[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12749]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JIMMY WAYNE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 2010

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the leadership and 
contributions of Jimmy Wayne to the State of Tennessee and the United 
States of America for his remarkable efforts to combat homelessness.
  Jimmy Wayne began his ``Meet Me Halfway'' journey on January 1, 2010. 
He is in the midst of a 1,660-mile walk from Nashville, TN, to Phoenix, 
AZ, to raise awareness about the plight of the homeless youth in our 
country.
  Being raised in a foster child system, Jimmy knows far too well the 
challenges and heartaches that go with being homeless. He grew up in 
multiple foster homes and periodically found himself homeless as a 
teen.
  Luckily at age 16 he met Bea and Russell Costner who took him in and 
gave him a fresh start and a new lease on life. They gave him a place 
to stay but only if he agreed to ``meet them halfway,'' by following 
the rules of their house.
  I wish to honor Jimmy for using his ``Meet Me Halfway'' campaign to 
not only raise awareness but to raise funds for organizations that 
benefit homeless youth including Nashville's Monroe Harding and Phoenix 
HomeBase Youth Services. Through these groups, essential services are 
continuously provided to the homeless, allowing so many who fought the 
same circumstances as Jimmy did growing up a chance for a more 
productive, healthy and self-sufficient life.
  Madam Speaker, all people should educate themselves about the impact 
of homelessness on teens and children in their communities. It is my 
hope that individuals will help address the problem of homelessness in 
our country by volunteering and donating their time and/or money to the 
foster child and foster parent programs in their local community.
  Thank you, Jimmy Wayne, for your work, and I look forward to 
congratulating you once you finish this campaign.

                          ____________________