[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E951-E952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN CELEBRATION OF THE KC SHEPHERD'S CENTER 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 19, 2022

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the KC 
Shepherd's Center on their 50th anniversary and their 5th annual 70 
Over 70 Awards. These are outstanding achievements. The efforts of the 
KC Shepherd's Center to support, celebrate, and empower the older 
residents of the Greater Kansas City area by fostering independence and 
connection are truly commendable. As the Nation's first Shepherd's 
Center, the Kansas City location serves as a model for the 56 
Shepherd's Centers across the country working to create a better world 
for senior citizens. As we look back on the previous five decades, let 
us take a moment to reflect on all of the invaluable services the KC 
Shepherd's Center has provided to the aging populations of Missouri's 
Fifth Congressional District.
  By reducing isolation and loneliness, increasing social connection 
and activity, and creating opportunities for purposeful living, the KC 
Shepherd's Center makes a profound impact on the overall health of the 
seniors the organization serves. Moreover, by providing Meals on Wheels 
to over 1,000 elderly adults each week, the KC Shepherd's Center has 
made significant progress toward reducing food insecurity among older 
generations. Together, these efforts ensure that the Greater Kansas 
City area is a fine place to live for aging populations.
  Founded in 1972 by Dr. Elbert Cole, then Pastor at Central United 
Methodist Church, the KC Shepherd's Center has faithfully lived up to 
its ``of seniors, by seniors, for seniors'' model. Believing firmly in 
the importance of listening to the voices and wisdom of older adults, 
the KC Shepherd's Center has built its programs around the needs 
expressed by senior citizens in our local communities. In doing so, the 
KC Shepherd's Center has helped thousands of seniors over the last five 
decades stay active, receive the care they need, and remain in their 
own homes as long as possible, leading meaningful, independent lives.
  Each year, the KC Shepherd's Center provides services to more than 
2,800 older adults in the Kansas City region. Guided by their 
understanding that social engagement is not a luxury but a basic human 
need, the volunteers and staff at the Shepherd's Center help reduce the 
devastating physical, emotional, and mental impacts of isolation and 
loneliness. To fully understand the impact that the KC Shepherd's 
Center has on the local senior population, however, one must look not 
only at numbers and figures, but to the ``Shepherd'' of the 23rd Psalm, 
from which this organization takes its name. Indeed, the volunteers and 
staff at the KC Shepherd's Center are ``thy rod

[[Page E952]]

and thy staff'' for the thousands of senior citizens they faithfully 
serve. In other words, they are truly doing God's work.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, 
I want to congratulate everyone at KC Shepherd's Center on their 50th 
year anniversary as well as their 5th annual 70 Over 70 Awards. The 
Shepherd Center's contributions to Kansas City's older population 
cannot be overstated, and it is a true honor to serve as their 
Congressman.

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