[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5919]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RITA McCAFFREY

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, a distinguished and giving Vermonter will 
be retiring after nearly 40 years of working on behalf of Vermont's 
prisoners and former prisoners. Rita Whalen McCaffrey is stepping down 
in May as the Executive Director of Dismas of Vermont, a residential 
program that helps former prisoners transition and reintegrate into 
society. Opened in Burlington in 1986, Dismas of Vermont has grown to 
provide supportive housing in three homes and three satellite 
apartments in the Burlington and Rutland communities, and has served 
more than a thousand men and women in the past 25 years.
  Rita has engaged hundreds of Vermonters from all walks of life 
through the years to actively participate in the Mission of Dismas: to 
reconcile former prisoners with society and society with former 
prisoners through participation in a supportive family-like community. 
The Dismas model Rita founded in Vermont is powered by volunteers who 
cook and share the evening meal, choose to live in the community with 
the residents, and participate as active board members. The act of 
mutual reconciliation happens because community members come into the 
home and become a part of the Dismas family.
  Rita's strong commitment to building and encouraging community 
support for former prisoners exemplifies the charitable spirit that has 
made Vermont one of the best places in the country to live. Her efforts 
have changed the direction of many lives and encouraged many to work 
towards reconciliation and respect. By steering former prisoners away 
from crime and toward a more constructive path, her work has also made 
the community a safer and better place to live. She leaves a legacy 
that is as inspiring as it is impressive, and her successor will have 
large shoes to fill.
  As she moves on from a career path that began in 1974, I congratulate 
Rita for her invaluable service and leadership and I wish her a happy 
retirement.

                          ____________________