[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING ST. LOUIS PARK FOR AWARD WINNING YOUTH PROGRAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 14, 2008

  Mr. ELLISON. Madam Speaker, I rise today honor the great city of St. 
Louis Park, Minnesota for winning the America's Promise Alliance's 100 
Best Communities for Young People competition for the third year in a 
row. St. Louis Park is one of the cities in the Fifth Congressional 
District of Minnesota.
  St. Louis Park is an amazing community for young people because 
residents engage youth with meaningful artistic, cultural and civic 
opportunities. One such opportunity is the Friends of the Arts program, 
which pairs youth with donated musical instruments and offers creative 
writing classes for teens. A local church, the Lutheran Church of the 
Reformation, offers young artists the ability to improve their artistic 
skills and a platform to perform or display their work.
  Residents of St. Louis Park's Lake Forest Neighborhood organize a 
program called ``Arts Crawl'' which sponsors family art programs and 
raises scholarship funds for youth. Additionally, the city government 
makes an effort to invite young people to community events and 
meetings.
  The City of St. Louis Park and its residents are committed to a 
brighter future for their city, their state and their country. I 
applaud Mayor Jeff Jacobs, the residents of St. Louis Park and 
especially the young people for their hard work and dedication to 
improving their communities.

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