[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                    RECOGNIZING ELENI CHRISTOPOULOS

  (Mr. BURCHETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Knoxville 
Catholic High School senior Eleni Christopoulos. Eleni has earned the 
Girl Scout Gold Award and was recently named to Knox.biz's 20 Under 20 
class.
  When Eleni was born, she had a serious infection that needed 
specialized medical care. Fortunately, she overcame her illness, but 
she knows that not every sick child will get the same outcome. The 
experience inspired Eleni to start a program at East Tennessee 
Children's Hospital to comfort families whose children pass away in the 
neonatal intensive care unit.
  Eleni builds and hand-paints memory boxes for grieving families to 
store cherished keepsakes like photos and footprints. While it is 
impossible to ease the pain of a lost child, Eleni's memory boxes offer 
the families a small comfort during a difficult time.
  We don't hear enough about our young folks giving back to their 
communities and taking the initiative to help others, so I congratulate 
Eleni for making a meaningful difference in the Knoxville community and 
for being recognized as a young leader in the 20 Under 20 class.
  Eleni has a bright future ahead of her, Mr. Speaker, and I know her 
grandparents and her mom and dad, and they are very proud, as I am.

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