[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20003]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 HONORING JERRY POOLE ON HIS RECEPTION OF THE DOROTHY RICHARDSON AWARD 
                        FOR RESIDENT LEADERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2001

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to an outstanding member of the New Haven, Connecticut 
community and my dear friend, Jerry Poole. Jerry was recently honored 
here in Washington by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation with 
the Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership.
  Dorothy Richardson emerged as a community resident leader in the mid-
1960s in response to an urban renewal effort that threatened her 
neighborhood. Her diligent work with lenders city officials, foundation 
heads, community organizers, and her neighbors served as the vehicle to 
improve her neighborhood's housing stock. She later founded the first 
Neighborhood Housing Service in Pittsburgh and served as a model for 
the development of NHS partnerships across the nation. Each year the 
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation honors individuals who reflect 
the character and spirit of Dorothy Richardson. Jerry is one of only 
nine selected from thousands of volunteers in the 1,800 communities 
across the country served by the NeighborWorks network of nonprofit 
organizations for this prestigious national recognition.
  Jerry has been the Executive Director of New Haven's Opportunities 
Industrialization Centers of America for the last fifteen years. He has 
dedicated his professional career to ensuring that the unemployed find 
work. His incredible dedication has opened up employment opportunities 
for thousands throughout Greater New Haven. In addition to his 
professional career, Jerry has spent innumerable hours working with his 
neighbors and community leaders to change the face of the West River 
neighborhood--giving residents a renewed sense of pride and hope in 
this community.
  A dynamic neighborhood leader, Jerry's vision and tenacity has not 
only made a real difference in the West River Neighborhood but across 
the State of Connecticut. It was only eight short years ago that he 
joined the West River Neighborhood Association, a group of residents 
dedicated to improving their community. When they first started, the 
Association was a group of neighbors who met regularly at each others 
homes and never had much more than one hundred dollars in their 
checking account. Based on Jerry's simple belief that residents should 
give ten percent of their time to their neighbors, the group developed 
a strategic plan that is now coming to fruition. Under his leadership, 
the West River Neighborhood Association focused their attention on an 
ambitious plan. Partnering with the City of New Haven and the Mutual 
Housing Association of Southern Connecticut, the group worked hard on 
plans for the West River Memorial Park and to rehabilitate housing 
along George Street--a section of their neighborhood that had lacked 
attention for years. I had the opportunity to work closely with Jerry 
and his group to bring federal funding to the West River Memorial Park 
project and earlier this year, the West River neighborhood Association 
joined Mutual housing in breaking ground on a $1.3 million 
rehabilitation project on blighted properties.
  The commitment and dedication Jerry has shown to our community and to 
the State of Connecticut is unquestionable. His advocacy and strong 
voice have gone a long way in enriching the lives of his neighbors and 
their families. I am honored to stand today to join with his wife, 
Joyce, daughter, Summerleigh, family, friends, and the New Haven 
community in congratulating Jerry Poole on this very special occasion.

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