[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16459-16460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING TAP'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2015

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, community action agencies in the United 
States have established a history of giving individuals a much-needed 
hand-up out of poverty. Whether it's assistance with housing, finding a 
job, providing early childhood education, or even offering help to 
those recovering from abuse or addictions, community action agencies 
are the ``Golden Rule'' at work. I wish to honor an agency located in 
the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia that is actively 
fulfilling this mission.
  Originally founded as Total Action Against Poverty by Cabell Brand, 
Total Action for Progress--known in Roanoke, Virginia simply as TAP--is 
celebrating its 50th anniversary as the Roanoke Valley's sheltering 
umbrella. Cabell Brand saw poverty was due to more than just an 
individual's financial circumstances. He believed that in order to be a 
full participant in society, an individual needed opportunities to 
improve one's life. A half-century later, Cabell Brand's vision of an 
organization that would allow someone to ``TAP Into Hope'' remains at 
work.
  Cabell Brand met with Sargent Shriver when he was planning to form an 
organization that could grow from the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. 
A partnership in the community formed the non-profit that came to be 
called TAP, offering assistance to low-income individuals living in the 
area. Community action, the likes of which Brand and Shriver dreamed 
of, came to life in the Roanoke Valley and was embraced by the local 
governments.
  Since taking office, I have come to understand the benefits that 
community action agencies provide to the downtrodden. In turn, I have 
enjoyed every opportunity I have had to work with this organization as 
they have displayed the ``can-do'' spirit that has helped transform TAP 
into one of our country's most successful community action 
organizations.
  From its roots in Roanoke, TAP now serves men, women, and children in 
11 localities in western and southwest Virginia. The focus is on self-
reliance and self-determination with

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TAP's dedicated staff providing a unique brand of strength. It's that 
strength that I came to see in Cabell Brand, in his successor Ted 
Edlich--who marked his retirement last year--and in Annette Lewis, the 
current President and CEO. I congratulate TAP on its 50th anniversary, 
and I look forward to continuing to tell its story as a model for the 
good that can come from a sense of hope.




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