[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6142]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       DAN STOWERS HONORED FOR HIS WORK WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 26, 2013

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my 
constituent, Dan Stowers, who received the Clive Rainey Lifetime 
Achievement Award from Habitat for Humanity International. This 
prestigious national award was presented to Dan in recognition of his 
more than 20 years of volunteer service for Habitat for Humanity. For 
the benefit of my colleagues, I am including an announcement from 
Habitat for Humanity detailing Dan's accomplishments.
   Dan began his service to Habitat in Ohio in 1991, after retiring 
from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources where he designed 
bridges, roads, marinas and infrastructure for state parks. His 
previous experience and love for home improvement were the perfect fit 
for Habitat, making Dan an invaluable volunteer from the very start. 
When Dan and his wife Carolyn moved to Pinellas County, Dan continued 
his work with Habitat Pinellas.
   Habitat Pinellas quickly realized that Dan was a devoted volunteer 
who worked tirelessly to assist in building housing both in Pinellas 
County and through Habitat's international missions. In recognition of 
his commitment and skills, Habitat Pinellas asked Dan to become their 
lead architect 12 years ago and every year he designs and helps build 
an average of 25 homes in our community. Each Habitat home is unique 
and Ron Spoor, the chief operating officer for Habitat Pinellas, 
credits Dan's ability to modify house layouts to meet each family's 
needs. At the same time, they meet the highest standards for energy use 
and water efficiency to lower the cost of homeownership, which is vital 
in helping Habitat meet its mission of providing affordable housing to 
local families.
   The value of his contribution is immeasurable and can be seen in 
every house Habitat builds from Dan's designs, often with his 
assistance. Spoor estimates that Dan is the largest individual donor to 
Habitat Pinellas, generously giving his time, talents and resources 
over the past 20 years. His efforts, along with all those who give 
their time and energy to assist Habitat Pinellas, have helped build 
more than 250 houses in Pinellas County.
   Mr. Speaker, Dan Stowers has been a devoted and passionate volunteer 
for Habitat for Humanity for the past 20 years, never seeking 
recognition for the huge impact he has had on families in Pinellas 
County, the United States, and the international community. I would ask 
my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dan on receiving the Clive 
Rainey Award as he continues to build upon his commitment to Habitat 
for Humanity in the coming years.

   Pinellas County Man Receives Clive Rainey Award from Habitat for 
                         Humanity International

                         (Habitat for Humanity)

       The prestigious ``Clive Rainey Lifetime Achievement Award'' 
     was presented to Pinellas County resident Dan Stowers by 
     Habitat for Humanity International at its biennial national 
     affiliate conference in Atlanta on March 12th.
       Stowers was recognized for more than 20 years of volunteer 
     service to Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Florida and 
     Ohio, Habitat Global Village builds, and Jimmy and Rosalynn 
     Carter Work Projects around the world. At the Habitat for 
     Humanity of Pinellas County affiliate, Stowers, a licensed 
     professional engineer, volunteers his time and expertise to 
     preparing engineering and architectural plans for many of the 
     25+ homes built locally by the affiliate each year. In 
     addition to preparing the plans and engineering for Habitat 
     Pinellas, Dan frequently volunteers on the worksites and 
     recruits and leads groups from his church to volunteer.
       Stowers helped establish the first Habitat chapter in 
     Romania and he has participated in ten Habitat builds in 
     various locations around the world. He has also worked on 
     Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Projects in Hungary, the 
     Philippines, Harlem, NY, Mexico and Thailand.
       ``By serving as the affiliate's professional engineer in a 
     volunteer capacity, Dan has saved Habitat Pinellas a very 
     considerable sum of funds,'' said Ron Spoor, chief operations 
     officer for Habitat Pinellas. ``In fact, when calculating the 
     monetary value of Dan's in-kind donation, Dan is the largest 
     individual donor in the affiliate's history. Through his 
     donation of time and resources to Habitat, Dan has enabled 
     the affiliate to increase its production and serve many 
     additional families.''
       The Clive Rainey Lifetime Achievement Award is presented 
     annually to volunteers for significant accomplishments that 
     have advanced the mission of Habitat for Humanity. The award 
     honors Habitat for Humanity's first volunteer, Clive Rainey, 
     who made an exceptional and sustained commitment to advancing 
     Habitat for Humanity's mission through generously sharing his 
     time and talents.

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