[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10432-10433]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING MENA BOULANGER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the contributions of 
Mena Boulanger to the Chicagoland area. Next week, Mena is retiring 
after 30 years of work to raise public awareness of the Forest Preserve 
District of Cook County and its conservation efforts throughout its 
76,000 acres.
  In the fall of 1973, the Boulanger family--Mena and David and 
children Sarah and John--made their way from Seattle, WA, to Cook 
County, IL. The family began spending almost every weekend exploring 
the various Forest Preserve District sites in the Western suburbs of 
Chicago. Leaving behind the landscape of their native Pacific 
Northwest, the family's appreciation of the Midwest flora and fauna 
came slowly, and so did a commitment to the prairie around Chicago--
lands now part of Chicago Wilderness.
  In 1979, Mena began as the first, full-time Director of Development 
for the Lincoln Park Zoological Society. For the following 11 years, 
Mena dramatically increased fundraising efforts, allowing the Lincoln 
Park Zoo to expand at an unprecedented rate.
  Mena transitioned to Chicago's Zoological Society, working with the 
Brookfield Zoo in 1991, where she assumed the role as Vice President 
for Development. It was during this time, that Mena achieved one of her 
most significant long-term accomplishments. Mena helped secure 
additional bonding authority for the Forest Preserve District so that 
it could address its capital maintenance needs, as well as the needs of 
the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Gardens. The Forest Preserve 
District's holdings--and those of the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago 
Botanic Garden--have significantly improved through the use of these 
bond funds.
  In 2003, she became the Vice President of Government Affairs and 
Strategic Initiatives, directing the Zoo's local, State, and Federal 
government communications and solicitation programs. Mena worked 
closely with Zoo staff to help the Forest Preserve District better 
serve Cook County residents through special outreach programs, 
including tours for senior groups, family pass programs at area 
libraries, and information on Brookfield Zoo job fairs and lecture 
series.
  One of Mena's signature achievements was raising funds for the Hamill 
Family Play Zoo, an award-winning play area for children age 8 and 
under that has served as a model for many zoos across the country.
  A few years ago, Mena was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the midst 
of a personal health crisis and in addition to pursuing traditional 
therapies, Mena thought about all of the women in her life--daughter, 
granddaughters, friends, colleagues--and enrolled in an NIH-funded 
study at Loyola University in Chicago, examining the effects of 
meditation on immune cells in breast cancer patients. That is what 
makes Mena special. She is always optimistic, always strong, and always 
looking to help others. I am happy to say that Mena's cancer is in 
remission. She is a survivor. She is also an inspiration.
  To say that Mena is ``retiring'' somehow doesn't seem quite right. It 
would be more accurate to say that she is redirecting her energies. I 
have no doubt that Mena will remain involved in her community and 
committed to the many causes in which she believes so deeply. I know 
she is excited to spend more time with her family, especially her four 
grandchildren. Mena will enjoy having more free time to spend hiking, 
picnicking and exploring the lands of the Forest Preserve District she 
treasures so dearly. And if you know Mena, you also know that she 
enjoys a good, spirited political debate. I can only imagine how 
retirement will foster that passion.

[[Page 10433]]

  It is with a sense of gratitude that I wish Mena Boulanger well as 
she prepares to retire from the Chicago Zoological Society and moves on 
to the next chapter in her life. Mena has created a lasting impact on 
the lives of thousands through her work and volunteerism in the 
Chicagoland region. Anyone that has visited either the Lincoln Park Zoo 
or Brookfield Zoo since 1980 has benefited from Mena's efforts and 
generosity.
  I wish Mena Boulanger the best in her retirement and thank her for 
caring for the Midwest flora and fauna she embraced some 35 years ago.

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