[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY BAR 
                               FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 15, 2010

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 10th 
Anniversary of the Prince William County Bar Foundation.
  The Prince William County Bar Foundation was created in 2000 by 
members of the PWC Bar Association for the purpose of funding community 
service projects that promote access to justice and law related 
services for the people of Prince William County. The Foundation is an 
all volunteer, non-profit organization that operates solely on the 
basis of donated time, funds and resources provided by local attorneys, 
law firms and community groups.
  In its first year, the Foundation adopted the Beat the 
Odds' program to recognize at-risk youth involved in the 
juvenile justice system and foster care programs who have overcome the 
odds against their success. The Foundation provides them with attorney 
mentors, scholarships towards college and vocational education. Since 
its first year participating in the Beat the Odds program, the 
Foundation has supported more than 100 young men and women in the 
community and has provided close to $200,000 in scholarships, 
vocational funds and educational awards to encourage each Beat the Odds 
award recipient to continue to seek a positive path into adulthood.
  The Foundation has grown to include a number of other programs that 
match needs in the community with resources available through Bar 
Association members. The Foundation provides for the printing of court 
informational pamphlets to assist the public in understanding the legal 
process, awards for the County's middle-school ``Character Counts'' 
annual essay contest, supports the Prince William County National 
Adoption Day in which foster care children move into permanent homes, 
and partners with the Gang Response Intervention Team to assist with 
its gang tattoo removal program. The Foundation recently undertook the 
project ``Books for Troubled Teens'' in order to provide a steady 
supply of books to children who spend time waiting in the hallways of 
juvenile court or reside at the Juvenile Detention Center or juvenile 
shelter care facility.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the 
10th Anniversary of the Prince William County Bar Foundation. The 
Foundation's educational outreach, crime prevention and rehabilitation 
programs are effective tools for providing positive encounters with the 
justice system to at-risk children. I would like to extend my personal 
appreciation to the members of the Foundation for their efforts to 
instill respect for the law and justice in our community's young 
people.

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