[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING NATASSJA KUZNET-
                   SOVA OF BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LEONARD LANCE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2017

  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a 
student from my district who has achieved national recognition for 
exemplary volunteer service in her community.
  Nastassja Kuznetsova, of Basking Ridge, has just been named one of 
the top honorees in New Jersey by the 2017 Prudential Spirit of 
Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most 
impressive student volunteers in each state.
  Ms. Kuznetsova is being recognized for organizing a 5k run that has 
raised more than $12,000 for lung cancer research since 2014. Nastassja 
started the Legwork for Lungs 5k run to help support a family friend 
who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. In addition to her 
philanthropy initiative, Nastassja also started the Legwork for Lungs 
club at her high school, created an exhibit at the Liberty Science 
Center and launched a social media campaign to raise awareness of the 
disease.
  It's vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless 
contribution this young citizen has made. People of all ages need to 
think more about how we, as individual citizens, can work together at 
the local level to ensure the health and vitality of our towns and 
neighborhoods. Young volunteers like Nastassja are inspiring examples 
to all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention, The 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, was created by Prudential 
Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that 
their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other young people to follow their example. Over the past 22 
years, the program has become the nation's largest youth recognition 
effort based solely on community service, and has honored more than 
115,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
  Ms. Kuznetsova should be extremely proud to have been singled out 
from the thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this 
year's program. I heartily applaud Ms. Kuznetsova for her initiative in 
joining the fight against cancer. She has demonstrated a level of 
commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's 
world, and deserves our sincere admiration and respect. Her actions 
show that young Americans can and do play important roles in our 
communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold 
tremendous promise for the future.

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