending our 
nation and our way of life. Shelby is a shining example of the caliber 
of young person this country requires to ensure the survival of our 
nation and our values. She is a focused, goal oriented young woman who 
is a credit to her family, her church, her community, her state and 
nation.''
  I am equally as inspired by Shelby's hard work and her commitment to 
our veterans. Patriotism does indeed run deep in a State like Arkansas. 
Now, because of her efforts, the Veterans Hospital in Little Rock can 
better serve Arkansans who suffer from PTSD.
  It is an honor to recognize Shelby Gardner as Arkansan of the Week, 
and I am thankful for people like Shelby who, using the resources 
around them, work to make others' lives better.

                          ____________________