[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            ON THE OCCASION OF GLADYS BAISA'S 65TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of my most distinguished 
constituents on the occasion of her 65th birthday.
  Gladys Coelho Baisa was born on August 13, 1940 on the Island of 
Maui, Hawaii. She grew up in the plantation camps and can remember a 
time when no door was locked and no one was a stranger. She lost her 
father at an early age was raised by her mother alone. Gladys graduated 
from Maui High School in 1958, where she was class valedictorian and a 
member of the National Honor Society. Two years later she graduated as 
a Practical Licensed Nurse from the St. Francis School of Nursing and 
began her illustrious career as a Licensed Practical Nurse and then a 
private duty nurse.
  In 1967, having taken additional education at Maui Technical School 
in the accounting program, she began at the Maui Memorial Medical 
Center in the billing department. Within two years, Gladys was 
recruited to join the Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Inc., where she 
has been in a leadership position for 36 years and Executive Director 
for 21 years.
  Gladys has demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership since 
taking the reins of MEO in 1984. When she became Executive Director, 
MEO had a budget of $1.9 million and operated 17 programs under three 
major categories: the Community Services Block Grants, Head Start, and 
County of Maui Grants. There were eight key staff members and seven 
supervisors. Today, MEO expects to serve over 20,000 unduplicated 
clients through its programs and community partnerships and has 272 
employees and a budget of $14.5 million.
  Additionally, in 2003, the National Community Action Partnership 
presented Gladys and MEO with its inaugural ``Award of Excellence in 
Community Action'', one of only four agencies to be so honored out of 
over 1,100 community action agencies in the nation.
  Today, under Gladys' vision and enthusiasm, MEO offers job training, 
microenterprise business development, family development programs, 
housing assistance, welfare to work opportunities, Head Start, senior 
citizen programs, medical and life sustaining transportation, 
farmworker employment and training programs, immigrant acculturation, 
food distribution to those in need, youth programs, reintegration of 
inmates back into the community, and many other innovative and far 
reaching programs that have been incorporated into government 
operations and continue to serve the community.
  Gladys wasn't content with just building up MEO. She saw a need to 
develop the not for profit sector on Maui and took an active role in 
the creation of the Maui Non-Profit Directors Association. This 
organization of over 50 dues paying members has become an important 
force in public policy discussions affecting Maui County, and a forum 
for training and information designed to strengthen each agency in 
their mission.
  For almost four decades Gladys has selflessly given her passion, 
energy, and unending desire to assist the people of Maui and Hawaii. 
She has long been a leading source of ``best practices'' management and 
her colleagues honored her with their very first ``Executive Director 
of the Year'' award.
  Gladys will soon retire from MEO for well-deserved rest and time with 
her family. I know this will be merely an informal retirement and she 
will continue to stay involved in assisting the Maui community and will 
continue to live by MEO's motto: ``Helping People. Changing Lives.''
  Hauoli La Hanau, Gladys, and many many more!

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