[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28035]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                             LUZ BENAVIDES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 2, 1999

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and honor Luz 
Benavides of Corpus Christi, Texas, who has just been awarded the Vida 
De Oro (Life of Gold) Award, bestowed by the American Association of 
Retired People (AARP) to recognize those who offer their time and 
services for the needs of the community.
  I have known Luz Benavides for my entire adult life and she is the 
model of someone who lives a life of gold. She is one of three people 
who will be honored Saturday night at the Omni Bayfront in Corpus 
Christi for making major contributions to the senior community by 
virtue of her everyday hard work, nearly always out of the limelight.
  Luz is 86 years old and a familiar face in the Coastal Bend of Texas, 
for she is involved in a host of activities, including the Nueces 
County Senior Citizens organization, the local AARP chapter, the 
Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Senior Community Services, 
lobbying for issues about which she is passionate, and always helping 
her neighbors in need.
  Luz embodies the powerful instruction of Christianity by visiting the 
sick and helping the needy. She also works with the Salvation Army, 
helping the homeless people in the Corpus Christi area, helping them 
find shelter in the winter months.
  She is a political activist, working tirelessly in issue-related 
campaigns at all levels and on issues that matter to her and which 
affect all of us. She speaks mostly to issues that affect the elderly, 
the disabled and the neglected. Recently, she has lent her voice to the 
nursing home reform campaign in Texas.
  She's never owned or operated a car, which is a tricky business in a 
sprawling city like Corpus Christi. Interestingly, she has never let 
that be an obstacle to the good deeds she does for the people she helps 
on a daily basis. When my mother died, Luz found a way to get from 
Corpus Christi to Robstown, my hometown nearby, to be with me for the 
funeral.
  One of the most important things she does is to encourage people to 
vote and to participate in our democracy. She admonishes people that, 
``Su voto es su voz,'' your vote is your voice. There is no greater 
gift in our democracy and Luz knows that. She will stay at the polls 
the entire day on election day. That is all the more incredible knowing 
that she remains on post from the time the polls open until the time 
they close. She stands the whole time, and unless someone brings her 
food, she doesn't eat.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing a beautiful 
person who is being honored for the everyday work she does for the 
Coastal Bend community, Luz Benavides.

                          ____________________