[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8738]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSHELLE HARGUS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2017

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a young 
student from my district who has achieved national recognition for 
exemplary volunteer service in her community. Joshelle Hargus of Aurora 
has just been named one of the distinguished finalists in Missouri by 
The 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor 
conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state and 
the District of Columbia.
  Ms. Hargus is being recognized for being the creator of ``Joshelle's 
Funky Flip Flops,'' making more than 500 pairs of handmade flip flops 
since 2008 and using her earnings from her sales to buy shoes and 
clothes for 100 kids in need. Inspired to help by a kindergarten 
classmate's only pair of torn-up shoes, Ms. Hargus has gone on to sell 
her flip flops at craft shows and spread the word about her cause 
through events and media appearances.
  It's vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless 
contribution this young citizen has made. Young volunteers like Ms. 
Hargus are inspiring examples to all of us, and are among our brightest 
hopes for a better tomorrow.
  The program that brought this young role model to our attention--The 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards--was created by Prudential 
Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that 
their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to 
inspire other young people to follow their example. Over the past 22 
years, the program has become the nation's largest youth recognition 
effort based solely on community service, and has honored more than 
115,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
  Ms. Hargus should be extremely proud to have been singled out from 
the thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this year's 
program. I wish Ms. Hargus luck with all her future endeavors, and urge 
my colleagues to join me in congratulating her on this momentous 
achievement.

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