[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3017-3018]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNITION OF MERCER AND MONROE COUNTIES AS BEST COMMUNITIES FOR YOUTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 31, 2007

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of two 
counties in my district, Mercer and Monroe, which have recently 
received the honor as two of the Nation's ``100 Best Communities for 
Youth for 2007'' by the Alliance for Youth. This is the second such 
award for Mercer County, which was also honored last year.
  These counties competed against hundreds of communities in the 50 
States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, who were all vying for the unique distinction.
  This award is well-deserved, as these communities have dedicated 
themselves to fostering a healthy, safe, and caring environment for our 
young people. I share this vision, and am deeply honored to have the 
only two localities in West Virginia recognized located in my district.
  I pledge to continue my work to make the communities of the Third 
District a healthy and nurturing environment for our children, by 
supporting legislation that will keep our children safe. Last year, I 
supported legislation to better fund our law enforcement. I also 
supported the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, a 
bill that will protect children and save countless lives by 
dramatically improving efforts against sex offenders and violent 
criminals. In addition, I took action in the House of Representatives 
to protect West Virginia children from Internet predators, voting in 
support of the Deleting Online Predators Act and similar legislation.
  While these steps are significant, it is by far the end of our work. 
As the folks of Mercer and Monroe Counties can attest, we must never 
waver from our commitment to our youth. As much as we accomplish, we 
must always strive to do better.
  West Virginia native and renowned author Pearl S. Buck once said, 
``If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.''

[[Page 3018]]

  These are words to live by, words that Mercer and Monroe Counties are 
living by today. I again commend the entire community--the teachers, 
the civic leaders, the parents and the children as well, who are all so 
very bright--for the hard work they have done and continue to do.
  I encourage other communities in the Third District and across West 
Virginia and our Nation to follow the fine example set by Mercer and 
Monroe Counties. As the Alliance for Youth said, ``They are shining 
examples of what it means to keep America's promise to our young 
people.''

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