[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16751]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING PRESA COMMUNITY CENTER FOR 30 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 20, 2007

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Presa 
Community Center on 30 years of outstanding service to the Southside 
community of San Antonio.
  In 30 years, the Presa Community Center has grown from a small 
collaborative effort between five local churches able to lend a hand to 
a few needy families to an organization with the ability to help 
hundreds of people daily. The Presa Community Center has successfully 
developed multi-faceted programs for our community, including 
educational enrichment programs for students, emergency food and 
clothing assistance for families, free tax preparation through the 
Volunteer Income Tax Program, and many senior programs like coordinated 
transportation to medical appointments, activities and food assistance, 
just to name a few.
  Just in the past year, Presa Community Center has developed three 
innovative programs to provide additional services to the community of 
South San Antonio. One is Project Drive to Live which takes court 
officials directly into the classrooms with senior and junior high 
students to address underage drinking and driving under the influence. 
The second program is designed to keep fourth through sixth grade 
students in school by building a support network for children and their 
parents with volunteer mentors and staff. The third program brings the 
services of the Presa Community Center directly into the community by 
teaming up trained volunteers with families in need to help locate 
available resources and become financially stable.
  The successes of the Presa Community Center are a result of effective 
partnership with many community organizations and local governments 
including United Way, University of Incarnate Word, Presa Real, San 
Antonio Independent School District, Alamo Area Council of Governments, 
Warm Spring Rehabilitation Hospital, and San Antonio City and Bexar 
County officials.
  Congratulations to the Presa Community Center and all of the partners 
that have been vital to the development of this community resource. As 
a resident of South San Antonio, I would like to thank the Presa 
Community Center, its partner organizations, and all the hard working 
staff for their 30 years of dedication to the community and I look 
forward to many more years of continued work in our community.

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