[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4317]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               SEAN'S RUN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gibson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
Sean Patrick French and the tremendous community organization that was 
started to honor his life on its 15th anniversary.
  Sean was an amazing kid, a friend to all, a community volunteer, 
honor roll student, and a record-breaking athlete at Chatham High 
School. His father has described him as someone who ``never walked 
anywhere.'' His mother has told a story about him running laps at age 
8.
  At Chatham High School, he was a standout, both athletically and as a 
member of the school community. But tragically, at age 17, he lost his 
life as a passenger in a drunk driving crash on New Year's Day in 2002.
  Days after Sean's death, the Chatham High School community rallied 
around his family and organized a 100-person strong run from the high 
school to the memorial on Route 203. His family and friends, some of 
whom are with us in the gallery today, use this inspiration to preserve 
Sean's legacy. They asked themselves: What can we do as a community to 
help kids make better choices? And Sean's Run was born. This year, 
2016, marks the 15th anniversary of Sean's Run and what has now 
expanded into a weekend-long series of events.
  I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, as a member of this local community, 
Sean's Run has made a difference in our county and across the region. 
And as the father of three teenagers, I am personally grateful for the 
work of Sean's Run and what it has done to prevent similar tragedies 
and educate our community on the horrors of drinking and driving.
  Sean's Run has worked to prevent underage drinking, impaired driving, 
and for increased seatbelt use by teenagers. It has helped kids think 
about making smart decisions and the tragic consequences that can 
result when they don't.
  Sean's Run has grown each year--up to over 1,500 people in 2015--and 
the organization has become much more than an annual community 5K 
fundraiser and memorial. They regularly contribute to youth groups and 
community events to support anti-underage drinking and impaired driving 
programs and do pre-prom awareness events.
  Sean's Run has also dedicated portions of the weekend to honor others 
lost in the community, including Meghan's Mile, a mile-and-a-half youth 
race for children ages 12 and under. Meghan's Mile is named in honor of 
a friend of Sean's, Meghan Kraham, who helped found Sean's Run at age 
16, but lost her life to cancer on August 18, 2007.
  Since 2002, Sean's Run has awarded almost $200,000 in grant and 
scholarship money. And since 2010, when I retired from the Army and 
returned to Columbia County, I have had the privilege to run in this 5K 
honoring Sean Patrick French.
  This year's event will pay tribute to Sean and others through bike 
races, the 5K, Meghan's Mile, a prevention expo, seatbelt education, 
and the presentation of the Love of Running, Section II Good Sport, and 
Sean Patrick French Memorial Scholarships.
  I am proud of the entire Sean's Run organization and the steps they 
have taken to prevent further tragedies such as this. Sean was a 
strong, smart, and caring young man whose legacy lives on through this 
organization every spring and throughout the year.
  It is my honor to host some of Sean's family and friends today, 
including Sean's parents, Mark and Cathy, and his brother Eric. To 
them, I say thank you. Thank you for turning this tragedy into 
something that helps our community, and please know that you have made 
a difference in the lives of so many families in our country and across 
New York State. I look forward to, once again, honoring your son's 
memory by participating in Sean's Run next weekend.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would like to remind Members that 
the rules do not allow referencing occupants of the gallery.

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