[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5012]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 2010-2011 CONGRESSIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR 500 
     HOURS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY--ANDREW BALDWIN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 1, 2011

  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and 
privilege to inform the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 
that the students of the 2010-2011 Congressional Youth Advisory Council 
(CYAC) from the Third District of Texas have completed a total of 500 
community service hours, fulfilling and far-surpassing the requirements 
of their assigned CYAC in the Community service project.
  This year 46 students from public, private, and home schools in 
grades 10 through 12 made their voices heard by joining CYAC. As the 
Third District's young ambassadors to Congress, these bright high 
school students met with me on a quarterly basis to discuss current 
events and public policy. These impressive young people recognize an 
important truth: the heart of public service is found when giving back 
to the community. CYAC students volunteered their time and talents with 
over 30 organizations including Adopt-A-Highway, Habitat for Humanity, 
Meals on Wheels, Teen Court, and the USO, to name a few. As one student 
shared, ``CYAC in the Community has allowed me to realize my calling to 
serve those in the U.S. Armed Forces.'' I am beyond thrilled that CYAC 
has helped students unleash their full potential and chase their 
dreams.
  President George H.W. Bush once said, ``A volunteer is a person who 
can see what others cannot see; who can feel what most do not feel. 
Often, such gifted persons do not think of themselves as volunteers, 
but as citizens--citizens in the fullest sense: partners in 
civilization.''
  With this statement as a benchmark, I am proud to congratulate the 
members of the 2010-2011 Congressional Youth Advisory Council for 
showing themselves to be outstanding young citizens of this nation. It 
is my privilege to submit summaries of their work to the Congressional 
Record to be preserved for posterity and antiquity. To these young 
public servants, thank you, and keep up the great work! I salute you!
  A copy of each submitted student summary follows:

       I have heard people say, ``When you give to someone else, 
     you end up receiving far more than you give.'' After serving 
     many volunteer hours, I believe this is true. On October 
     30th, 1 took part in an Adopt-A-Highway clean- up project in 
     Allen. For two hours, we picked up gum wrappers, soda cans 
     and anything else you could imagine along Highway 5. We 
     gathered many bags of trash. In the end, we were hot and 
     thirsty, but it felt good to know we left the highway looking 
     better than when we started. My second activity was the 
     Ultimate Gift Event. On October 23-24, several chapters 
     worked on a beautification project for the Douglas Community 
     in Plano. I cleared debris from the area and planted flowers. 
     There was also a picnic and carnival for the kids in the 
     area. It was two hours well spent. Study Buddies was my third 
     activity. For 1\1/2\ hours on January 6th, I helped students 
     living in the Chaparral apartments in Allen. We helped them 
     with their homework and fed them pizza. Without our help, 
     many of these kids would go to bed hungry. It was good to 
     show these boys and girls that someone cares about them.
     --Andrew Baldwin.

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