[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 211 (Monday, December 14, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING TRENT YACONELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 14, 2020

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor and 
recognize Trent Yaconelli, the Executive Director of St. Helena and 
Calistoga Boys & Girls Club.
  Trent Yaconelli was born in La Mesa, California, and grew up in 
Yreka, California. In 1993, he graduated from Sonoma State University 
with a Bachelor of Arts in Teacher Education. He has also received a 
Non-Profit Management Certification from The University of Texas at 
Austin in 2012. Mr. Yaconelli has used his education to aid his 
community through times of hardship, serving as the Executive Director 
of the Boys & Girls Club since 2017. Before serving as Executive 
Director, Mr. Yaconelli had served on the Club's staff for more than 20 
years and as Associate Executive Director for four and half years.
  Drawing on his years of community service, Mr. Yaconelli has shown an 
immense capacity to exercise moral leadership and empathy through 
natural disasters and on-going adversity. He worked with the Club staff 
to deliver more than 25,000 meals to the community, day-to-day, during 
the devastating Glass Fire. Recognizing that many of the people who 
were affected by the fire had lost their homes and were ineligible to 
receive disaster relief funds, Mr. Yaconelli worked with the Club to 
distribute more than $70,000 in direct gifts to fifteen club families. 
Particularly, he helped distribute three cars to families that lost 
their vehicles in the fire, along with an additional $15,000 in 
individual grants to help them get back on their feet.
  Trent Yaconelli's tireless work over these past fourteen years should 
not go unnoticed. The support that he has given to the families and 
children of Calistoga and St. Helena has undoubtedly improved the 
livelihood of his community. In this spirit, Mr. Yaconelli is currently 
serving the students of the St. Helena Unified School District while 
they are participating in distance learning. His encompassing knowledge 
of his community continues to serve the youth and the families that 
need him the most.
  Madam Speaker, Trent Yaconelli exemplifies strong integrity and 
leadership through his dedication to public service. It is therefore 
fitting and proper that we honor him here today.

                          ____________________