[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3906]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MELISSA DORE

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today in celebration of my 
staff member, Melissa Dore, who is retiring after working with me 
throughout most of my years in the U.S. Senate.
  Melissa started as a staff member in my East Lansing office and 
immediately impressed us with her ability to connect with people when 
they called. Hers was often the first voice constituents heard when 
contacting me and her natural ability to be compassionate and 
empathetic made their first impression a good one.
  Melissa's compassion and tenacity made her a natural choice to work 
with those who contacted me for help with their Social Security or 
Medicare benefits. Time and time again, I have seen her go to bat for 
people and get answers about their cases and resolve very tough 
problems. Melissa is someone who cares deeply and her commitment shows 
in the results she gets for people. There probably isn't a week that 
goes by where we do not receive a thank you note or I don't get stopped 
by someone who tells me about the difference her advocacy has made.
  My staff and I will miss her presence in the office and her passion 
for helping others. I also know that the many families in Michigan 
whose lives she touched as well as those she worked with in agencies 
and in my office will miss her.
  After leaving the Senate, Melissa looks forward to spending more time 
with her family and dogs, traveling and going to her cottage in 
Northern Michigan. She is very creative and I know her passion for 
quilting will result in many beautiful creations.
  I am sad because I am losing a valued member of my staff, but I am 
happy to see her move on to new life experiences, and I wish her the 
best of everything.

                          ____________________