[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3109-3110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      MELHA SHRINERS--CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 2004

  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary 
of the Melha Shrine Circus of Springfield. For 50 years the Melha 
Shriners have proudly presented this show as a great and historic form 
of family entertainment.

[[Page 3110]]

  The Shriners have done this for the past half of a century in order 
to raise money to fund their marching units and other community 
activities in western Massachusetts. These events are meant to maintain 
their visibility and presence in the community so that they can 
continue to support their main message about their hospital work.
  Beyond merely putting on a circus to entertain families across 
western Massachusetts, these philanthropists also always perform what 
they like to call ``The Community Service Show.'' For this event they 
donate all of the almost 5,000 tickets to the circus to various 
community service groups who deal with children, adults, and families 
in need of aid. By bringing a little extra light into the lives of 
people down on their luck the Melha Shriners simply show that they are 
willing to take the extra step to give back to the community in which 
they live and work without asking anything in return.
  It is a great honor to be able to rise today and commend this giving 
group of people from Springfield, Massachusetts. Their commitment to 
family entertainment and charity is admirable and sets an excellent 
example to others. This spring the Melha Shriners will go out with 
their circus tent. And this spring for the 50th year in a row, they 
will bring laughs to children, smiles to adults, and they will give 
back to the community as only they can do. I am proud to be a long-time 
supporter of the Melha Shriners, and so I wish you luck with the circus 
this year and hope for 50 more years of the Shriners.

                          ____________________