[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3682-S3683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING ALETA LEE SPICER

 Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Aleta 
Lee Spicer, who sadly passed away on February 21, 2024. She was a 
pillar of her community after more than 50 years in public and social 
service and a dedicated community leader who proudly served the people 
of southwest Virginia.
  Aleta was the executive director of the Southwest Virginia Workforce 
Development Board, an organization that provides businesses with a 
well-prepared workforce. Its focus is to help individuals obtain 
employment and further their careers with access to programs and 
initiatives that were established through Federal legislation to 
address workforce development. These programs and initiatives focus on 
helping disadvantaged groups in the southwest Virginia region find and 
maintain successful careers. For example, one of the programs Aleta 
helped run includes the Reengagement and Opportunities and Pathways to 
Employment Success--ROPES--program. This program helps job seekers 
recovering from substance use disorder or those who have criminal 
backgrounds with job training, mental health referrals, and supportive 
services. Other programs, such

[[Page S3683]]

as Living Expenses While Training Stipend--LETS Train--and Cars to 
Work, help individuals who are unemployed or underemployed with living 
stipends or transportation to and from work.
  Programs like these and the work that Aleta contributed to in 
southwest Virginia help build our workforce and grow our economic 
success in the region and throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
Aleta's goal was to improve the lives of people in southwest Virginia 
by assisting individuals in obtaining employment and furthering their 
career skills. More importantly, Aleta helped give individuals pathways 
toward a well-paid, satisfying career to help maintain their quality of 
life. We are truly grateful for her dedication and support.
  Aleta rose to the challenge every day to help southwest Virginians 
find success in the workforce. Her dedication and sense of love for her 
community were unmatched. I am grateful for her service to the 
constituency of southwest Virginia. She will be dearly missed, and I 
wish the best to her family. -

                          ____________________