[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5651]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS OF THE OZARKS ON RECEIVING THE 
        BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA GOLD STANDARD AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2016

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Big Brothers, Big 
Sisters of the Ozarks on recently being selected as a Gold Standard 
Award recipient by the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America.
  Each year, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America selects 16 local 
chapters out of more than 300 to receive the Gold Standard Award, which 
is bestowed in recognition of their having contributed extraordinary 
improvements to their communities.
  Springfield based Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Ozarks has earned 
the award for the first time since the chapter's inception 33 years 
ago. This year, they recruited more than 250 new men and women, 
resulting in an escalated number of matches between mentors and their 
mentees. To build on their success, the organization aims to recruit an 
additional 130 members this year, which would expand their reach to 
more than 600 at-risk youths.
  Mr. Speaker, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Ozarks provides a 
virtually immeasurable value to my constituents in Missouri's Seventh 
Congressional District. By giving children in our community stable 
role-models to look up to, they've pivotally redirected young lives 
toward drastically brighter futures. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Ozarks on achieving 
this well-deserved commendation, and sincerely thank them for their 
dedication to America's future generations.

                          ____________________