[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 103 (Monday, June 14, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2741-H2744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MICHELLE ALLMAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Soto) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Caribbean Heritage Month, I 
recognize Michelle Allman.
  Michelle, otherwise known as Coach Mea Allman, born in Jamaica, comes 
from a diverse, mixed cultural heritage: her father, Costa Rican, and 
her mother, Jamaican, Arawak Indian, Scot. She was raised in Canada and 
now resides in Florida.
  She noticed early in her career the bullying of young people with 
cultural accents in schools and the general lack of awareness about 
their Caribbean heritage. Coach Mea felt a need to be part of educating 
her Caribbean-American community by publishing an online publication 
called Karibbean Under One Magazine in 2008, along with her son, 
Michael Morgan, as cofounder and CFO, to show the richness of diverse 
cultures; to be a community liaison for other Caribbean organizations 
and businesses to provide resources, outreach, disaster relief; and to 
help others to unite and grow our cultural awareness in the larger 
community.
  As a cultural advocate, she is passionate about building a welcoming 
community with her Women of Kulture brand that comes together as 
community leaders to educate, empower, and celebrate while keeping 
their own sense of cultural identity.
  As a certified professional life, health, and nutrition coach, she 
encourages others to make, meet, and exceed goals in both their 
personal and

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professional lives by using her success as a 21-year breast cancer 
survivor as a health advocate to produce and host her monthly virtual 
show, ``G.L.O.W. 365 = Greater Level of Wellness 365,'' that brings 
awareness of the latest health and wellness information in America and 
the Caribbean islands.
  She also celebrates and honors individuals who have overcome or 
continue to battle chronic illnesses and conditions with her Ribbons of 
Survivors 365 brand that launched in 2014.
  Additionally, she is an empowering speaker for KweliWorks and host of 
several virtual shows. And now, she is the international cultural 
ambassador for the Orlando International Film Festival Lions Club. Her 
focus this year is to provide a platform to celebrate Caribbean 
filmmakers.
  For this and more, Michelle Allman, we honor you.

                              {time}  2130


                   Honoring Rachelle R. Grand-Pierre

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Caribbean-American Heritage 
Month, I would like to recognize Rachelle R. Grand-Pierre.
  Rachelle R. Grand-Pierre is the founder of RGP Law Firm, a boutique 
immigration law firm in central Florida specializing in immigration, 
removal defense, and humanitarian relief.
  Rachelle received her bachelor of arts degree in English, creative 
writing, at the University of Central Florida. She earned her Juris 
Doctor at Barry University where she was a member of the inaugural 
class of the collaborative family law clinic.
  Rachelle currently serves on the executive board of the Central 
Florida Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association as 
regional vice president of Orlando where she liaises between the 
organization and the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services office 
in Orlando.
  As the daughter of brave, hardworking, Haitian immigrants, Rachelle 
saw firsthand how immigrants selflessly dedicate themselves to 
providing better lives for their families. For this reason, Rachelle 
has a passion for fighting for immigrants to have the ability to live, 
love, and work in the United States the way she has been blessed to do.
  Rachelle has had the opportunity to help hundreds of immigrants in 
her career, and she hopes that she will continue to touch the lives of 
countless others. Even though she is from south Florida, Rachelle has 
called central Florida her home for over 14 years.
  When Rachelle is not tirelessly fighting for her clients, she can be 
found traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with her family.
  For this and more, Ms. Rachelle R. Grand-Pierre, we honor you.


                     Honoring Doreen Edwards-Barker

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Caribbean-American Heritage 
Month, I would like to recognize Doreen Edwards-Barker.
  Originally of Caribbean descent from Jamaica West Indies, Doreen 
Edwards-Barker relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 
seventies.
  Doreen's philosophy is ``no one is useless in this world who lightens 
the burdens of another.'' She has accomplished this by pursuing a 
nursing degree and attending Bethel Bible College. While attending 
Bethel Bible College, Doreen joined a street outreach ministry team 
feeding the homeless on the streets.
  Looking at the possibility of a life change and an escape from cold 
winters, Doreen and her husband, Aldwin Barker, chose to call 
Kissimmee, Florida, their new home in 2002. Immediately, Doreen saw the 
same need that she saw in Boston. She realized helping others was the 
secret to living a happier, healthier, and more productive, and 
meaningful live.
  Her passion was in her giving. They founded Clarita's House, Inc., 
and that later changed to Clarita's House Outreach Ministry, Inc., or 
CHOM, as a testament to her late mother, Clarity Edwards. The outreach 
ministry has covered areas in Orlando for the Coalition For the 
Homeless as well as now in Kissimmee.
  CHOM consistently serves the unsheltered and homeless by helping to 
build trust relationships with those hardest to reach. They also reach 
out to people living in the woods and homeless shelters of the 
community. This is done by providing groceries, new and gently used 
clothing, hygiene supplies, and down-payment assistance when needed.
  CHOM also works with the Infinite Scholars Program, facilitating 
scholarship fairs for more than 500 students and their families, 
resulting in $10 million in scholarship offers.
  Doreen has been recognized multiple times within the community, even 
though she has never sought recognition for her work.
  CHOM was awarded the 2021 Best of Kissimmee award in the category of 
charity services. Additionally, CHOM accepted the Second Harvest Food 
Bank of Central Florida's selection as the 2020 Osceola County Agency 
of the year.
  For this and more, Ms. Doreen Edwards-Barker, we honor you.


                           Honoring Andy King

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Caribbean-American Heritage 
Month, I would like to recognize Andy King.
  Andy King currently works in the Finance/Shared Services department 
for the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  For the past 10 years, Andy has served as president of the board of 
directors of Southchase Parcel 5 Homeowners Association and served 
previously as president of the Southchase West Master Homeowners 
Association. His career also allowed for exposure in the management of 
some prominent business departments in the private and public sectors, 
such as banking, customer service, credit management, and a stint in 
project management with New York City's Department of Housing 
Preservation and Development.
  He is also a founding member and past-president of the Guyanese-
American Cultural Association of Central Florida, treasurer of the Ann 
Marie De Goveia Scholarship Fund, and immediate past-president and 
current chairman of the advisory board of the Caribbean and Floridian 
Association.
  Andy credits these experiences with helping him to lead the call for 
the promotion and introduction of programs and activities that are 
consistent with the desires of the Caribbean-American community.
  He was instrumental in launching the annual Caribbean Fusion Festival 
in Osceola County, a cultural collaboration between CAFA and the City 
of Kissimmee, and also the annual Turkey Giveaway at Thanksgiving in 
Kissimmee. Andy is married and the father of two.
  For this and more, Mr. Andy King, we honor you.


                        Honoring Sterling Blake

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of Caribbean-American Heritage 
Month, I would like to recognize Sterling Blake.
  Hailing from Jamaica West Indies, Sterling C. Blake came to the great 
United States of America as a sugarcane farmworker. He has resided in 
Kissimmee, Florida, for most of his life, where he served as an 
assistant pastor at the Church of God in Christ for 24 years.
  Sterling then started a landscaping company in 1987, and the company 
grew tremendously. In 1994, Sterling Silver Scape & Sod, Inc., was 
nominated as the third largest African-American business in the central 
Florida area, and he was featured in the Orlando Business Journal that 
same year, and also in 2006. Sterling was also honored by the Orange 
County Minority Board department.
  Sterling served on the board of the Council on Aging for 10 years and 
is also the pastor of Restore the Path for Christ church located in 
Kissimmee, Florida.
  Sterling was also a member of the Tuskegee Airmen for over 10 years, 
and his commitment to the Tuskegee Airmen has afforded him the honor of 
a red jacket.
  Sterling has served his community well by feeding the poor, visiting 
the sick in the hospitals, and helping the needy. Sterling is known in 
his community as an upstanding and honest businessman.
  For this and more, Mr. Sterling Blake, we honor you.


                       Honoring Grace Peek-Harris

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of LGBTQ-plus Pride Month, I would 
like to recognize Ms. Grace Peek-Harris.

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  Ms. Grace Peek-Harris has served the central Florida LGBTQ-plus 
community for several years. Grace's Navy career brought her to the 
region in the 1990s where she served on several deployments, including 
Operation Enduring Freedom. In 1998, she transitioned from active duty 
to the reserves and joined the Orlando Police Department.
  While at OPD, she became well-known as an advocate for LGBTQ-plus 
issues and a friend to the LGBTQ-plus community. After the Pulse 
tragedy, Grace was officially appointed as the lead LGBTQ liaison where 
she continued to foster numerous relationships throughout the Orlando 
area and became the first full-time driver of the #0049 Orlando United 
patrol car. While in this role, Grace played an integral part in 
expanding the Safe Place program where over 230 Orlando businesses 
display a sticker identifying them as a safe place to report LGBTQ 
crimes.
  In 2019, Grace founded the Gay Officers Action League of Central 
Florida, GOALcfl, whose mission is to support, educate, and promote 
positive relationships between LGBTQ, law enforcement and the 
communities they serve. Under her leadership as president, GOALcfl has 
become a driving force within the community by bridging the gap between 
the two.
  She has led the organization through tremendous growth and has 
supported many central Florida LGBTQ-plus non-profits. In 2021, GOALcfl 
hosted their first major training event in partnership with the Matthew 
Shepard Foundation. This day-long program educated many community 
advocates, law enforcement, and legal personnel on current hate crimes 
legislation.
  Grace retired as a commander from the Navy after 23 years and retired 
as a master sergeant from OPD after 20 years.

                              {time}  2140

  She currently enjoys serving on the board of The Center and GOALcfl 
and continuing to volunteer with LGBTQ-plus organizations, including 
Zebra Coalition and KindRED Pride Foundation.
  Grace lives in Windermere with her wife, Elie and their son, Dylan.
  For this and more, Ms. Grace Peek-Harris, we honor you.


                       Honoring Eleanor McDonough

  Mr. SOTO. In honor of LGBTQ-plus Pride Month, I would like to 
recognize Eleanor McDonough.
  Ms. Eleanor McDonough was born and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, 
Massachusetts, to parents Frank and Sally McDonough. She moved to 
Kissimmee, Florida, in 2016 where she came out as a transgender woman. 
She currently works as a legislative assistant to Representative 
Kristen Arrington of Kissimmee, Florida, House District 43, and is the 
only out transgender person working at the Florida Capitol.
  She previously worked for the Florida Democratic Party as a field 
organizer in Osceola County in the Celebration, Reunion, and Champions 
Gate area. She currently serves as the corresponding secretary of the 
Osceola County Democratic Executive Committee, is the deputy director 
of Region 4, central Florida, of the Florida LGBTQ-plus Democratic 
Caucus, is the secretary of the Florida Democratic Party Diversity and 
Inclusion Committee, is the secretary of the Osceola County Democratic 
Women's Club, and is a board member of the Democrats of St. Cloud and 
the Osceola County LGBTQ-plus Democratic Caucus.
  She is also passionate about commonsense gun reform as a volunteer 
and former social media lead of the Osceola County chapter of Moms 
Demand Action.
  In 2019 Eleanor graduated from the National Democratic Training 
Committee Staff Academy in the digital organizing track. Before her 
career in politics, she previously worked in the technology field for 
20 years and was a small business owner.
  She has three siblings: her brother Joseph McDonough, and her sisters 
Virginia and Siobhan McDonough. She is also the proud aunt of nephews 
Connor Fresia and Gus McDonough.
  Eleanor is working to make the world a better place, especially for 
transgender kids. She looks forward to serving her community in 
Kissimmee for many years to come.
  For this and more, Ms. Eleanor McDonough, we honor you.


                         Honoring Mandy Kimmer

  Mr. SOTO. In honor of LGBTQ-plus Pride Month I would like to 
recognize Mandy Kimmer.
  Mandy Kimmer, APR, CPRC, is the public information officer for Orange 
County Parks and Recreation, having worked there for 13 years.
  Born and raised near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she earned her BA 
degrees in public relations, journalism, and economics from Florida 
Southern College in Lakeland in 1983.
  In 2015 she and friend Karen Castelloes cofounded the Zebra 
Coalition's Jefferson R. Voss Education Fund for LGBTQ-plus students in 
central Florida, establishing an endowed scholarship at the University 
of Central Florida and helping direct funds from a separate donation 
for students pursuing courses for a GED or technical and community 
college. Since the inception of this funding, numerous students have 
received thousands of dollars in financial assistance to further their 
education.
  After the Pulse tragedy occurred in Orlando on June 12, 2016, Mandy 
formed the LGBTQ Pride and Allies of Orange County for county 
colleagues and others outside the organization. Knowing that people 
wanted to help and needed to heal, she invited LGBT community leaders 
to speak at meetings held in Orange County's administration building. 
Topics included volunteer opportunities with Zebra Coalition, civil 
rights work of Equality Florida, community involvement of The LGBT-plus 
Center Orlando, personal transgender stories, and coming-out 
experiences of youth and adults. Five years later this small assembly 
is now in the process of meeting requirements to become a recognized 
employee resource group for the Orange County government's 8,000 
employees.
  Mandy has sung first alto and second soprano parts in the Orlando Gay 
Chorus for the past 4 years and is a 9-year breast cancer survivor. She 
is the proud mom of sons Matthew Luber, a former U.S. marine, and 
Andrew Luber, who is majoring in accounting at the University of South 
Florida in Tampa.
  For this and more, Ms. Mandy Kimmer, we honor you.


                         Honoring Brandon Wolf

  Mr. SOTO. In honor of LGBTQ-plus Pride Month, I would like to 
recognize Brandon Wolf.
  Life changed for Brandon Wolf when, on June 12, 2016, he escaped 
Pulse nightclub with his life. That night a gunman murdered 49 mostly 
LGBTQ people of color, including his best friends, Drew and Juan, 
celebrating in their safe space.
  In the wake of the tragedy, Brandon dedicated his life to honoring 
the victims with action. He has become a fierce advocate for 
commonsense gun safety reforms, becoming the first survivor of the 
shooting to share his testimony before this Congress. He frequently 
steps forward to share his story courageously and demands better from 
lawmakers.
  Brandon has also become an unapologetic advocate for LGBTQ civil 
rights, amplifying the voices of marginalized people and resisting 
homophobia and transphobia.
  He cofounded The Dru Project, a youth-serving organization that has 
given over $100,000 in college funding to emerging LGBTQ leaders. 
Brandon also serves as the media relations manager for Equality 
Florida, our State's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization
  For this and more, Mr. Brandon Wolf, we honor you.


                           Honoring Lisa Barr

  Mr. SOTO. In honor of LGBTQ-plus Pride Month, I would like to 
recognize Ms. Lisa Barr.
  Lisa Barr joined the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida, Inc., 
in August of 2014 as executive director, prior to which she was the 
vice president of development at Habitat for Humanity of Brevard 
County, Florida. Lisa spent over 20 years as a Department of Defense 
contractor prior to moving to the nonprofit sector. She holds an MBA in 
management from the Johns Hopkins University and has a diverse 
background in the fields of government defense contracting, business 
consulting, not-for-profit leadership, and fundraising.

  Her major career accomplishments include leading the expansion of a 
small, grassroots health organization into a regional operation with 
multiple satellite locations and successfully

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leading 22 government subcontractors to surpass their targets 
throughout the rebuild challenges following the September 11, 2001, 
attack on the Pentagon.
  Lisa is known throughout the region as a thought leader when it comes 
to innovation and new ideas to address the area's health disparities. 
She has recently been featured on WKMG News 6 for her work on HIV 
prevention and education and the reopening of a new medical facility.
  She has contributed to the field of HIV and not-for-profit management 
through speaking engagements, mentorship of senior organizational 
leaders, and volunteer service on major projects, including the United 
States Conference on AIDS. Lisa has fostered an environment of 
excellence, compassion, and service that has earned Hope and Health the 
reputation of the warm hug of healthcare.
  In her spare time Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and 
friends, traveling, and building houses with Habitat for Humanity of 
Brevard County Women Build.
  For this and more, Ms. Lisa Barr, we honor you.

                              {time}  2150


                      Honoring Joel Junior Morales

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, I would like 
to recognize Joel Junior Morales.
  Joel Junior Morales--pronouns he, him, his, el,--is a proud queer 
Puerto Rican. He is currently the operations director for the LGBT+ 
Center Orlando, spearheading efforts to affirm and empower the LGBTQ+ 
community.
  Morales served as a victim service navigator during the aftermath of 
the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016. He assisted more than 
900 individuals and 255 families, alongside 50 other government, 
community, and business organizations at the Family Assistance Center, 
which transitioned to being what is known now as the Orlando United 
Assistance, currently under Joel's leadership.
  He was instrumental in creating the Central Florida LGBTQ+ Relief 
Fund, a collaboration of several LGBTQ organizations and mutual aid 
fund that helped over 700 LGBTQ+ families during the peak of the 
pandemic in 2020.
  Throughout volunteerism, a longstanding community builder, Joel is 
one of the cofounders of QLatinx, a grassroots racial, social, and 
gender justice organization dedicated to the advancement and 
empowerment of the LGBTQ+ Latinx community.
  He also serves on many community boards, including grant committee 
member for Contigo Fund, stakeholder forum for the National Mass 
Violence Victimization Resource Center, leadership team for the 
American Cancer Society, and others.
  An advocate for survivors, he was trained and certified with the 
Florida Crisis Response Team. Joel is also the regional chapter 
coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. He advocated 
and organized around Florida House bill 7125. The new Florida policy 
improves the probation system, gets Floridians back to work, and 
removes barriers to victims' compensation.
  In addition, Joel has recently joined the Office for Victims of Crime 
Training and Technical Assistance Center as a consultant under the 
Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program, working closely with 
other trauma centers around the Nation. He aims to continue his efforts 
through social justice and advocacy.
  For this and more, Mr. Joel Junior Morales, we honor you.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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