[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15565]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING DICK BOYSEN'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF 
            SPOKANE GUILDS' SCHOOL AND NEUROMUSCULAR CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 27, 2012

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dick 
Boysen's 35th anniversary serving as the Executive Director of the 
Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center.
  On November 21, 1977, Dick Boysen set out to make a difference in the 
lives of children with disabilities in Eastern Washington. Believing in 
the worth of every individual, Dick looked forward to helping Spokane's 
most vulnerable population. Thirty-five years later, his focus remains 
the same--nurture the full potential of families and their children, 
from birth to three, with disabilities.
  Dick arrived at the Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center 
with a passion for making a difference in the lives of children with 
developmental and physical disabilities and a vision to make the 
Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center program the best in the 
country. To that end, over the last 35 years, Dick has tirelessly 
worked to ensure this dream became a reality. Under Boysen's 
leadership, the Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center has 
become not only one of the most comprehensive and respected programs in 
Washington State but has gained national acclaim.
  Founded in 1960, the Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center 
has grown from a part-time, volunteer staffed respite center for 
children with developmental disabilities, to a full-time, quality 
center with a professional staff of certified teachers and therapists 
serving children who experience developmental delays. Today, the 
Spokane Guilds' School & Neuromuscular Center serves 200 children in 
Spokane County who experience developmental delays or disabilities.
  Not only am I encouraged by Dick's tireless effort to advocate and 
improve the quality of life for children with disabilities in Spokane, 
but in the past 2 years, he has received the Sacred Heart Children's 
Hospital's ``Advocate of the Year'' award and was given a Founder's 
Award by the Early Childhood Development Association of Washington 
because of his great work with the organization and around the State.
  So today, I want to congratulate Dick Boysen on his 35th Anniversary 
as Executive Director of Spokane Guilds' School and Neuromuscular 
Center.

                          ____________________