[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 86 (Thursday, May 18, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING HINKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S ``COINS FOR COPS, CHANGE DRIVE''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK BERGMAN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2017

  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to recognize four, 
extraordinary students at Hinks Elementary School in Alpena, Michigan, 
for organizing the school's first ``Coins for Cops, Change Drive.'' The 
students, Lilly Gembel, Avery Dubey, Cecelia Magdaleno, and Abbey Ruby, 
designed the program to raise money for the Michigan State Fallen 
Trooper Fund, which supports the families of troopers who gave the 
ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
  After hearing stories from her grandfather, retired-Sheriff Deputy 
Ken Gembel, Lilly Gembel recruited Avery, Cecelia, and Abbey to begin 
collecting money for the families of fallen troopers. Setting an 
initial goal of $500, the students and their fellow classmates started 
asking friends and family for donations, and, after one month, the 
girls had doubled their goal by raising $1,000. The students scheduled 
their fundraising efforts to coincide with the Michigan State Police's 
100th Anniversary in April. The ``Coins for Cops, Change Drive'' 
culminated at Hinks Elementary where the students presented a check to 
Michigan State Police Alpena Post Commander Lt. John Grimshaw and 
Trooper Ashley Simpson.
  Our men and women in uniform work each and every day to provide 
safety and security in the communities where we live and work. Folks in 
the First District know how important it is to have a dedicated force 
working in some the most remote areas in Michigan, and for 100 years, 
the Michigan State Police have acted as role models for young people 
throughout the state. The students at Hinks Elementary School have 
displayed tremendous compassion and leadership in honoring our law 
enforcement professionals, and I am confident they will continue to 
achieve great things by applying this maturity.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Lilly Gembel, Avery Dubey, Cecelia Magdaleno, 
and Abbey Ruby for their work in gathering support among their 
classmates to raise $1,000 for the families of Michigan's fallen 
troopers. Michiganders can take great pride in knowing that Northern 
Michigan and the Upper Peninsula have such bright students with drive 
and passion that will allow them to do great things in whatever path 
they choose to follow. On behalf of my constituents across the First 
District, I wish to thank Lilly, Avery, Cecelia, Abbey, and their 
classmates at Hinks Elementary School for their selfless work in 
organizing the ``Coins for Cops, Change Drive.''

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