[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRESSIONAL FOSTER YOUTH SHADOW DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Bass) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BASS. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  First and foremost, let me say that my heart goes out to all of those 
in Oklahoma who experienced a terrible tragedy yesterday, and I know I 
look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that they get 
everything that they need to recover.
  On another note, I rise today to celebrate the second annual 
Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day. Today, we are joined in the 
Halls of the U.S. Capitol by over 50 foster youth and alumni from 
across the country. They've been paired with Members of Congress as job 
shadows to get a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the 
House of Representatives. The young leaders will attend hearings, join 
meetings, and participate in media interviews.
  As we welcome these young leaders and recognize National Foster Care 
Month throughout the month of May, we are reminded that foster youth 
far too often experience traumatic incidences of abuse and neglect and 
are separated from their homes and siblings. Yet, even in the face of 
these challenges, the resiliency of foster youth remains strong.
  The young foster youth here today are no different. They were 
selected to participate in Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day based 
on their leadership and commitment to improving the lives of foster 
youth and families across the Nation.
  Today, I'm honored to recognize and celebrate an incredible young 
woman with whom I have the privilege of sharing my morning. Marcelina 
Valenzuela is 24 years old and grew up in Los Angeles. She spent 7 
years in the California foster care system. She entered foster care at 
birth due to drug addiction of her mother. She left foster care at age 
4 only to return at age 15 because of ongoing neglect and abuse. Like 
far too many foster youth, she struggled with her education, sibling 
separation, and mental health because of the constant moving and 
upheaval while in foster care. Yet she was able to overcome these 
obstacles.
  Now Marcelina actively works with organizations such as FosterClub, 
the National Foster Youth Action Network, and Foster Care Alumni of 
America to improve and reform the foster care system so that younger 
generations may not have to repeat the struggles and challenges that 
she faced.
  Today, Marcelina has custody of her two younger sisters, ages 14 and 
16. She's only 24. Her ultimate goal is to finish school and then build 
a career around improving the foster care system. In fact, she hopes to 
open up her own nonprofit that focuses on helping youth coming out of 
the juvenile justice system.
  In honor of Marcelina's courage and tenacity, let us commit to doing 
what we can to ensure that 400,000-plus foster youth across the country 
have the opportunities, love, and families they deserve. As a first 
step, I invite my colleagues to join the Congressional Caucus on Foster 
Youth and to cosponsor the bipartisan resolution in recognition of May 
as National Foster Care Month.

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