[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20171-20172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    ACE AND TJ RALLY THEIR LISTENERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SUE WILKINS MYRICK

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2005

  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, America is heartbroken by the loss of life 
and property Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have experienced due 
to Hurricane Katrina. It is the largest natural disaster in the history 
of our country. As the people in the effected areas are suffering and 
have called for help, citizens across the country have heard their 
cries and have responded.
  All across America citizens are organizing drives to help people in 
the Gulf States. They are giving money, gathering supplies, and working 
to make sure people displaced from these areas find shelter. I would 
like to recognize one such effort in my hometown of Charlotte, NC.
  Charlotte has 2 very popular radio disc jockey's--Ace and TJ. They 
are two of Louisiana's favorite sons, and in the wake of disaster that 
has effected their home State, and areas around it, they organized one 
of the Nation's fastest and largest private responses to the disaster 
in the Gulf.
  Ace and TJ decided they would do a donation drive for victims of 
Hurricane Katrina, asked their listeners to ``give to the Gulf.'' They 
asked listeners to donate money and supplies such as water, canned 
goods, generators, diapers, and baby wipes for the victims. Their radio 
listener family responded to their call in large numbers.
  Ace, TJ, Madden, Yankee Pete, Ryan, and the local radio station Kiss 
95.1 FM began their donation drive on Monday, August 29, 2005, at noon. 
The response was so overwhelming that they continued to air their 
efforts until midnight that night.
  Ace and TJ, over local 400 volunteers, and local businesses all 
pulled together and worked for more than 4 straight days for hurricane 
victims. They took in the supplies and loaded them onto tractor trailer 
trucks. Local restaurants even chipped in by contributing food for the 
volunteers, and businesses contributed supplies and expertise on how to 
properly load the supplies. The whole Charlotte community pulled 
together for this effort.
  I would also like to point out that their listeners in Chattanooga, 
Tennessee, Beckley and Bluefield, West Virginia, and Birmingham, 
Alabama, also contributed money and supplies to their effort.
  When Ace and TJ first started this drive they thought they would try 
to load up one tractor trailer, and get about $50,000 to contribute to 
hurricane victims. I am happy to say that Ace and TJ's radio listeners 
went above and beyond their first estimates. The listeners poured our 
their hearts and have contributed almost $500,000, and filled up 26 18-
wheeler tractor trailers trucks full of supplies.
  Then, if getting the money and supplies weren't enough, they 
personally ensured that the supplies were driven down to Cenla, 
Louisiana, so they could be used immediately by the evacuees from the 
Gulf area.
  Mr. Speaker, we should not forget the efforts of people like Ace and 
TJ and their volunteers, because in times like these we need to 
recognize them to remind us of what it is to love thy neighbor. I am 
proud of the compassion and generosity of the people I represent in the 
Charlotte area. I am also very proud and grateful to Ace and TJ and 
their radio team for pulling the community together and giving to those 
in need. And as we continue to help those in need, let us not forget 
the

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people who are really helping our fellow citizens. It is not the 
governments, it is the good people across our country like Ace and TJ.

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