[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


RECOGNIZING CARLOTTA LEON GUERRERO ON RECEIVING THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS 
    ADMINISTRATION'S PHOENIX AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO 
               DISASTER RECOVERY AS A VOLUNTEER FOR GUAM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 2016

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate 
Carlotta Leon Guerrero on receiving the U.S. Small Business 
Administration's 2016 Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to 
Disaster Recovery as a volunteer. Carlotta is being honored for her 
efforts and contributions that have enabled businesses of Guam and 
neighboring island communities to recover successfully from disasters.
   Carlotta is the Executive Director of the Ayuda Foundation founded 
the non-profit organization in 1995 with Dr. Mike Cruz of the Guam 
Medical Society and Christine Nilsen of Continental Micronesia, Inc. 
Carlotta began her public service serving six years as a senator in the 
Guam Legislature from 1994 to 2000, and has served in different 
capacities within the public and private sectors.
   The Ayuda Foundation is based in Guam and is dedicated to helping 
Pacific islanders, especially our Micronesian region, in times of need. 
The Ayuda Foundation is meant to improve the health and wellbeing of 
Micronesia through medical missions, emergency relief and program 
support. The Ayuda Foundation is comprised of Medical Missions to 
Micronesia, Reach Out & Read Early Literacy Program, AIDS Education 
Project, Island Girl Power and Books to Schools.
   Through Ayuda Foundation, Carlotta was able to bring important 
resources to areas recently hit by storms in places such as 
Philippines, Vanuatu, Chuuk, Yap and Saipan. She was instrumental in 
bringing diverse parts of the community together to assist in providing 
thousands of dollars of aid to areas affected by natural disaster. 
Carlotta creatively used her own resources to source, procure and 
distribute supplies and assistance to those in need in the form of 
donations and in-kind contributions.
   Carlotta has selflessly, consistently and tirelessly worked to help 
victims of disasters in every way possible. In addition to providing 
food and supplies, she believes that it is critical to assist hospitals 
within communities struck by natural disasters to maximize assistance. 
Though, Ayuda Foundation has a broad mission of helping the community, 
the bulk of the work goes to disaster relief. Most noteably, Carlotta 
and the Ayuda Foundation partnered with MAP International, a non-profit 
in the U.S. to secure large donations of pharmaceuticals. She then 
worked with non-governmental organizations around the world to 
distribute them in areas of conflict and disaster. Ayuda Foundation was 
able to obtain $400,000 worth of medication with only $5,000 donated by 
the Bank of Gaum to donate to the islands of Chuuk and Yap after they 
were hit by Typhoon Maysak. Ayuda Foundation was also able to procure 
an inter Emergency Health Kit from MAP International for the community 
hospital on the island of Saipan after the devastating Typhoon 
Soudelor.
   Again, I congratulate Ms. Carlotta Leon Guerrero on receiving the 
2016 Small Business Administration's Phoenix Award for Outstanding 
Contributions to Disaster Recovery for Guam. I join the people of Guam 
in commending her for her award and thanking her for her many 
contributions to our island community.




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