[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


    RECOGNIZING MARY AGEE ON HER RETIREMENT AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF 
                    NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILY SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 5, 2015

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mary Agee and 
her service as president and CEO of Northern Virginia Family Service 
(NVFS). She will step down in June after leading the agency, with 
distinction, for 27 years.
  The organization we know today as the NVFS originated in 1924 in 
Alexandria, Virginia, as an organization with one volunteer and no 
operating budget. Mary Agee joined the staff of this organization as a 
family counselor in 1972 and rose to the position of deputy director in 
1978. When she received this promotion NVFS had 11 staff and an annual 
operating budget of $178,000. Under her leadership the organization 
grew to its current size of 350 employees, 3,600 volunteers and 
operating budget of $32 million. NVFS is now the largest private, 
nonprofit human service organization in Northern Virginia.
  Mr. Speaker, every year, almost 34,000 families and individuals 
utilize the human service programs offered by NVFS which include: 
housing and emergency services, early childhood programs, health & 
mental health services, workforce development programs, legal 
assistance, anti-hunger programs, and intervention & prevention 
programs. The NVFS has taken an aggressive role supporting community 
partnerships under the leadership of Mary Agee and has been able to 
collaborate with other human services agencies to provide comprehensive 
multi-agency service provisions for their clients. NVFS's dedicated 
approach to serving others has earned them an impeccable reputation for 
their ability to stabilize and assist families in crisis. They are 
truly angels in our community.
  Following the devastating September 11th Terrorist Attacks at the 
Pentagon, NVFS was selected by the Community Foundation of the National 
Capital Area to manage the 9/11 Survivors' Fund. Mary Agee has said 
that the ability of the NVFS to directly provide the families of the 
victims of the attack with vital human services is the proudest moment 
in her nearly four decades of service to her community.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Mrs. Mary Agee upon her retirement from the Northern 
Virginia Family Service. Her dedicated hard work and service in the 
Northern Virginia Community has touched and improved the lives of 
countless families and individuals. We know she will continue to 
provide years of service to her community in whatever she chooses to do 
and we sincerely thank her for her service, and wish her the best on 
all future endeavors.

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