[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7722-7723]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE J. WARREN AND LOIS McCLURE FOUNDATION ON ITS 20TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am honored to recognize the J. Warren and 
Lois McClure Foundation on the celebration of its 20th anniversary. For 
two decades, the selfless philanthropy of the McClure family has 
allowed scores of deserving Vermonters to pursue financial stability 
and academic success.

[[Page 7723]]

  Established in 1995, the foundation was built upon Lois and her late 
husband Mac's concept of ``giving with warm hands.'' Inspired by the 
idea of collaborative philanthropy, the McClures set out to give with 
the hope it would encourage benevolence among future generations.
  For 20 years, the foundation has collaborated with private and public 
partners to support low-income and first- generation students, adult 
learners, and veterans. From providing transition services for homeless 
youth, to promoting single parents' education programs and mental 
health services for veterans, there are no bounds to the McClure 
family's encouragement of life-long success.
  Institutions such as the Vermont State Colleges, the American Red 
Cross of Vermont, the Vermont Department of Libraries, the Vermont Vet 
to Vet Program, and hundreds more have expanded innovative learning 
programs as a result of the foundation. From cancer patients to 
legislators, the foundation has touched countless lives, while 
inspiring those to follow their dreams.
  The foundation has also been instrumental in supporting historical 
preservation projects at the Leahy Center
for Lake Champlain and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The 
McClures' vision to inspire a lifelong cultural and historical 
education for all Vermonters, meanwhile maintaining a commitment to 
environmental sustainability, has enhanced multiple facets of our 
State's diverse landscape for generations to come.
  As someone who has met many leaders and legends within public 
service, I am continually humbled by the McClure family's boundless 
charity and true dedication to supporting the common good.
  Marcelle and I are proud to call Lois our dear friend, and we were 
blessed and honored to know Mac. We are forever proud of the McClures' 
undying commitment to Vermonters, and we are thrilled to congratulate 
the foundation on 20 wonderful years of extraordinary and selfless 
service.

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