[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF UNITED WAY OF DENTON COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2013

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the United Way of 
Denton County and its 62 years of service. The mission of the United 
Way of Denton County is to improve lives in Denton County by mobilizing 
community resources to address the critical issues of education, 
income, and health in people's everyday lives. The organization's hard 
work has taken on many challenges from the 90,000 individuals that 
don't know where their next meal will come from to the high rate of 
high school dropouts to the more than 8,000 children under the age of 5 
that live in poverty.
   United Way has built programs to tackle these problems, and it has 
made a significant difference in the lives of many people in Denton 
County. They have mobilized volunteers to mentor children, provided 
effective training for parents and caregivers, and assisted in 
supplying critical needs, such as food, clothing, and school supplies. 
Over the past year, through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance 
Program, 612 Federal Tax returns have been prepared, free of charge, 
for low income Denton County households. Their work returned over $1 
million to the community and saved families $137,000 in tax preparation 
fees. In one day alone, the organization's food bank collected more 
than 40,000 pounds of food donations. They have also rallied community 
based and faith based organizations to work together to implement Bank 
On Denton County, a program to provide cost effective financial 
services to underserved communities.
   All totaled, United Way of Denton County volunteers donated more 
than 19,200 hours this year, valued at more than $425,000 to help more 
than 55,000 people in Denton County. Additionally, donors gave 
$2,068,024 to the United Way of Denton County to support its mission 
this year alone.
   The United Way of Denton County has an incredible positive effect on 
the community. It is my pleasure to recognize its 62 years of service 
to the community, and I am privileged to represent the United Way of 
Denton County in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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