[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26288]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BURKE COUNTY FOCUSES ON EDUCATION

  (Mr. McHENRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, the strength of a community is best judged 
by how it deals with and faces adversity. Burke County, North Carolina 
exemplifies and illustrates how strong communities defeat hardship by 
channeling their efforts and resources for improvement.
  When unemployment nearly quadrupled in 5 years, my constituents there 
banded together to build a better future. They recognize that an 
educated workforce is the key to economic growth, so they developed a 
plan to ensure that all high school graduates in the county have the 
opportunity to go to the local community college for a 2-year degree. 
Western Piedmont Community College is that college where they are 
offering it.
  Through the hard work of Arrick Gordon and the Burke Alliance for 
Youth, the Burke Education Endowment Program is nearly at that goal. 
This weekend, the Overmountain Jamboree and Barbecue Cookoff, which 
will combine two powerful forces, North Carolina barbecue and country 
music, will be held this weekend in Morganton, and that will raise the 
final sum needed to provide that much-needed education to the local 
youth. It shows the strength of the community, and it shows the 
strength of the people of North Carolina.

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