[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 25]
[Senate]
[Page 34253]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO FIVE VERMONT COMMUNITY LEADERS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, today I would like to make you 
aware of five individuals who were recently recognized at the Central 
Vermont Community Action Council's annual meeting.
  Sergio Colon moved to White River Junction with his two adopted sons 
after his community in Port Charlotte, FL, was devastated by Hurricane 
Charlie in 2004. A single father working hard to make ends meet, Sergio 
at one point was forced to move his family to a homeless shelter in 
Vermont. Yet, even while his family relied on social services to get 
by, he volunteered for multiple organizations just as he had always 
done in Florida. Sergio has since returned to college to work on his 
psychology degree and is currently looking for a job in human services 
so he can continue to help people who are struggling.
  Borgi von Trapp has been a leader in her community for many years. In 
1993, Borgi, a mother of six children, founded Children First, an 
organization devoted to designing and implementing creative educational 
environments for children. A year later, she helped develop the Mad 
River Green Farmers' Market, a successful incubator for locally owned, 
innovative, healthy, and creative businesses. Since then it has grown 
to include more than 50 full time vendors and over 12,000 customers per 
season. Borgi is a model of community leadership and creative learning.
  Sherrie Pomainville was a single mother for 22 years, raising four 
children on a minimum-wage salary. She knew the value of education and 
worked to obtain it. With the help of the Reach Up Program, she was one 
of the first clients to successfully complete the postsecondary 
Education program and earn a bachelor's degree in social work. In 2002, 
Sherrie graduated cum laude and was on the National Association for 
Social Workers Board for 3 years. This has allowed her to make a better 
life for herself and her children, while at the same time giving back 
to the community that helped her. She currently works for various 
community organizations in southwestern Vermont.
  Jessica Kelley has been actively involved as a parent volunteer in 
Head Start and an important advocate for children and families in her 
community. She has served on the Head Start Policy Council for the past 
2 years and last year was elected the parent representative of the 
Vermont Head Start Association. In this role, Jessica attends statewide 
meetings and participates in policy discussions and initiatives, such 
as parent leadership, Head Start reauthorization, and No Child Left 
Behind legislation.
  Lydia Chartier is a tireless community leader in the Northeast 
Kingdom of Vermont. Presently, she donates most of her time to Lincoln 
Center Child Care, where she uses her own vast experience to assist 
support staff and other volunteers. She also serves as an invaluable 
resource to the Lincoln Center's staff. In addition, Lydia volunteers 
at her church, her son's school, and on many other community projects. 
If there is a good community event happening, there can be little doubt 
that Lydia is aware of it and promoting it. But most of all, Lydia is 
dedicated to ending poverty and doing whatever it takes to help those 
in need.
  The quality of life in Vermont, and in our Nation, is strengthened by 
individuals like these five community leaders, men and women who work 
to improve our communities and who strive to give back to the places in 
which they live. I commend their great contributions and the 
contributions of many like them across the nation to our American 
society.

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