[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6755-6756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING CARMEN VELASQUEZ OF CHICAGO FOR HER LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO THE 
                UNDERSERVED LATINO COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2014

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a dear friend of 
mine, Carmen Velasquez of Chicago as she retires from her position of 
executive director at Alivio Medical Center, for her incredible 
dedication to the medical community and the underserved Latino 
community of Chicago.
  Carmen devoted her life to the care of others in her community, 
advocating for health, education, civil rights, and equitable heath 
access for all in Chicago. As founder of the Alivio Medical Center, a 
bicultural nonprofit health center and extremely respected advocacy 
organization, she has dedicated over 25 years to expanding the reach of 
health care to low-income residents of Chicago. Because of Carmen's 
determination and perseverance, regardless of income, insurance, or 
ethnicity, over 20,000 individuals have received the best quality care 
in the greater Chicago community in over 6 clinics with plans for two 
new health clinic sites this year.
  Coming from a family of hardworking Mexican immigrants, she became a 
social worker, community organizer, and bilingual education specialist 
after earning degrees from both Loyola University Chicago and the 
University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico. As a member of Chicago's 
Board of Education, she saw firsthand the disparities in both education 
and health for Chicago's neglected Latino population. In 1988 Carmen 
found herself in a muffler shop parking lot, marking the beginning of 
her campaign to raise $2.1 million for the construction of her first of 
many health clinics. One year later, Carmen's passion manifested in the 
first Alivio Medical Center and she has been serving the otherwise 
unrepresented and overlooked community since.
  Carmen has been recognized on numerous occasions for her renowned 
work, including recent recognitions at halftime by the Chicago Bears 
and the National Football League's Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, 
the MALDEF Lifetime Achievement Award and the Robert Wood Johnson 
Foundation Community Health Leadership Award. Illinois Governor Pat 
Quinn has honored her as the Latino Heritage Month ``Trailblazer of the 
Day.''
  It is an understatement to say that Carmen Velasquez is a true 
champion for Chicago's Latino community. Her undying fervor, 
commitment, and care for giving back to the low-income and at risk 
groups have had profound effects on the health and wellbeing of 
Chicago. On behalf of all who have benefited from her initiative and 
the entire medical community, I'd like to thank and congratulate Carmen 
for her lifelong dedication to others and wish her well in the years to 
come.

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