[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HAND-IN-HAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2006

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Hand-in-Hand, an 
organization that seeks to break down barriers by uniting the entire 
Saint Joseph's University community, area volunteers, and the disabled 
communities of the tri-state region. Saint Joseph's University was 
founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 and is home to 3,450 full-time 
undergraduates and 2,900 graduate and nontraditional students. The 
University's strong liberal arts tradition is marked by rigorous and 
open-minded inquiry, high academic standards, and the development of 
the whole person.
   Hand-in-Hand was founded by George Carasiti, a Saint Joseph's of 
1978 graduate. Hand-in-Hand brings to campus approximately 450 area 
people with mental and physical handicaps and 750 local high school 
students who have volunteered to be their buddies for the day. The high 
school students also pair with Saint Joseph's students from various 
campus organizations, sports teams, and fraternities and sororities who 
in turn, run game booths, play music, and serve as mascots and buddies 
for their annual event.
   Hand-in-Hand earned a 1988 Presidential Citation from the White 
House Office of Private Sector Initiatives for ``outstanding 
contributions to the American spirit of volunteerism and community 
action.'' Also honored by the Montgomery County Association for 
Retarded Citizens and the Elwyn Institute, Hand-in-Hand is the model 
for similar festivals at 10 other colleges and universities, including 
the University of Scranton, Johns Hopkins University, and Georgetown 
University. Additionally Saint Joseph's Office of Student Leadership 
and Activities named Hand-in-Hand the best student organization in 2000 
and again in 2004.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring 
Hand-in-Hand for their efforts to change the mindsets, open hearts, 
enrich lives, and break down the barriers of fears and ignorance that 
have isolated people with disabilities from the rest of American 
society.

                          ____________________