[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4453-4454]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO ANITA MARTIN, 29TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WOMAN OF THE 
                               YEAR--2011

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History 
Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by 
our nation's most distinguished women during the month of March.
  I stand today to pay tribute to Anita Martin of Altadena, who for 
many years, has spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy 
helping our nation's veterans. Every other week, Anita and her husband 
of 23 years, Walter, volunteer at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare 
System's West LA Domiciliary. They assist veterans with the necessary 
paperwork for benefits claims, advocate for their health care, help 
them find shelter, lend a hand to homeless veterans, and act as 
liaisons with veterans' families and the VA Greater Los Angeles 
Healthcare System. In addition, the Martins raise funds, have donated 
clothing, computers, a washer and dryer for women veterans, arranged 
for a bank to provide direct deposit for the veterans at the West LA 
Domiciliary, and visit veterans on a regular basis.
  Anita is active in several military service organizations. She is 
currently President of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Military Order of 
the Purple Heart, Unit 1898, Junior Vice President of the Department of 
California's Ladies Auxiliary Military Order of the Purple Heart, and 
Senior Vice President of the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 280 in 
Pasadena. In addition to Anita's contributions to veterans, she has 
volunteered extensively in Altadena for years with such organizations 
as the Altadena Sheriff's Station, where she ran their program for 
abused women, the Altadena Old Fashion Days Parade, Christmas Tree Lane 
Association, and Franklin Elementary and Eliot Middle Schools. Along 
with her husband, Ms. Martin formed a Neighborhood Watch Program in 
their Altadena neighborhood, provided guidance to others in forming 
their own Neighborhood Watch Programs, and for their leadership the 
Martins received the Governor's Award for Best Crime Prevention in 1992 
from then-Governor Deukmejian.
  Anita and Walter's business, Martin's Famous Louisiana Sausages 
(formerly Martin's BBQ) has donated food for years to organizations 
such as Sacred Heart Church, various homeless shelters, the American 
Legion, the Altadena Sheriff's Station, and the USO. Most recently, 
Anita and Walter organized a program where several economically 
challenged senior citizens received gift cards and shopped for food at 
a local grocery store, with the assistance of JROTC students.
  I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an outstanding woman 
of California's 29th Congressional District, Anita Martin, for her 
service to the community and especially to our nation's veterans.

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