[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GREAT CHARITABLE WORKS OF CHARLIE AND SANDY 
                  MARKEL IN MEMORY OF THEIR SON, RYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 7, 2009

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the great 
charitable works of Charlie and Sandy Markel in memory of their son, 
Ryan. Ryan tragically died during a school swim class on December 19, 
2002 at age eleven. This was a heartbreaking loss to his family, 
friends and community.
  Since the death of their young son, the Markel family has been 
working hard to spread safety awareness, especially in the school 
setting. They started Ryan's Hope Foundation, which offers low-cost 
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillator certification, as well 
as pool safety. Since the founding of Ryan's Hope Foundation, the 
Markels and their team of volunteers have trained around four thousand 
people in CPR and defibrillator skills.
  Ryan was deeply loved by his family, friends and his school 
community. Mourning the loss, many members of the community donated 
money to the Markels, which they immediately put into the Ryan's Hope 
Foundation. Along with the money that comes from certification fees, 
the Markels have put any money that would have gone toward Ryan's 
allowance, Christmas and birthday presents into the Foundation.
  This past June, Ryan would have graduated from Depew High School. To 
honor Ryan's life, Ryan's Hope Foundation rewarded every college-bound 
member of the graduating class with the Ryan Markel Scholarship. Two 
students received a $500 scholarship and 167 other graduates received a 
$100 scholarship. The recipient also received a letter from Charlie, 
Sandy and their daughter, Amanda wishing the graduates luck and 
thanking them for being a part of Ryan's life.
  Ryan's classmates also took measures to commemorate Ryan at 
graduation. During the ceremony, one of Ryan's classmates read a letter 
about Ryan and called his family on stage. In addition, the graduating 
seniors created a memorial displayed in the foyer at the graduation 
ceremony, which included Ryan's photograph, a graduation cap and a 
poem. An entire page of the yearbook was dedicated to Ryan and his 
classmates included a tribute to Ryan in their class DVD. Finally, his 
classmates bought the rights to name a star in his honor.
  It is my honor to commemorate the life of Ryan Markel and the 
charitable efforts of his family. On behalf of the Western New York 
community, I thank the Markels for their extraordinary efforts to 
increase safety awareness in the memory of their son.

                          ____________________