[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24682]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF MICHELLE JASMIN, WINNER OF THE GREEN LIGHT 
                    COMPETITION AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Michelle 
Jasmin, an exceptional artist from West Roxbury, Massachusetts, who has 
earned the Green Light Competition Award of Excellence.
  Since 2005, Michelle has been involved in Brookline Massachusetts' 
Gateway Arts program which encourages individuals with disabilities to 
passionately study and create art. Michelle's award winning artwork 
patriotically expresses fellow American's feelings of loss and personal 
struggle through her paintings of soldiers who have lost their lives in 
the Iraq war.
  Michelle's work consists of a hand-bound book of acrylic paintings, 
``Gone But Not Forgotten,'' which contains the names, ages, military 
rank, and towns of Massachusetts soldiers who have died in the Iraq war 
and is accompanied by unique portraits of each solider. A specific 
painting, ``A Soldier's Prayer,'' shows depictions of the sorrows of 
war combined with prayer. Additionally, her painting series 
``Untitled'' depicts a suffering man, a reaching hand, a poem on 
suffering, and a figure breaking free from chains, which outwardly 
expresses how humans can overcome the feeling of loss.
  Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to take the floor of the House 
today to join with Michelle's family, friends and Gateway Arts to honor 
her for her exceptional accomplishments as an artist.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in celebrating Michelle's talent 
and wish her good health and success in all her future endeavors.

                          ____________________