[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H488-H489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING ANDREA JUNG AND GRAMEEN BANK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Grameen 
America for opening a new facility in Miami, and to recognize its 
president and CEO, Andrea Jung.
  Grameen America is a nonprofit microfinance organization that, for 
over 10 years, has been dedicated to helping women in poverty create 
and expand small businesses in their communities.
  Last month, Grameen opened its first branch in Miami, where it hopes 
to serve 7,000 women over the next 5 years and disburse more than $21.5 
million in loans. What a difference that will make.
  Mr. Speaker, today, sadly, more than 20 percent of women in my 
county--Miami-Dade County--are living in poverty. These loans will 
empower them to become active players in strengthening south Florida's 
economy.
  This organization is spearheaded by Andrea Jung, who, from a young 
age, understood the important value of empowering women to become 
financially independent.

[[Page H489]]

  As a Chinese immigrant in Toronto, Andrea' grandmother received a 
loan that changed her family's history, as the loan helped Jung's 
grandmother to open her own hair salon.

  Two generations later, after attending Princeton, Andrea served over 
a decade as CEO and chairman of Avon Products, a giant in the field of 
beauty products.
  Andrea has been ranked among the top leaders on lists such as Fortune 
magazine's ``Most Powerful Women in Business'' and ``Most Powerful 
Women in the World,'' and the Financial Times' ``Top Women in World 
Business.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of the work of Andrea and Grameen America 
in what they are doing. They are giving women in need the ability to 
improve the lives of their own and their families.
  The opening of this new branch is an exciting opportunity. I look 
forward to working with Andrea to help women in our south Florida 
community.


    Supporting the 8th Annual Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage my south 
Florida community to take part in the 8th annual Dan Marino Foundation 
WalkAbout Autism. This event will take place on Saturday, January 27, 
at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
  According to the CDC, over 3 million individuals in the United States 
are impacted by an autism spectrum disorder. There have been numerous 
dramatic scientific advances in our understanding of autism, but we 
must continue making progress toward effective treatments and 
eventually, yes, a cure.
  The WalkAbout Autism will bring together families, parents, 
caregivers, and friends to raise awareness and resources for the south 
Florida autism community. More importantly, every donation made will 
stay in our local community and will be used to provide classroom 
equipment, employment services, new adaptive technologies, and more to 
those impacted by this disorder.
  This walk also helps fund essential educational opportunities, like 
special needs programming at local schools and the Marino Campus, whose 
postsecondary education program helps young adults with autism bridge 
the gap between high school and employment.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the Dan Marino Foundation for all of its hard 
work to make this walk so successful, and this year will be no 
different.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to participate in this walk for a great 
cause at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, January 27, at 8 a.m.

                              {time}  1130


                      Celebrating City Year Miami

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the 2018 
Miami Creator's Ball that will take place at LMNCTY on Friday, January 
26 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of City Year Miami.
  City Year volunteers, in their distinctive red jackets, have become a 
fixture at most of our Miami schools. This wonderful organization 
connects mentors with students in underserved schools who are at risk 
of dropping out.
  City Year Miami members have served more than 225,000 students and 
have given more than 2 million hours of service to our local schools, 
and the results speak for themselves. City Year has not only helped 
more of Miami's at-risk students graduate on time, but it has played a 
key role in ensuring that more than 80 percent of Miami-Dade students 
earn their high school diplomas--Simply amazing. Furthermore, 90 
percent of Miami teachers say that City Year members help their 
students improve their overall academic performance.
  As a former Florida certified teacher, it fills me with great pride 
to encourage everyone in our community to come to LMNCTY in Miami-Dade 
County on Friday, January 26 to celebrate City Year Miami's 10th 
anniversary.

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