[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNITION OF THE FIRST LADY'S VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM, AL ON WEDNESDAY 
                             JULY 18, 2012

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                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 25, 2012

  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the visit by 
First Lady Michelle Obama to Camp Noah at the McAlpine Recreation 
Center in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday July 18, 2012.
  I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to my dear 
friend and our First Lady, Michelle Obama, who traveled a long way last 
week to honor her commitment to return to Alabama to see our recovery 
efforts from the devastating tornadoes of April 27, 2011. President 
Obama and the First Lady visited Alabama two days after the storms to 
witness first-hand the destruction. They promised federal assistance 
and that we would not be forgotten. On July 18, 2012, the First Lady 
held true to her promise to return to Alabama to see our recovery and 
rebuilding progress.
  We will never forget the tremendous losses suffered by the April 
tornadoes which claimed the lives of 253 Alabamians. Yet out of that 
devastation, we found hope and showed great resilience in working 
together to rebuild our communities. The First Lady's visit gave us the 
opportunity to show our progress as she witnessed the healing spirit of 
the children affected by the tornadoes.
  During her visit to Birmingham, First Lady Michelle Obama surprised a 
crowd of nearly 100 kids, grades first through sixth, at McAlpine 
Recreation Center participating in Camp Noah. The summer camp is 
sponsored by Ascension Lutheran Church in Huntsville, AL and is part of 
a national project designed to help kids heal from their disaster 
experience through music, life-skill training and arts and crafts.
  The First Lady greeted the children with a smile and words of 
encouragement. She graciously took the time to hug each and every one 
of the children. The kids' excitement and joy when the First Lady 
entered the room was exhilarating. Their expressions and comments said 
it all. Kiara Cherry remarked, ``Oh my God! The First Lady is at the 
McAlpine--I am so excited!'' She added that meeting the First Lady was 
on her list of things to do before she turned 15 and now she could 
check it off her list. Devonte Harris, 12, of Forestdale, agreed, 
saying, ``I'm just really happy right now.'' Lastly, Rakya Holmes, 8, 
whose godmother's home was destroyed in the storms, noted ``She smelled 
good, and I love her.'' These reactions by the children at Camp Noah 
expressed our sheer excitement and gratitude to the First Lady. The 
faces of the children were priceless. The First Lady's visit was a 
life-changing event for the kids and a morale boost for our community.
  It takes tremendous coordination, hard work and organization to make 
a visit by the First Lady of the United States a reality. The fact that 
our First Lady Michelle Obama would take the time to visit with us in a 
tornado affected community in Birmingham is a real testament to her 
dedication and commitment to helping us overcome this disaster.
  I want to commend the City of Birmingham, the extraordinary staff of 
McAlpine Recreation Center and Camp Noah, as well as UAB's MHRC Healthy 
Happy Kids program for making the First Lady's visit a huge success. As 
the Representative of the 7th Congressional District of Alabama, I was 
extremely proud of all of the efforts made by our community working 
together to leave a lasting impression on the First Lady. The 
excitement and joy on the children's faces at Camp Noah made it all 
worthwhile. Thank you First Lady Michelle Obama!

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