[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              WHY ME? CLUB

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KATHERINE HARRIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2003

  Ms. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an extraordinary group 
of high school students, who have set the gold standard for leadership, 
compassion, and selflessness in my hometown of Sarasota, FL.
  In September of 2002, Zak Tanjeloff, a student attending Sarasota 
High School, founded the Why Me? Club to implement his vision of 
providing relief to the poverty-stricken children of South America.
  Demonstrating amazing dedication and skill, Zak and his fellow 
students have organized and managed major relief efforts entirely on 
their own.
  Motivated by a soul-searching question--``Why am I lucky enough to 
live the life I live when so many suffer so greatly throughout the 
world?''--they have collected and delivered medical supplies, school 
supplies, sporting goods, dental supplies, toiletries, toys, and other 
items that most children and adults take for granted to impoverished 
locations in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Surinam.
  While their fellow students vacationed on Florida's beaches during 
Spring Break 2003, the Why Me? Club, in partnership with Operation 
Serving Children, delivered over $100,000 worth of much-needed medical 
supplies to the people of Chisec, Guatemala. Moreover, a second group 
of Why Me? members recently traveled once again to Chisec with yet 
another $100,000 in medical supplies.
  Mr. Speaker, these exceptional young men and women deserve our thanks 
and our acclaim. Their generosity, their global awareness, and their 
commitment to the most vulnerable members of the human family 
demonstrate that the greatest virtues of our Nation still illuminate 
the hopes and dreams of our children.

                          ____________________