[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MARY-DIANA POULI

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 2013

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Mary-Diana Pouli 
as she is honored by the Amherst Museum's Women's Interclub Council. 
Few have been so generous with their time and talents as Mary-Diana. 
Her extraordinary legacy of service began during her adolescence, and 
has continued to this day.
   A resident of Amherst since the 5th grade, Mary-Diana began 
volunteering with Amherst Youth Engaged in Service (YES), an 
organization founded to encourage community involvement and civic 
participation among children in Amherst from age twelve to twenty. It 
was through Amherst YES that Mary-Diana first became involved with the 
Amherst Youth Board, now the Amherst Recreation and Youth Department. 
She is one of the few people to surpass 1,000 hours of time spent 
volunteering with the organization, working with the department for 
over thirty years. Presently, she serves as the Recreation and Youth 
Director for the Town of Amherst.
   Mary-Diana's dedication to the young people of Amherst extends to 
her long involvement with the Amherst Youth Foundation. She currently 
serves as assistant treasurer and as a member of the board of 
directors, yet is known to cheerfully help wash dishes, move office 
equipment, and assist office staff. No task is too large or too small 
for Mary-Diana.
   Mary-Diana's good works have touched nearly every volunteer 
organization in the Town of Amherst. She is the former vice president 
and current treasurer of the Zonta Club of Amherst, a group dedicated 
to advancing the status of women and young people. Each December, the 
Zonta Club helps clothe 300 children through the Town of Amherst's Warm 
Clothing Project, of which Mary-Diana is a key part.
   Mary-Diana's strong faith inspires her many good works. A lifelong 
Presbyterian, Mary-Diana is ordained as both a deacon and an elder in 
the Amherst Presbyterian Church, and has chaired their Mission 
Committee. Using her special connection to young people, Mary-Diana 
volunteers with their Youth Group to foster new faith. She has had the 
great honor of representing her denomination on a national level as a 
small group leader at various conferences, including serving as 
conference dean at the Presbyterian Youth Triennium, an event held 
every three years at Purdue University.
   Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I rise to 
congratulate Mary-Diana Pouli as she is honored by the Amherst Museum's 
Women's Interclub Council. I am deeply grateful for her exceptional 
service, generous heart, and efforts that have bettered the lives of so 
many in Western New York.

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