[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MARK AND MICHELE PANOZZO

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the 
Special Olympics once said, ``You are the stars and the world is 
watching you. By your presence, you send a message to every village, 
every city, and every nation. A message of hope. A message of 
victory.''
  Today, I would like to recognize a father and daughter who are 
sending their own message of hope and victory Mark and Michele Panozzo 
from Rockford, IL.
  Last week, Michele Panozzo was recognized as the 2013 Outstanding 
Athlete Award by the Special Olympics of Illinois. Earlier this year, 
Michele and Mark Panozzo were both recognized as the Northern Illinois 
Special Olympics Athlete and Coach of the Year.
  This father-daughter duo started their involvement in the Special 
Olympics more than 25 years ago when Michele, who has Down syndrome, 
was 8 years old. Her first sport was basketball. Over the years she has 
competed in a variety of sports, including softball throw, bowling and 
bocce.
  Her dad, Mark, has been by her side as her coach the whole time. And 
it is not just Michele who Mark helps. He is also the coach of the 
Rockford Red Hots, a team of 45 Special Olympics athletes from the 
Rockford region. Mark and Michele spend nearly every weekend with the 
Red Hots, whether at a competition, a practice, or at social outings 
with teammates and their families.
  Special Olympics is more than sports and competitions to Mark and 
Michele. It is a community that has welcomed and befriended them. Mark 
says he treasures Special Olympics because of the smiles he sees on 
Michele's face after a competition, whether she won a gold medal or 
finished last. Mark still proudly shows off a photo of the first time 
Michele competed in the Special Olympics; she was just 8 years old, her 
hair was in pigtails and her face was lit with excitement.
  Mark has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 30 years. 
Years ago he switched his schedule to work nights so he could pick up 
Michele from school every day. Michele volunteers 3 days a week 
delivering meals to home-bound seniors, helping at the food pantry and 
sorting clothes at the local donation center.
  In July of 1968, the first Special Olympics Summer Games were held at 
Soldier Field in Chicago. Only one thousand athletes competed. Today, 
it is a growing, global movement in more than 170 countries, serving 
nearly 3.5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities. In 
Illinois, Special Olympics is making a difference in the lives of 
21,000 athletes and nearly 40,000 volunteers and by organizing 170 
competitions each year.
  I join the Special Olympics of Illinois in commending Michele and 
Mark Panozzo for their dedication to Special Olympics. I am sure that 
Eunice Kennedy Shriver would be proud of what Michele and Mark have 
contributed to the Special Olympics community, and I am too.

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