[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATIONS TO PAMELA CRUZ AND MATTHEW COPUS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HEATHER WILSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 1999

  Mrs. WILSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Pamela Cruz 
and Matthew Copus, who have achieved national recognition for exemplary 
volunteer service in their community. Pamela and Matthew have been 
named New Mexico's top two student volunteers in the 1999 Prudential 
Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the 
most impressive student volunteers in each state, the District of 
Columbia and Puerto Rico.
  The program that brought these young role models to our attention--
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by the 
Prudential Insurance Company of America in partnership with the 
National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1995 to impress 
upon all youth volunteers that their contributions are critically 
important and highly valued, and to inspire other young people to 
follow their example. This program is the nation's largest youth 
recognition effort based solely on community service, with more than 
50,000 young people participating.
  I applaud Pamela and Matthew for their initiative in seeking to make 
their community a better place to live, and for the positive impact 
they have had on the lives of others. They have demonstrated a level of 
commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's 
world, and deserve our sincere admiration and respect. Their actions 
show that young Americans can--and do--play important roles in our 
communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold 
tremendous promise for the future.
  I am proud that these two outstanding young people are from the 
district which I represent, the first district of New Mexico and 
encourage them to continue to be leaders involved in the improvement of 
their community.

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