[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[EXTENSION]
[Page 5931]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ACTION AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 40TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 14, 2008

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to join the New Haven community in celebrating the 40th 
anniversary of Christian Community Action. For four decades this 
outstanding agency has been providing invaluable services to those most 
in need and I am proud to wish them the very best as they mark this 
important milestone.
  The story of Christian Community Action begins with a home on 
Congress Avenue destroyed by fire and a group of ecumenical Catholics 
and Protestants looking for a way to help. Since that time, Christian 
Community Action has grown and evolved into a well-respected resource 
for individuals and families in need as well as a vocal advocate for 
the impoverished, working to change the systems which perpetuate 
poverty and injustice. Through the extraordinary vision and commitment 
of its leadership, Christian Community Action has made all the 
difference in the lives of many.
  Reverend David Nehring became the first director of Christian 
Community Action in 1967 and it was under his direction that the 
organization's mission was developed and their first emergency food 
program was started. Just 3 years later, Reverend Nehring supervised 
the agency's move to its current home at 168 Davenport Avenue, adding 
five apartments which were used to provide emergency shelter. It was 
under the direction of the center's second director, Reverend Phil 
Grigsby, that the agency became involved in the development of the New 
Haven Fuel Bank and that the adjacent property at 166 Davenport Avenue 
was purchased providing three additional apartments. Reverend Karl 
Hilgert became the agency's third director in 1981. It was through his 
vision that Christian Community Action opened the Sylvan Avenue Shelter 
site adding another ten emergency apartments and that the agency began 
increasing its social service and case management programs for the 
residents of its emergency housing.
  In 1988, Christian Community Action's fourth and current director, 
Reverend Bonita Grubbs, took the helm and it has been under her nearly 
20 years of outstanding leadership that the agency has substantially 
grown. Today, Christian Community Action not only provides emergency 
food, housing and support for those facing unexpected crisis such as 
fires and evictions, but is now actively involved in helping families 
to attain self-sufficiency through a myriad of innovative initiatives. 
The Stepping Stone Transitional Housing Program, Health Advocacy Voices 
Emerging Network. Mothers for Justice, and the Program for Internships, 
Vocational Opportunities and Training program are just a few examples 
of how Christian Community Action is identifying needs within our 
community and working to actively address those issues impacting the 
poor and those who often cannot find a voice.
  For the last 40 years, Christian Community Action has been a beacon 
of hope for those most in need. Through their advocacy and social 
services, this organization has touched the lives of thousands 
throughout Greater New Haven and across Connecticut. I am proud to 
stand today to extend my sincere and heart-felt congratulations to all 
of those, past and present, whose involvement with Christian Community 
Action and commitment to its mission has made this organization such a 
success. It is difficult to imagine what our community would be like 
without that compassion and generosity. Happy 40th anniversary and my 
very best wishes for many more years of continued success.

                          ____________________