[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING CHRIS GEORGE, RECIPIENT OF THE 2016 WILLARD M. McCRAE 
                       COMMUNITY DIVERSITY AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 30, 2016

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to join family, 
friends, and colleagues in extending my heartfelt congratulations to 
Chris George, Executive Director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant 
Services (IRIS), as he is honored by Liberty Bank with their 2016 
Willard M. McCrae Community Diversity Award.
  Named in honor of Willard McCrae, past chairman of the Liberty Bank 
Board of Directors and founding member of the Liberty Bank Foundation 
Board of Directors, this annual award honors an individual who has made 
an ``outstanding and ongoing contribution to the cause of promoting and 
celebrating diversity in the communities served by Liberty Bank.'' I 
can think of no one more deserving of such a recognition than Chris 
George.
  Chris has dedicated a lifetime to promoting human rights, social 
justice and equal access to all. He began his career as a Peace Corps 
volunteer in the Sultanate of Oman and later worked with Quakers in 
Lebanese villages and refugee camps. He worked with Save the Children, 
primarily in the West Bank/Gaza Strip, was the director of the Middle 
East division of Human Rights Watch, and he directed the legislative 
strengthening project for the Palestinian Parliament during his tenure 
with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
  He continued that unique dedication here in Connecticut through his 
work at IRIS and it is that good work that has earned him this very 
special honor. As the Executive Director, it has been through Chris' 
leadership that IRIS has grown into one of the most respected, vibrant 
refugee resettlement programs in Connecticut. Welcoming refuges from 
Somali, Iraq, Congo, Sudan, Cuba, and Columbia, IRIS has helped many 
families navigate the many difficulties associated with resettling in a 
new community, country, and culture.
  From the time of its founding, our nation has welcomed those from 
other shores, particularly those whose own home countries have become 
too dangerous for them to stay. Whether boarding the Mayflower to 
escape religious persecution or fleeing from the many countries that 
are today caught in the midst of civil war, America has long been a 
safe haven for many. Chris has long championed the contributions 
refugees make to our communities and our country. Encouraging faith 
communities and other groups to co-sponsor refugee families, he has 
worked to bring together Connecticut's diverse residents to support 
refugee resettlement and has advocated vigorously for the U.S. 
government to allow more refugees into the country. Most recently, when 
that increase was approved, IRIS and its community partners stepped up 
to welcome four hundred and sixty to our state. Under Chris' 
leadership, IRIS has not only built relationships and better 
understanding between Americans and the refugees, but between the 
different local organizations.
  Throughout his professional life, Chris George has demonstrated a 
compassion and commitment that is second to none. He embodies the 
spirit in which the Willard McCrae Community Diversity Award was 
created and I am honored to join all of those gathered this evening in 
extending my sincere congratulations to him as he is bestowed with this 
very special recognition. Chris--many thanks for your service and best 
wishes for continued success.

                          ____________________