[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMENDING ABHISHEK GUPTA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
praise the outstanding accomplishments of a distinguished young man 
from Florida. At the age of 17, Abhishek Gupta has succeeded in making 
a greater contribution towards the alleviation of pain and suffering on 
a global scale than most people can boast of in a lifetime. Last 
November, Abhishek organized 9 other students and initiated a project 
designed to provide humanitarian relief to underprivileged citizens in 
his Southern Florida community and throughout the world.
  In a rare exemplification of compassion and determination, Abhishek, 
a junior at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, created a non-
profit organization called ``Clothes, Food and Education for the Poor 
and Needy.'' Drawing on Abhishek's inspiration, this group worked 
toward the goal of raising $50,000 to provide crucial relief for 
numerous families about whom Abhishek had read in several local 
newspaper articles.
  Abhishek went to work lobbying corporate sponsors to pay for 
operational expenses, and entreating members of his community to help 
him meet his goal. Ultimately, he exceeded his own expectations by 
raising $60,000 in a matter of weeks. He channeled this money toward 
helping impoverished children in Southern Florida and victims of 
Hurricane Mitch in Central America.
  Mr. President, I have always believed that the most effective way to 
give charity is to give time--money comes second. I want to stress that 
Abhishek did not only formulate the infrastructure for raising such a 
lofty sum, he also spent part of his Christmas vacation accompanying a 
medical team to Honduras and Nicaragua in order to contribute 
personally. During his week in Central America, Abhishek helped 
administer food, clothing and medical supplies to the disaster victims, 
and provided direct medical aid to nearly 600 patients who were in dire 
need of treatment.
  ``Clothes, Food and Education for the Poor and Needy'' is continuing 
to collect donations for relief of the downtrodden, and I commend 
Abhishek Gupta for his dedication to such a worthy cause. It is rare 
that so young a citizen can play such a direct role in both reducing 
human pain and suffering, and providing inspiration to old and young 
alike.

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