[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING CHRISTIAN OAKES FOR HIS EXTRAORDINARY HUMANITARIAN AND 
                  RELIEF EFFORTS TO HURRICANE VICTIMS

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. MATT GAETZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 13, 2018

  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Christian Oakes of 
Walton County, for his success and remarkable relief efforts to reach 
those devastated by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
  Weathering through the storm to reach those previously deemed 
``unreachable,'' Christian Oakes defied all odds. His leadership and 
persistence represent what Northwest Florida is all about--helping 
those in times of need.
  Christian and Cass Oakes were married on August 21, 2017. Four days 
later, they exchanged their honeymoon for a rescue mission. Without a 
second thought, they loaded up donated supplies that Christian 
miraculously accumulated by reaching out to business partners and 
clients, and headed to help Harvey victims in Texas.
  Mr. Oakes' relentless spirit in helping the people of Texas is a 
spirit that I hope everyone can look to and admire. He proved nothing 
would stop him from doing everything he could to help, when he offered 
the very shoes off his feet. He traveled from truck to foot to boat and 
finally had to be airlifted by a Blackhawk--which he thought was pretty 
cool. Christian extended his hand to people he had never met before. He 
simply wanted to help.
  When Hurricane Irma hit south Florida, Christian and Cass immediately 
began planning and executing. Using only their Excursion and U-Haul 
trailer, they delivered over 5,000 cubic feet of supplies in Collier 
County, Florida alone. Christian was so incredibly dedicated to this 
mission, he passed up an opportunity to meet the President so he could 
immediately begin preparation for the next relief effort.
  Following the aftermath of Maria in Puerto Rico, Mr. Oakes' rose to 
overcome many challenges. One of those being the need to administer 
vaccines to those affected by the flu. After running into some issues, 
he contacted my office for assistance and throughout the night, 
together, through many phone calls and emails, we were able to 
successfully get those vaccines to the proper destination in time for 
most to be administered.
  I am very proud of Christian, his wife Cass and their incredible team 
for the phenomenal aid for victims in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. 
This spirit of duty to help others during times of disaster should 
inspire and be emulated by every American.
  Cass Oakes summed up their mission statement well as she stated, ``I 
never want to buy anything for myself again, I just want to help 
others. Everything you work so hard for in life can just be taken away 
in an instance.''
  Christian and Cass Oakes continue to give of themselves on a daily 
basis to assist those in need. I look forward to partnering with them 
in the future and I am honored to be their Congressman.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I am privileged 
to recognize Christian and Cass Oakes for their extraordinary 
humanitarian and relief efforts across our state of Florida and around 
the United States of America.

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