[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 24 (Monday, February 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING ORION JEAN

  (Mr. ELLZEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the floor today and 
bring attention to an extraordinary young man from Mansfield, Texas, 
named Orion Jean.
  In 2020, Orion was selected as the National Kindness Speech Contest 
Winner. With the cash prize that Orion received from the speech 
contest, he created his own initiative focused on community and 
kindness, called Race to Kindness.
  His first project was Race to 500 Toys. Orion collected and 
personally donated over 600 books to the Children's Medical Center of 
Dallas, but Orion did not stop there. He continued on with his next 
Race to Kindness project, Race to 100,000 Meals. With the support of 
local communities and nonprofit organizations, Orion fed over 100,000 
people during Thanksgiving 2020.
  Orion's efforts not only reached the people of District 6, but with 
his most recent endeavor, Race to 500,000 Books, he has collected 
500,000 books and is distributing them to Mansfield Independent School 
District, Fort Worth Independent School District, and Dallas 
Independent School District, along with several literacy organizations.
  Just when you think this young man could not get any more impressive, 
he is also a published author with his debut book, ``A Kids Book About 
Leadership,'' which encourages children to discover the power of 
leadership that resides within themselves.
  He has appeared on Good Morning America and The Ellen Show, where he 
received a $10,000 donation for Race to Kindness. And right now, Orion 
is a Top 5 finalist for Time's Kid of the Year 2021.
  Orion's goal is to pull kindness to the forefront and show the true 
power of community and how those two qualities can change people's 
lives. We should all strive to be more like Orion Jean.

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