[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15] [Senate] [Pages 20996-20997] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]BOSTON CELTICS ``HEROES AMONG US'' AWARDS 2007 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, all of us in Massachusetts are proud of the Boston Celtics. The team is one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, and its players are also impressive leaders in the community. Each year, the Celtics honor outstanding persons in New England as ``Heroes Among Us''--men and women who have made an especially significant impact on the lives of others. The award, now in its 10th year, recognizes men and women who stand tall in service to their community. The extraordinary achievements of this year's honorees include saving lives, sacrificing for others, overcoming obstacles to achieve goals, and lifelong commitments to improving the lives of those around them. The winners include persons of all ages and all walks of life--students, community leaders, founders of nonprofit organizations, member of the clergy, and many others. At home games during the season each year, the Celtics and their fans salute the efforts of various honorees in special presentation to them on the basketball court. So far, over 500 persons have received the ``Heroes Among Us'' award during the past decade. The award has become one of the most widely recognized honors in New England. I commend each of the honorees for the 2006 to 2007 season, and I ask unanimous consent to have their names, their achievements, and their communities printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Hero Among Us Award Recipients 2006-2007 Arnold ``Red'' Auerbach (Boston, MA) founded the Red Auerbach Youth Foundation in 1985 to encourage the healthy development of children. Ayman Kafel (Sharon, MA) as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, served on the Military Police Headquarters' Task Force and later on the Protective Service Security Squad during his one year tour in Iraq. David Youngerman (Hudson, MA) was chosen to be the Child Ambassador for this year's Miles for Miracles Walk for his recovery from Moyamoya Disease. Catherine Pisacane (Hopedale, MA) is the founder and executive director of Project Smile, a non-profit organization that collects stuffed animals for police officers, fire fighters and paramedics to give to children. Helen Ford (Cambridge, MA) worked 28 years in security for the Cambridge School Department. Eric Christopher (Melrose, MA) has been with the Gloucester Fire Department for 8 years and in January went into a fire without protective gear to save the life of a woman trapped in a blaze. Lawanda Myrick (Dorchester, MA) has been a committed parent, employee and advocate for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Lynn Dadekian (Worcester, MA) volunteered to donate her liver for a chance for her ailing father to live. Robbie and Brittany Bergquist (Norwell, MA) started the ``Cell Phones for Soldiers'' campaign, which has collected over $1,000,000 and has sent more than 80,000 calling cards to troops in the Middle East. Corp. Gregory M. Chartier (East Templeton, MA) upon returning from Afghanistan, volunteered to be deployed to Iraq to help create a local police force. Brian Binette (Saco, ME) was born with cerebral palsy, but has overcome this challenge and will begin a career at the Saco Island School in Maine as a mentor, assistant teacher and head of the school's monthly newsletter. Clementina Chery (Dorchester, MA) co-founded the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and also founded the Mothers' Walk for Peace, an annual walk now in its tenth year. Benjamin Smith (Springfield, MA) is the executive director of Dream Studios Inc., to introduce urban youth to the performing arts and provide mentoring to strengthen their academic skills. Alan Borgal (Boston, MA) has spent the last 31 years with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, working tirelessly for the care and protection of animals. Dick Arieta (Kingston, MA) has been the head basketball coach at Silver Lake Regional High School since 1970 and has instilled his values of sportsmanship, hard work and teamwork to all he has coached. Dante Carroccia (Johnston, RI) single-handedly assisted a man injured in an automobile accident and saved his life. Helen Lamb (Boston, MA) founded ``Camp Jabberwocky'' in 1953, which has brought the simple joys of childhood to thousands of children with disabilities. Seth Lampert (Sudbury, MA) earned the Volunteer of the Year Award from Easter Seals for his fundraising efforts for the annual Easter Seals Shootout. Kevin Sullivan (Carver, MA) moved his truck to absorb the impact of a speeding truck heading directly towards a highway work crew and a police officer on duty, probably saving their lives. Jennifer Putnam (Wellesley, MA) a volunteer for Horizons for Homeless Children, has spearheaded the preparation of annual feasts for hundreds of homeless children and their families. Danny Vierra (Somerville, MA) is a Transit Police Officer who pulled a man from the railroad tracks before a speeding train could hit him. Brooke Rallis (Hampton, NH) is one of only seven people to have overcome the type of extreme spinal injury she suffered and has since dedicated her life to inspire others through the power of faith, courage, and tenacity. Marilyn Smith (Medford, MA) has given foster care to over 70 children and was recognized as the Massachusetts Foster Parent of the Year. Eric Weihenmayer (Amelia Island, FL) is the only blind person to have climbed the tallest peak on each of the seven continents. He also led a group of blind teenagers up Mount Everest, higher than any blind group had ever climbed before. Rob McCormick (Norton, MA) a former Navy Rescue Swimmer, was driving home from work when he saw a house in flames and saved two people trapped inside. Cheryl Durant (Mattapan, MA) is a foster mother who has taken in more than 25 teenage girls over the past 20 years. Jason Schappert (Lakeville, MA), without regard for his own safety, crossed thin ice to rescue a man who had fallen into a freezing pond. Ralph Marche (Tewksbury, MA) and Anthony Santilli (Woburn, MA) co-founded the New England Winter Sports Clinic for Disabled Veterans which enables these veterans to enjoy skiing and snowboarding despite their disabilities. Carla Lynton (Brookline, MA) has spent more than 22,000 hours volunteering with the deaf-blind community at Perkins School for the Blind over the past 33 years. Michael Dennehy (Newton, MA) was named the director of Boston University's Upward Bound program eight years ago and under his leadership, 95% of his students have pursued higher education. Stefan Nathanson (Newton, MA) is the founder of The Room to Dream Foundation, a local charity whose mission is to create healing environments for children facing chronic and debilitating illnesses. Dylan DeSilva (Brewster, MA) at age 12 founded ``Cape Cod Cares For Our Troops,'' which has sent over 1,500 care packages and raised over $40,000 for our soldiers in Iraq. John Duffy (Winchester, MA) since 1997 has taken students to Peru to install solar panels to provide power for medical clinics in remote villages. John Gonsalves (Taunton, MA) is the president and founder of Homes for our Troops, which has collected over $10 million in donations to build adaptive homes for severely wounded veterans. Sean Cronk (Everett, MA) overcame the challenge of being born with cerebral palsy and scored two critical free throws in Everett High School's league championship basketball game. [[Page 20997]] Kevin Whalen (Danvers, MA) raised money and donated three months of his salary to aid an Iraq veteran displaced by Hurricane Rita who gave birth to a premature baby that needed 24-hour care at Children's Hospital. Officer Michael Briggs (Manchester, NH) a Manchester, NH police officer, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Rick Phelps (Hanson, MA) rushed into a burning house to save four girls trapped by a fire. Kathy Savage (Revere, MA), a dedicated volunteer for Special Olympics of Massachusetts since 1985, was named Special Olympics Volunteer Medical Chair and has helped countless athletes to compete. Billy Starr (Needham, MA) founded the Pan Mass Challenge with 35 friends in 1980, which has raised over $100 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Deborah Weaver (Cambridge, MA) is the founder and Executive Director of Girls LEAP, a free self-defense and safety- awareness program for girls aged 8-18 in low-income communities in Greater Boston. ____________________