[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 60 (Thursday, April 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING MARY AND HANS POSTMA FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE 
        DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTS IN GREATER PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2017

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend Mary and Hans Postma, 
the Seventh Annual Hylton Performing Arts Center Awards Gala honorees, 
for their endless contributions to expanding the reach of the arts in 
the Greater Prince William County area.
   In recognition of the arts being the heart of a civilized society, 
net proceeds from the annual gala benefit the Hylton Center's many 
artistic performances, arts education programs, veterans art and 
outreach initiatives, and the Hylton Center's endowment. These programs 
help to ensure the continuation of artistic excellence in performances 
as well as the accessibility by area residents to quality artistic 
programs.
   Mary and Hans Postma have provided instrumental support to the 
Hylton Center even prior to its full conceptualization. As avid art 
enthusiasts, Mr. and Mrs. Postma have worked to ensure accessibility to 
art and artistic programs for all. In the fall of 2013, Mary Postma 
founded Performing Arts for Kids (PAK) to support and foster the arts 
among children of all socioeconomic backgrounds in Greater Prince 
William County by actively pursuing opportunities at the Hylton 
Performing Arts Center. Through their established community 
relationships, Mr. and Mrs. Postma have expanded the PAK membership 
total to 30 and have raised more than $20,000 to encourage the pursuit 
of advanced art education. During the 2013-2014 school year, PAK 
exposed more than 2,000 schoolchildren to live dance highlights from 
The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. In March of 2016, PAK sponsored A 
Place to Be's Same Sky Project, ``Where Music Meets Therapy.'' During 
the performance, children and young adults provided personal 
testimonies of their experiences dealing with bullying and low self-
esteems in light of their diagnosis with autism, Asperger's, down 
syndrome, cerebral palsy, brain damage, and other ailments for an 
audience of 800 middle-school students and adults from Didlake, an 
AbilityOne Program.
   Over the short, storied history of the Hylton Performing Arts 
Center, a series of milestones have been reached but nothing has come 
to fruition without the dedication and support of Mary and Hans Postma. 
In the fall of 2016, Mr. and Mrs. Postma presented the Hylton Center 
with a ``legacy gift'' to name a rehearsal hall in the Education and 
Rehearsal Wing currently under construction. As Leonardo da Vinci once 
said, ``Art is never finished, only abandoned.'' We can take great 
comfort in knowing that with the support of Hans and Mary Postma as 
well as other great benefactors of the Hylton Performing Arts Center, 
art will never be abandoned.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending the 
Seventh Annual Hylton Performing Arts Awards Gala honorees, Mr. and 
Mrs. Postma, for their tireless stewardship of the arts in Greater 
Prince William County.

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