[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 167 (Thursday, October 12, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING THE HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS OF GABE SEGAL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 2023

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise to commemorate Gabe 
Segal for the humanitarian work he's done as an educator to end school 
meal debt for all grade school students. Gabe has been an active 
teacher in the Fairfax County Public School district and is committed 
to helping students by raising funds and tackling an issue of school 
meal debt that has been impacting the lives of many families.
  Gabe was 9 months old and living in an orphanage in Moscow, Russia, 
when two Fairfax County Public School teachers, David Segal and Saranne 
Segal, adopted him and brought him to Virginia. Both of Gabe's parents 
were teachers at Herndon High School in 1993, and Gabe is now a fellow 
teacher at the same high school. As a child, his mother would bring 
Gabe into the high school. While literally growing up in the high 
school, he learned valuable lessons and had first-hand knowledge of the 
hardships students were facing in and out of the classroom at an early 
age.
  Today as an educator, Gabe keeps his classroom door open every day 
after school to let his students have a safe place to meditate. His 
number one core value in the field of education is relationships. To 
many students he is a father figure, role model, and even more 
importantly, a trusted and caring adult. There are many students who 
don't have a warm, welcoming home, so he does everything he can to 
create that environment in his classroom.
  During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabe paid-off the 
lunch debt at Sleepy Hollow Elementary in Fairfax County. During the 
course of the 2022-2023 school year and summer. Gabe organized 
fundraisers and pulled in donations to raise over $32,000 to pay all 
outstanding school meal debt at his previous school, Herndon Middle 
School. In total, $50,000 has been raised for school meal debt in 
Fairfax County. Gabe has been actively meeting with local leaders 
throughout the commonwealth in hopes of one day having free, universal 
school meals for all students. The cost for a student to have adequate 
nutrition during their school day with a meal provided by their 
educational institution is alarmingly over five dollars a day. Many 
families can't afford to pay that cost. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, the 
impact of school meal debt has a lasting impact on low-income families 
both in and out of the classroom.
  As a teacher, Gabe sees firsthand how school meal debt impacts 
students' performance in school and he's continued to lead the 
awareness. Gabe's work has been published in the Washington Post, WJLA-
TV as well as other news organizations. He remains devoted to helping 
struggling students and families deal with their debt as this issue 
continues to impact student achievement and burden families.
  Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I ask that my colleagues join me in 
commemorating the tremendous humanitarian efforts of Gabe Segal for 
tackling the crisis of school meal debt impacting the lives of many.

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