[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5476]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO NEW LIFE MEMBERS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF GARY, INDIANA BRANCH 
                                OF NAACP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 2002

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize 
and commend the members of the Gary, Indiana, branch of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). On Friday, 
May 3, 2002, the Gary NAACP will hold its 39th Annual Life Membership 
Banquet and Scholarship Dinner at the St. Timothy Community Church in 
Gary, Indiana.
  This annual event is a major fundraiser for the Gary branch of the 
NAACP. The funds generated through this activity, and others like it, 
go directly to the organization's needed programs and advocacy efforts. 
In addition, the dinner serves to update and keep the community aware 
of the activities, accomplishments, and accolades of the local and 
national chapters of the NAACP on an annual basis.
  The featured speaker at this gala event will be Ms. Janette Wilson, 
Director of Community Intervention and Human Relations for the Chicago 
Public School System. She has worked diligently to develop partnerships 
with local schools and public agencies. This network provides mentoring 
programs, community service programs and assistance with after-school 
homework centers.
  This year, the Gary NAACP will honor seven outstanding community 
leaders for their lifelong efforts to further equality in society, as 
well as one sorority. Joining more than four hundred outstanding civil, 
community, and religious leaders of the region, the following 
distinguished individuals will be inducted as life members of the Gary 
NAACP: Larry Pruitt, Willie Watkins, Mary Dennis, Hollis Hite, George 
Tardy, Barbara Bolling, and Cheron Reed. Additionally, the Sigma Phi 
Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., will be 
inducted.
  The Gary NAACP was organized in 1915 by a group of residents that 
felt there was a need for an organization that would monitor and defend 
the rights of African-Americans in Northwest Indiana. The organization 
focuses on providing better and more positive ways of addressing the 
important issues facing minorities in social and job-related settings. 
Along with its national organization, the Gary branch of the NAACP 
serves its community by combating injustice, discrimination, and unfair 
treatment in our society.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in paying tribute to the new life members, as well as the other 
members of the Gary NAACP for the efforts, activities, and leadership 
that these outstanding men and women have championed to improve the 
quality of life for all residents of Indiana's First Congressional 
District.

                          ____________________