[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      HONORING JOELLE MARTINEZ OF THE SANTA FE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, for the past 13 years, the 
Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club on Alto Street has been a source of 
inspiration for Joelle Martinez. On March 16, 2001, Ms. Martinez was 
rewarded for her hard work and determination when she was named the 
Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year.
  The Youth of the Year program serves to recognize outstanding young 
people for their superior leadership skills, academic achievements, 
triumph over personal hardships, as outstanding contributions to the 
community.
  Ms. Martinez had to endure a rigorous selection process in which she 
submitted a packet that included essays regarding her involvement at 
school, in church, with her family, and at the Boys and Girls Club to 
show her leadership skills within the community. After her packet was 
evaluated, seven judges, most of whom were Boys and Girls Club Board of 
Directors, conducted interviews and selected Ms. Martinez for the 
award.
  Ms. Martinez, a senior at Calvary Chapel Christian Academy, first 
came to the Boys and Girls Club when she was five years old, and she 
has actively participated ever since.
  Over the years, Ms. Martinez has participated in numerous activities 
aimed at keeping at-risk students involved in the community and off the 
streets. She has been involved in basketball, swimming, photography, 
wrestling, dancing and cheerleading. Today, Ms. Martinez is a staff 
member of the Boys and Girls Club, working with the children of Santa 
Fe each day after school.
  Ms. Martinez played varsity basketball at Calvary Chapel and was 
selected to the All-Star team. She is a member of the National Honor 
Society, successfully maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average. 
Recently, Ms. Martinez went on a mission trip to Spain, France and 
England with Calvary Chapel, and she continues to work with the 
Keystone Club, a teen organization aimed at philanthropy in the 
community.
  As part of her award, Ms. Martinez received a $4,000 scholarship to 
use at the college or university of her choice. She has already made 
plans for her future, looking at several New Mexico colleges and a few 
out-of-state Christian schools to continue her education, where she 
will pursue a degree in either Computer Science or Criminal Justice.
  Ms. Martinez is living proof of how the Boys and Girls Clubs of 
America impact the lives of children in communities throughout the 
nation. They develop a solid foundation of positive moral and ethical 
values for our youths. The five Boys and Girls Clubs in Santa Fe County 
alone have more than 2,500 members and serve more than 55,000 people in 
the community.
  Today, the Boys and Girls Clubs provide children of working parents 
with after-school alternatives to drugs and violence, yet President 
Bush's budget cuts funding from these programs. His plan would 
extinguish a flame that has been lighting the County of Santa Fe for 
more than 60 years, seriously impacting the community. I hope there 
will be sufficient funding so that future generations have the 
opportunity to work with mentors like Ms. Martinez, who provide beacons 
of light that guide the way for other youth across the country.

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