[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE FOR THE EFFORTS OF OPERATION MISSISSIPPI CHRISTMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Katrina crashed into the heart of 
the Gulf Coast on the morning of August 29, 2005, forever altering the 
landscape of New Orleans and the surrounding cities and towns, as well 
as the lives of those who called the region their home. It has taken 
the hands and efforts of many Americans of goodwill to help alleviate 
the hardships faced during this trying time.
  Rebuilding the post-Katrina Gulf Coast has not been, and will not be, 
easy. Yet in the midst of one of the country's greatest natural 
disasters, countless selfless individuals have worked to create a sense 
of normalcy for those who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.
  Operation Mississippi Christmas was one such organized effort working 
out of St. Mary's County, Maryland, in my Congressional District. The 
members of Operation Mississippi Christmas volunteered their time and 
efforts in order to give the children of D'Iberville, Mississippi a 
much-deserved and enjoyable Christmas season. It is a privilege to be 
able to recognize the faith and determination of these men and women, 
as well as their dedication to such a worthwhile project.
  Members of the St. Mary's Hurricane Relief Fund kicked off their 
efforts with a gift drive spanning the entirety of St. Mary's County. 
The generosity of the residents of St. Mary's County was uplifting; all 
but eight of more than a thousand boxes passed out for adoption of the 
younger children of D'Iberville were returned with gifts. This feat can 
only be attributed to the great sense of humanity shared by the 
residents of St. Mary's.
  The original plan for transporting the gifts was to organize a C-130 
air transport mission, but this plan was abandoned for lack of 
certainty of plane availability and impending inclement weather. 
Undaunted, the volunteers were able to obtain two tractor trailers 
generously donated by the Bailey family and the defense systems company 
BAE at the last minute, which allowed them to transfer even more 
supplies to D'Iberville than the original airlift would have.
  The organizers of Operation Mississippi Christmas laid out plans for 
a December 12 delivery of the goods and stuck to this plan with such 
tenacity that there was never any doubt of their success. On December 
10, the loaded tractor trailers set out for Mississippi, while a team 
of eight St. Mary's Hurricane Relief volunteers flew commercially to 
Jackson and then drove the remaining 170 miles to D'Iberville.
  The volunteers then presented the gifts to local children during a 
celebration in the D'Iberville Elementary School gymnasium that 
included food and a special appearance from Santa. The younger children 
received the presents donated by St. Mary's County residents and the 
upper middle and high school students received gift cards.
  In addition to gifts for the town's children, the St. Mary's 
volunteers were also able to donate supplies sorely needed by the city 
of D'Iberville, including school supplies, first aid kits, computer 
systems, and medical supplies.
  Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful that the efforts of so few were able to 
bring such joy to so many, and these efforts would not have been 
possible without the hard work and dedication to public service 
exhibited by the St. Mary's Hurricane Relief Fund. Today I honor the 
amazing fortitude of these individuals and would like to thank them for 
their contribution towards bringing a much-needed sense of hope back to 
the Gulf Coast.

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