[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 79 (Monday, May 11, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAGINAW COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION 
                               COMMITTEE

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 60th 
anniversary of the Saginaw County Community Action Committee. Over the 
past 60 years, the Saginaw County CAC has served as a proactive and 
dedicated community partner, working to problem-solve for residents and 
help create a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. 
It is a privilege and an honor to celebrate the organization's 60th 
anniversary.
  The Saginaw County Community Action Committee was formally 
established on January 29, 1965, not even a year after President Lyndon 
B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964, which created 
the Office of Economic Opportunity and led to the start of Community 
Action Programs all around the Nation. The focus was on fighting 
poverty on a local level, with a requirement for ``maximum feasible 
participation'' for the poor, recognizing that those closest to the 
hardship know best what their problems are and how resources can most 
effectively be deployed to address them.
  The Saginaw County CAC was founded through leadership from Kenneth V. 
Anderson, Henry Marsh, Thomas Retherman, R. Kenneth Letherar, Henry 
Nickleberry, Emilio Martinez, and Jack Frye, local civic leaders 
referred to today as the organization's ``Seven Pillars.'' They wanted 
to ensure that hard-working residents of Saginaw had the tools 
available to improve their own lives. Early programs included job 
training and employment programs, emergency assistance, housing 
referrals, and youth development initiatives.
  Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the SCCAC continued to expand as 
Federal anti-poverty programs began to mature and funding stabilized. 
The agency became a local administrator of Head Start, bringing early 
childhood education to Saginaw County's youngest and most vulnerable 
residents. Services grew to include dental care initiatives, legal aid, 
weatherization assistance, food distribution, and more. In 1984, the 
organization moved to their current home at 2824 Perkins St, in 
Saginaw, establishing a permanent presence in the community it serves.
  When Michigan's manufacturing economy wavered in the early 2000s and 
the Great Recession worsened hardships for families across the State, 
the SCCAC played a key role in delivering Federal and State emergency 
assistance and expanded emergency assistance and added foreclosure 
prevention programs.
  The Saginaw County CAC continues to evolve to this day, adding home 
repair programs, neighborhood revitalization initiatives, and food 
access efforts. When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the 
organization was once again there to help residents through. They 
provided CARES emergency assistance, including food distribution, 
diaper support, and outreach to vulnerable seniors across Saginaw 
County.
  Today, the Saginaw County CAC serves about 2,000 residents annually 
through emergency assistance programs. Over the years, the organization 
has generated over $90 million in grant funds and over $5 million of 
in-kind time value donated through volunteer engagement to the agency. 
The organization has allocated $3.5 million in housing and home repair 
projects and over $8.5 million of emergency assistance to Saginaw 
County residents facing hardships.
  Under the leadership of executive director Hurley J. Coleman III and 
deputy director Mary McMath, the Saginaw County Community Action 
Committee remains as committed as ever to the founding mission: 
reducing poverty and expanding opportunity for all Saginaw County 
residents.
  The Saginaw County Community Action Committee has spent the past six 
decades providing resources and support to help families thrive. I 
trust that my Senate colleagues will join me in congratulating the 
SCCAC and thanking everyone who has made this work possible.

                          ____________________