[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO REVEREND KEN DeGROOT AND SISTER MELANIE MACZKA

  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise today to honor the lives, 
careers, and achievements of Reverend Ken DeGroot and Sister Melanie 
Maczka. Together, Reverend Ken and Sister Melanie created the Casa ALBA 
Melanie a community center dedicated to serving the Hispanic population 
of the greater Green Bay area. Through Casa ALBA Melanie, and their 
ministerial service, Reverend Ken and Sister Melanie have welcomed 
members of the Hispanic community to our State with open arms for over 
25 years.
  It was 1991 when Reverend Ken first encountered the mission which 
would encompass the rest of his career. Two young men, fresh off the 
train from Mexico and at his doorstep, were tired, hungry, and could 
not speak English. Far from home and looking for a house of worship, 
Reverend Ken welcomed them into St. Willebrord parish. He decided that 
night that Green Bay could be the home they searched for.
  They would find they were not alone. Thousands of people from Central 
and South America already lived in their community, working in a world 
where they could not speak the language. Today, it is estimated that at 
least 20,500 Hispanics live in the greater Green Bay area, and about 28 
percent of the Green Bay school population is Hispanic. Alongside 
Sister Melanie, Reverend Ken decided things had to change. They 
traveled to Mexico, visiting villages, learning the culture and 
language of the neighbors they had never known they had. When they 
returned to Green Bay, they knew they could work to better serve the 
Hispanic community.
  In 2012, Reverend Ken and Sister Melanie established Casa ALBA 
Melanie and transformed the quality of life for Hispanic families by 
providing legal assistance, health services, language acquisition, 
Spanish GED lessons, financial assistance, and, perhaps most 
importantly, a safe haven for Green Bay's Spanish speaking residents.
  This year, Casa ALBA Melanie celebrates its 10-year anniversary and 
with this great celebration comes a change in leadership. Reverend Ken, 
who has served as chair of the development committee and the finance 
committee, and Sister Melanie who has served as executive director, 
will both retire from the impactful organization they helped guide over 
this past decade. Their work is an inspiration to all people seeking to 
create a more equitable and welcoming America.
  I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Reverend Ken DeGroot 
and Sister Melanie Maczka for their leadership at Casa ALBA Melanie and 
throughout the greater Green Bay community.

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