[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16526]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE D.J. JACOBETTI HOME FOR VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2006

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
institution in my district that serves those who have served the rest 
of us. The D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette, MI, is 
celebrating its 25th Anniversary Rededication next month. My district 
is home to more veterans than any other Congressional District in 
Michigan. As such, the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans has been 
indispensable to many of my constituents.
  The D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans was rededicated in 1981 and was 
named after Dominic J. Jacobetti, the longstanding Chair of the 
Michigan House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. 
Representative Jacobetti was widely acknowledged as an effective 
advocate for veterans and for all of northern Michigan.
  Before this important facility was established in Michigan's Upper 
Peninsula (U.P.), the only places for a U.P. veteran to go for long-
term care were Michigan's Lower Peninsula or Wisconsin. Only after 
veterans organizations in the Upper Peninsula advocated for and 
requested this facility did the state of Michigan, with help from the 
Federal Government, establish the Jacobetti Home for Veterans. With the 
establishment of the Jacobetti Home for Veterans, Michigan became one 
of the first states to have two full-service, long-term care facilities 
for veterans.
  It is important to note that the Jacobetti Home prides itself on 
truly being a home, not just a long-term care facility. The fact that 
the Jacobetti Home refers to its residents as ``members'' reflects the 
philosophy that has guided the Jacobetti Home over the last 25 years. 
The staff of the Jacobetti Home does not refer to residents as 
``patients'' or ``guests,'' but as ``members,'' a title that 
underscores that residents of the Jacobetti Home for Veterans truly 
belong to a larger U.P. community.
  The Jacobetti Home provides a ceramic shop, chapel, puzzle room and a 
solarium. The staff and veteran volunteers of the D.J. Jacobetti Home 
for Veterans provide members with outings and classes almost daily. 
With the help of volunteers, watercolor, woodworking, and sewing 
classes are offered as are shopping trips, picnics, and a host of other 
activities.
  As of May of this year, the Jacobetti Home for Veterans had served 
1,950 members. This impressive number is a glowing testament to the 
hard work and dedication of the Jacobetti staff who have been tireless 
in their efforts to serve Upper Peninsula veterans.
  Dr. James Heron deserves enormous credit for leading the Jacobetti 
Home for nearly two decades in a dual capacity as both Director and 
Medical Administrator. Brad Slagle, the Director of the facility since 
August of 2005, deserves our support as he leads the organization into 
the future.
  As the 25th anniversary of the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans draws 
near, I would also like to salute the great number of individuals who 
volunteer thousands of hours each year to keep the Jacobetti Home for 
Veterans running. Almost every year, I attend the Jacobetti Home for 
Veterans' annual volunteer appreciation banquet to recognize the 
countless hours volunteers at the Jacobetti Home give to this veterans 
facility. I am pleased to note the roster of volunteers grows every 
year. Only a few years ago, area citizens contributed 10,000 volunteer 
hours per year to the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans. Today, 
volunteer hours have increased to approximately 14,000 hours per year.
  Volunteers help with the annual Jacobetti trip to the U.P. State 
Fair, as well as dinner nights and fishing trips. Volunteers put on 
Christmas parties, New Year's parties, Vegas nights and bingo. The 
Jacobetti woodshop is run by volunteers. Volunteers are also critical 
to the fundraisers that keep the Jacobetti Home operational. So, as all 
of the Upper Peninsula prepares to celebrate this 25th Anniversary, I 
tip my hat to the many volunteers who contribute so much personal time 
to make the Jacobetti Home such a special place for our veterans to 
live.
  These values of volunteerism, community and a responsibility to those 
who have sacrificed for our country are just a few of the things that 
make the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans special. Mr. Speaker, as we 
honor our brave fighting men and women serving abroad in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, it is important that we not forget them when they return 
home. In that spirit, for 25 years now, the Jacobetti facility has 
truly been a home for those who have served our country. Given the 
unique spirit of volunteerism and community service exhibited by the 
staff and volunteers of the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans, I know we 
can expect the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans to be serving today's 
soldiers, when they are tomorrow's veterans, 25 years from now.
  Mr. Speaker, I close by asking that you and the U.S. House of 
Representatives join me in paying tribute to the D.J. Jacobetti Home 
for Veterans, a facility that truly serves those who have served all of 
us. In this time of conflict, it is more vital than ever that we retain 
those values of volunteerism, community and responsibility--values that 
the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans truly exemplifies.

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