[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


   IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CENTER FOR BELGIAN 
                       CULTURE OF THE QUAD CITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHERI BUSTOS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2013

  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Center for 
Belgian Culture of the Quad Cities on the occasion of their 50th 
Anniversary.
  The Center for Belgian Culture was created in 1963 out of the 
Federation of Belgian social clubs in our region of Illinois. During 
the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, many Belgian immigrants settled 
in the Quad Cities, which once boasted the largest Belgian community in 
the United States and still has the second highest Belgian heritage 
population in the country.
  The Belgian community brought many great aspects of their culture to 
the Quad Cities, which the Center continues to promote through its art 
programs, lace-making classes and, of course, Belgian waffle 
breakfasts. Additionally, the Center assists with historical and 
genealogical research and provides scholarships for students of Belgian 
descent.
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to congratulate the Center for Belgian 
Culture on this notable milestone, and I thank them for their many 
contributions to our community.

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