[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 72 (Thursday, May 2, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 OUTSTANDING COBB COUNTY LEADER RETIRES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARRY LOUDERMILK

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2019

  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Jerri 
Barr's thirty-five years of exemplary service to the families within 
Georgia's 11th Congressional District and the greater Atlanta area. 
Jerri is the retiring CEO for the Center for Family Resources, a non-
profit social services agency in Marietta, Georgia.
   The Center for Family Resources was founded in 1960, based on the 
community's need to streamline and simplify emergency assistance in 
Cobb County. Community leaders recognized that their current system, 
which spread responsibility among six different agencies, created 
opportunities for miscommunication and slow response times when 
families needed urgent aid. By consolidating these responsibilities 
into one agency, families were able to receive necessary assistance in 
a timely manner.
   With Jerri at the helm, the CFR grew substantially, and is now 
widely recognized and emulated due to its successful practices; as the 
CFR has become the gold standard for similar agencies across the 
country. This unique program not only provides vital resources during 
difficult times to families in Cobb County, but works with them long-
term to provide the resources necessary to become self-reliant, free 
from the vicious cycle of government-funded resource dependency. The 
Center achieves this success by offering a series of life-classes on 
topics such as budgeting and parenting; they also provide GED classes 
as well as help with resume writing and how to interview for a job.
   The Center for Family Resources benefits greatly from its 
outstanding staff of employees and volunteer workers, along with a 
highly engaged and motivated Board of Directors. The bond that has held 
all this together for the past 35 years has been CEO Jerri Barr. As 
this remarkable community leader prepares for her much-deserved 
retirement, I want to personally thank her for her dedication to 
families in need, as well as her continued commitment to supporting a 
high quality of life for the citizens of our Cobb County communities.

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