[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1598]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NORTHEAST REGION UNITED WAY 211

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Northeast 
Region United Way 211. United Way 211 is a free, confidential number to 
call for anyone who needs help and answers in the capital region, from 
securing adequate care for a child to helping an aging parent to 
finding substance abuse assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, 2010 was a busy year for United Way 211 northeast 
region, with over 9,100 calls, and they are projecting over 1,000 calls 
a month for 2011. Why do people call this number? The top reasons deal 
with some of the most basic needs a person has: keeping a roof over 
one's head, putting food on the table, and trying to find a place to go 
to work.
  Take Mary in my district, for example. Mary made $48,000 in the first 
6 months of 2009 but then got laid off with the downturn in the 
economy. As an unemployed individual who had gone through all of her 
savings since losing her job through no fault of her own, she called to 
receive help in filing her taxes. Or take George--again, a resident of 
the 21st Congressional District--a senior who suffers from seizures who 
called because he couldn't afford Medicaid deductibles for his seizure 
medication. He was in danger of running out of medication the following 
week. United Way 211 was able to assist George with his finances and 
get him back on track to managing his own health.
  Mr. Speaker, these are the benefits of the United Way 211 Northeast 
Region.

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