[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20211-20212]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize the 
outstanding work of Take Stock in Children, an amazing program 
throughout my home State of Florida which provides low-income and at-
risk children the scholarships and the guidance that they need to 
obtain a quality college education.
  As a former educator and a former Florida certified teacher, I am 
personally aware of the importance in providing our children a solid 
education so that they may be successful, productive, and active 
members of society in the future.
  When students receive the support, the mentoring, and the financial 
assistance necessary to pursue a college degree, they begin to realize 
that they can achieve their goals, they are capable of reaching their 
dreams, and there are people ready to say, ``We are here to help you.''
  This is what Take Stock in Children offers to all of these children. 
It is an opportunity for the kids in our community to take advantage of 
the education they might not have otherwise been offered.
  Take Stock in Children created an ingenious model of operation which 
provides the structure and the stability that at-risk and low-income 
students need in order to be guided to be most productive into college 
and beyond.
  With its innovative mentorship, scholarship, case management, and 
accountability systems, it is no wonder why Take Stock in Children has 
flourished. The passion and commitment evident in all aspects of the 
organization is indeed inspiring. Over 94 percent of all funds that 
they gather go directly to scholarships and services to students. As 
more funds are made available to Take Stock in Children, they are 
quickly made available to the students.
  Take Stock in Children has been able to expand into a public-private 
partnership, so that for every $2 raised for scholarship and student 
services, they receive a $1 match from the Florida Prepaid College 
Foundation, creating millions of dollars worth of resources for our 
kids.
  As all of our Florida families know, the Florida Prepaid program 
allows them to invest early for their children's college education. 
Parents lock in the cost of college when they begin paying into the 
program, saving them

[[Page 20212]]

years of college rate increases and allowing them several years to save 
for their children's educational needs.
  One in ten Florida children has a Florida Prepaid plan, and over 
206,000 prepaid students have already graduated from college. I am 
proud to say that I was one of the cocreators of this program when I 
served in the Florida Senate.
  Take Stock in Children is actually the largest single purchaser of 
Florida Prepaid scholarships, and it is a great coordinated victory in 
the fight to help children achieve their dreams of success. It has been 
over 21 years since I helped create the Florida Prepaid program, and I 
am continually proud of its successes.
  With Florida Prepaid and Take Stock in Children working together, an 
educational powerhouse has been created for Florida students, combining 
financial aid as well as guidance and counseling for enrolled and 
eligible children.
  Over 520 students in my district today are recipients of scholarships 
from Take Stock in Children, and without the support, finding college 
tuition for these students would not have been likely.

                              {time}  1845

  Today, almost $109 million have been awarded in scholarships and over 
1 million hours logged, with over 11,000 volunteers dedicated to 
helping these students. It is because of the commitment of dedicated 
individuals that Take Stock in Children has come to be such a 
tremendous success. As a Member of Congress and an ardent supporter of 
giving the best education possible to our youth, it pleases me greatly 
that organizations like Take Stock in Children exists today. I look 
forward to hearing about all of the future successes of Take Stock in 
Children, and I again applaud them for their everyday victories for all 
of our children.

                          ____________________