[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 73 (Monday, April 27, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING PARENTSCAN FAMILY CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 27, 2026

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
ParentsCAN Family Center for its twenty years of service to children 
with disabilities in Napa County and to recognize the work it has done 
as the sole Family Resource Center of Napa Valley. This celebration 
honors the hard work of the staff, volunteers, and supporters that have 
helped transform countless lives across the Napa Valley.
  ParentsCAN was founded in 2005 by Joan Lockhart and a group of Napa 
parents, who had disabled children. These parents helped each other 
access services for their children by sharing information and referrals 
amongst themselves. Frustrated that our community did not already have 
an organization dedicated to the needs of disabled children in Napa, 
they decided to start their own. The organization gave high-quality, 
in-person support that was not available anywhere else in the Napa 
Valley. Beginning as a small group of concerned parents, they quickly 
grew into a large-scale organization that provided training, support 
groups, and community events tailored to the unique challenges faced by 
families in Napa County.
  ParentsCAN has provided critical support, education, and advocacy to 
ensure families have access to resources necessary for their children 
to thrive. They also work with local community-based organizations, 
like healthcare providers or social services, to ensure their clients 
receive high quality healthcare, education, and support structures. 
Families across the county have felt more confident navigating the 
complex services that are needed to provide for their children after 
working with ParentsCAN. Aside from connecting parents with resources, 
ParentsCAN actively works with the local government to improve 
institutions serving children with disabilities, making the Napa Valley 
a safer and more accessible place to live. ParentsCAN is unique and 
especially well-qualified due to its ``parents supporting parents'' 
model. This structure means that all trained staff are parents or close 
family to children with needs, ensuring that staff are knowledgeable, 
experienced, and able to easily help parents or caregivers.
  ParentsCAN is a federally funded Community Parent Resource Center and 
the only one of its kind in Napa Valley. It also represents the young 
disabled population of Napa in several local organizations like the 
Community Leaders Coalition, Voters Choice Napa, Napa Valley Committee 
on Disabilities, First 5 Napa County, Napa County Community 
Organizations Active in Disaster, and the Local Childcare planning 
Council.
  Mr. Speaker, ParentsCAN has had a tremendous impact on the well-being 
of children across our Napa community. Therefore, it is fitting and 
proper that we honor the organization's twentieth anniversary here 
today as they celebrate this milestone.

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