[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14541-14542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ``KIDS IN MOTION''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENNY C. HULSHOF

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2008

  Mr. HULSHOF. Madam Speaker, in my 12 years in Congress, I have been 
privileged to work with numerous organizations throughout my 
congressional district; agencies that are making an impact in the 
future of their communities. It is in that vein that today I wish to 
recognize Kids In Motion for their service to Hannibal, Missouri.
  Twelve years ago, local law enforcement officials and concerned 
citizens of Hannibal met to discuss reported gang activity in the town. 
As a result of the meeting, several leaders in the community took upon 
themselves the responsibility and initiative to create this program, 
Kids In Motion, as a program designed to combat these problems. While 
several local volunteers stepped up to make KIM a success, I 
specifically remember meeting numerous times with Marilyn Cohn and 
Sherri Steinmann, two local business and community leaders who 
dedicated many of their weeks, months, and even years in the program's 
infancy to make sure this effort was a success.
  KIM is designed as a pre-employment and life success training program 
for at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 15 years old. KIM's 
mission is a simple, yet important, one for the region. The program 
teaches teens and pre-teens to value work, value their community, and 
to value their future. Youth are provided transportation to and from 
their project

[[Page 14542]]

sites, and they also receive breakfast and lunch. In Hannibal, KIM has 
partnered with the local Parks and Recreation Department, Tourism 
Bureau, Public School District, Housing Authority, and other civic 
groups and agencies in summer projects to benefit the community.
  I've had the privilege of speaking at several KIM programs in the 
past, encouraging KIM members to apply themselves to their work and 
their communities as well. Being a former prosecutor, I've explained to 
the attendees the importance of choices they'll be making in their 
lives and how those choices can help shape their lives in years to 
come. Each year, I've marveled at the program's impact in the lives of 
pre-teens in Hannibal, shaping their lives and their futures for the 
impressionable and important years to come.
  Each year we read about a striking decline in the number of 
volunteers, particularly younger citizens, who choose to take part in 
civic or community betterment efforts. Yet through this program, we see 
the rekindling of that flame, all the while providing a vehicle for 
these at-risk youth to spend their summers in a productive, rather than 
destructive, manner.
  KIM encourages personal responsibility and self-reliance, preparing 
participants to successfully enter the workforce. Enrolled youth 
members are able to perform various community service projects in a 
supervised setting to benefit their community. While performing these 
services, they learn teamwork, good work habits, and a respect for 
authority. Through KIM's early intervention into the lives of these 
youth, the organization is able to redirect values and influence 
positive behavior and lifestyle choices. KIM also attempts to empower 
youth to improve their lives and eventually achieve their dreams.
  Now under the watchful eye of Amy Vaughn and Douglass Community 
Services in Hannibal, the program is taking steps to not only serve 
Hannibal, but the surrounding areas as well. Amy dreamed for some time 
of taking the program to different communities in the region, helping 
to provide each of them with the opportunities afforded Hannibal over 
the last decade. Now, Amy's dream is becoming a reality. This month, 
the program is expanding to Louisiana and Bowling Green in Pike County, 
Missouri. Each of the three participating communities realizes the 
value of this organization and how it can affect the lives of youth 
both now and in the future.
  KIM is very special because the effort was formed as a volunteer 
organization with no selfish motivation whatsoever. The program was 
pursued as a way not just to help address community concerns, but to 
provide a better and brighter future for Hannibal's leaders of 
tomorrow. Those efforts have now expanded beyond Hannibal's borders and 
beyond the wildest dreams of success held by the founders of the 
organization. Local law enforcement agencies, community businesses, 
business leaders, and local school officials have joined forces to make 
this project a success. But the selfless nature of the program is what 
continues its appeal yet today.
  As June is Kids In Motion's annual kickoff month for their summer 
program, they have named this month ``Kids In Motion'' month. On this 
occasion, I congratulate KIM on their tremendous record to date, and I 
wish them continued success for future years to come.

                          ____________________