[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 196 (Friday, December 1, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DEE BRADEN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate Ms. Dee 
Braden on her retirement from the Coles County Council on Aging, CCCoA, 
after more than 41 years of service.
  One of Illinois' finest advocates for older residents, Dee started 
with CCCoA in 1976, as the RSVP volunteer recruiter and was quickly 
promoted to be its first executive director in 1978.
  Under Dee's leadership, CCCoA flourished and received the 2008 
Governor's Award for Unique Achievement for its vision, innovation, and 
collaborative public and private partnerships in Illinois.
  To understand Dee's tireless commitment to Illinois' older 
population, one need only look at her long service record. Dee 
developed and orchestrated the first successful passage of a county-
wide property tax referendum in Illinois to fund senior services and 
advocated for decades to enhance the quality of life of older adults in 
Coles County. For 10 years, she also fundraised for the LifeSpan 
Center, a 25,000-square-foot multipurpose intergenerational facility in 
Mattoon, IL. Dee devoted herself to bettering the quality of life for 
our older Illinoisans.
  Dee's many years of leadership and contributions to the elderly made 
her the deserving recipient of several awards, including the Coles 
County Zonta Woman of the Year Award for Community Service, the Epsilon 
Sigma Alpha Diana Award for her service, and the Illinois Governor's 
Award for Unique Achievement after she developed a countywide Elder 
Abuse Task Force. This year, the East Central Illinois Area Agency on 
Aging awarded Dee the Dr. Arthur H. Larsen Leadership Award for her 
outstanding leadership in advancing programs, services, and 
opportunities for older persons in east central Illinois.
  These are just a few of Dee's many accomplishment. A full rendering 
of her achievements would take much longer than these few moments. I 
will end by saying that I visited the CCCoA several times, and I can 
tell you firsthand that the work Dee has done in the community is 
nothing short of remarkable.
  Dee's generous heart is as big as Illinois. I don't know a better 
volunteer who has given so much to helping people. I wish Dee a happy, 
relaxing retirement and the best of luck in her life's next chapter. 
She has certainly earned it.

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