[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1786-1787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING SHANNON AND LEE CARTER AS THEY RECEIVE CINCINNATI UNITED WAY'S 
                    2002 ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 27, 2003

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor two dear friends and 
constituents, Shannon and Lee Carter, recipients of Cincinnati United 
Way's 2002 Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award. The award, which honors 
Lee and Shannon's extraordinary philanthropic leadership, will be 
presented on January 30, 2003 at the Cincinnati Club.
  Lee and Shannon Carter are a dynamic couple who make our community a 
better place. They have vision, creativity, energy, and a special 
commitment and exceptional dedication to helping at-risk children.
  Shannon Carter's Leadership Cincinnati class originated the idea for 
Crayons to Computers, a free store for teachers, and she was the 
driving force behind it. Shannon worked with the FreeStore Food Bank, 
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and Cincinnati's corporate community to 
get the program up and running. The store opened in February, 1997, and 
since then it has provided teachers with over $15 million in supplies 
to over 75,000 children. Before founding Crayons to Computers, Shannon 
was a successful businesswoman and donated her time and many talents to 
the Cincinnati community, including the Cincinnati Ballet; Children's 
Hospital Medical Center; the

[[Page 1787]]

Greater Cincinnati Foundation; and the Taft Museum. A Cincinnati 
native, Shannon has been honored by the Cincinnati Enquirer as a Woman 
of the Year, received the Junior League's first Columbia Cup, and 
Family Circle magazine's first annual Halo award. Shannon and Lee have 
been married 24 years and have two sons, Gunner and Cody. It is easy to 
see why Shannon's motto is ``Be kind and other-oriented.''
  When Lee Carter retired as a very successful marketing executive, he 
did not retire from his active involvement in the community he loves. 
Lee has served as Chairman of the Board, Children's Hospital Medical 
Center; Executive Committee Member, Every Child Succeeds; Steering 
Committee Member, Success by Six; Founder and President, Art Links; and 
Board Member, Family Service Foundation. Lee credits his father's 
public service with inspiring his own commitment, and says his 
involvement brings him enjoyment by helping to create a better 
Cincinnati for all of us. Every Child Succeeds is an organization 
especially close to Lee's heart. Lee has called Every Child Succeeds 
absolutely vital to the future of our area, because we can make an 
enormous difference in the lives of children if we reach them early.
  All of us in Greater Cincinnati congratulate Shannon and Lee on 
receiving this prestigious award, and thank them for their commitment 
to our community.

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