[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14201]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            HEALTH CARE HERO

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, 5 years ago, the State of Oregon witnessed 
one of the greatest tragedies in its 150 year history--a senseless 
school shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield. The shock waves 
from that awful event still reverberate in our State and in our 
schools. But as so often happens in the face of great evil, good people 
stand together in grief to create hope for a better future.
  In the case of the Thurston shooting, that beacon of hope is the 
Ribbon of Promise campaign. Five years after the shooting, the campaign 
is continuing its work to prevent school violence. Because of the 
impact the campaign has made and the lives it has saved, I rise today 
to recognize this program and its volunteers as a Health Care Hero for 
Oregon.
  The Ribbon of Promise National Campaign to Prevent School Violence 
was founded on May 22, 1998, the day after the Thurston shooting. 
Thurston was one of several school attacks occurring across the Nation, 
from Pearl, MS, to Jonesboro, AR. While still in the throes of grief, 
the Springfield community decided enough was enough and began the work 
of preventing future attacks.
  Overnight, the Springfield area bloomed with miles of blue plastic 
ribbons decorating cars, mailboxes, lampposts, trees and lapels, 
signaling the community's support for the victims and their families. 
The ribbons promised to end the specter of school violence, a promise 
repeated at candlelight vigils, community gatherings, and funerals.
  But the promise didn't end when the media attention subsided. The 
ribbons were woven together into a grassroots organization dedicated to 
making a national impact on the problem of school violence. The 
resulting campaign, the Ribbon of Promise, identified its mission as 
bringing communities together with schools, law enforcement, and the 
juvenile justice system to prevent school violence. Today, the 
organization continues to fill its role by acting as resource for 
communication, education, and action against future attacks.
  Since the campaign's inception, the ribbons have appeared in many 
important places. President Clinton wore one when he traveled to Eugene 
for a Thurston memorial service. NASA crewmember Wendy Lawrence took 
the ribbon on the shuttle Discovery in 1998. Since that time, over 
250,000 lapel ribbons have been distributed across the world.
  Results of the campaign have been tremendous. The group's web site 
has become a primary resource for violence prevention information. 
Springfield High School's DECA class developed a video called By Kids 4 
Kids, launching the student arm of the campaign. This important 
program, also known as BK4K is teaching students to speak out when they 
hear threats of violence. This information, spread from student to 
student, is often the only way schools, parents, and law enforcement 
have the opportunity to prevent violent attacks. The BK4K campaign is 
changing the student culture of our Nation, teaching kids to break 
their code of silence in order to save lives.
  Scores of other campaign accomplishments include a parent information 
program, a network of 24-hour report hotlines across the country, and 
continued research on the problem of school violence. While there 
remains much work to be done, the accomplishments of the Ribbon of 
Promise campaign are very real. But the best result of their work is 
the safe return of students at the end of each schoolday.
  Oregon continues to mourn for the victims of the Thurston shooting. 
But we also have hope that through the efforts of this outstanding 
organization, further violence in our State has been prevented. I thank 
all the volunteers and staff of this great campaign and designate the 
Ribbon of Promise as a Health Care Hero for Oregon.

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