[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14906-14907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE OAKLAND COUNTY CHAPTER OF JACK AND JILL OF 
                AMERICA FOR THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2013

  Mr. PETERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 
members of the Oakland County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. 
as they celebrate thirty-five years of service to Southeast Michigan.
  Seventy-five years ago, Jack and Jill of America was founded by 
Marion Stubbs Thomas, a mother and concerned member of the Philadelphia 
community, who organized twenty other neighborhood mothers concerned 
about the well-being of their youth during the Great Depression. From a 
small community group, the Jack and Jill organization quickly grew to 
ten chapters by 1946, and today there are more than 220 chapters across 
the United States with over 30,000 members. For the last thirty-five 
years, the Oakland County Chapter of Jack and Jill has been an 
important part of the organization's infrastructure in Michigan, 
providing support to at-risk children and families.
  Over its three and a half decades of service, Jack and Jill's Oakland 
County Chapter has been a leading voice in the Greater Detroit region 
in the effort to promote the development of youth with a strong 
appreciation of good citizenship and community stewardship. Jack and 
Jill has achieved this goal through its support of programs that 
advance the virtues of social, cultural, educational, recreational and 
community service opportunities for youth. Specifically, as it creates 
projects that fulfill vital needs in the communities of Southeast 
Michigan, Jack and Jill carefully crafts those projects with service 
roles for both youth and their parents. Through the example set by 
their parents, youth are instilled with a deep appreciation for the 
value of helping their friends and neighbors.
  The programs that Jack and Jill's Oakland County chapter supports 
have had a profound impact on the communities of Southeast Michigan. 
Each year, Jack and Jill sponsors a blood drive with the American Red 
Cross that provides local health services organizations

[[Page 14907]]

with a vital lifesaving resource. Jack and Jill has also brought in 
resources from the Jack and Jill Foundation that have enabled local 
Boys and Girls Clubs and the Pontiac Library to better serve their 
communities, as well as assist the Southfield Field Zone Leadership 
program and provide community prep courses for college-bound students 
taking the ACT exam. Additionally, Jack and Jill supports college-bound 
students with scholarships.
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly proud to have so many outstanding community 
organizations like the Oakland County Chapter of Jack and Jill of 
America in my district, and it is with great appreciation for its 
ongoing commitment to creating a better future for the Greater Detroit 
region that I congratulate its members on thirty-five years of service.

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