Janice D. Schakowsky

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Ann Fisher Raney on her retirement from Turning Point Behavioral Health. Ann spent three decades serving Turning Point and led it as Chief Executive Officer for twenty-five years--a quarter of a century. Turning Point, a vital not- for-profit organization in the 9th Congressional District, provides essential mental health support to a vulnerable population of clients, 94 percent of whom are low-income.

Under Ann's leadership, Turning Point has grown steadily in size, scope, and reputation, to better serve the growing needs of the community. What began as a community mental health agency evolved into a regional leader, now serving over 1,000 clients annually across outpatient therapy, residential programming, case management, and free 24/7 crisis support.

One of Ann's signature achievements was the 2011 launch of the Living Room program, which offered something the field was only beginning to recognize as necessary: a free, welcoming alternative to the emergency room for adults in mental health crisis. Fifteen years later, the program maintains a 98 percent success rate in keeping guests out of the hospital and offers expert and compassionate care, including crisis intervention, support, and mentoring. The broader mental health field has taken notice and the Living Room has become a model program-- Turning Point receives praise whenever it is mentioned.

Turning Point received the highest ratings from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and has been recognized with a host of awards recognizing their impact broadly and locally in the communities they serve.

These achievements reflect the dedication and skill of everyone at Turning Point, with Ann as their steady, thoughtful and gifted leader. As a result of these and other efforts, Ann was personally honored with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of knowing and working with Ann for the past 3 decades, and what the awards and statistics cannot fully capture is the calm, thoughtful steadiness she brought to this work. She and her team work closely with elected officials to help advocate for policies and programs that will help their clients and the community as a whole. Importantly, Ann and her team also work to ensure that their clients' voices are heard by community leaders and elected officials directly. My staff and I relied on Ann for advice and guidance on legislation, policy and helping constituents in need. I truly treasure my and my office's relationship with Ann, and appreciate all that she has done.

Turning Point's mission is to provide solid support when and where it is needed most, and Ann embodied that mission throughout her tenure. On behalf of the residents of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, I thank her for thirty years of service to our community and wish her well in the chapter ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rabbi Andrea C. London, of Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. Rabbi London's retirement after many years of devoted and passionate spiritual leadership for our congregation and the broader Evanston community marks a meaningful moment of transition and celebration. It is also a chance to do something I do not do often enough: to pause and express my deep gratitude for my Rabbi.

For more than twenty-five years, Rabbi London has led Beth Emet with a steady hand and strong vision. Through it all, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to Jewish learning, pastoral care, and justice.

Much of her leadership has centered on building bridges. Across cultures. Across religions. She was always there with an extended hand and a warm smile. Her longstanding efforts have established strong and lasting relationships across lines of faith and race that truly inspire me. Today, Beth Emet has successful and growing Black-Jewish and Jewish-Muslim partnerships.

Rabbi London operates with moral clarity in a world that is often brutal and complex. She has offered a clear, courageous voice on issues of peace in Israel and Palestine. The North Shore NAACP, J Street, and a wide range of interfaith partners have recognized her for that work, and The Forward named her one of the most inspiring rabbis in the country. The City of Evanston has honored her as well, marking her contributions with a formal proclamation.

Rabbi London once organized a trip, taking Black and Jewish Evanston teenagers on a civil rights journey through the American South. This trip was designed to give young people a real opportunity to connect with the journey of African Americans living through the civil rights era and to walk in the shoes of those fighting for justice. Through this trip, Rabbi London helped young people understand themselves as part of a moral tradition that makes real demands. That is her gift: she does not tell people what to think. She puts them somewhere they have to reckon with what they believe.

Mr. Speaker, I have turned to Rabbi London many times over the years. I have sought her out for counsel, for clarity, and for the kind of grounding that only comes from someone who has devoted their life to justice and to people. She has that rare quality in a leader: she helps you think, rather than thinking for you. I am a better public servant for knowing her.

On behalf of the residents of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, I want to offer my deep gratitude for Rabbi London's efforts on our behalf over the last quarter century. Her efforts have made Evanston, and our entire country, more just. I know she will continue her great work in our community, making a meaningful difference in the lives of so many. I am proud to call her my rabbi, and forever proud to call her my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Erwin J. Korczynski of Chicago, Illinois. Erwin was a United States Marine Corps veteran, commercial airline captain, and Civil Reserve Air Fleet pilot who passed away on January 5, 2011, after a battle with prostate cancer.

Erwin Korczynski was born on March 30, 1942, and raised in Chicago, where he attended Lane Technical High School and later Northern Illinois University. During the Vietnam War, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps alongside his identical twin brother, Edwin. After their discharge, both brothers were hired by Eastern Air Lines, beginning careers that would eventually draw them into support roles during two American wars.

Through his work with Evergreen Airlines, Erwin became part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, a partnership between the Department of Defense and the commercial aviation industry that augmented Military Airlift Command

capacity during wartime. During Desert Shield and Desert Storm, CRAF pilots moved 400,000 troops and 335,000 tons of cargo over 165 days, what has been called the greatest airlift in history. Erwin flew 35 sorties in support of those operations, the same number, by extraordinary coincidence, as his twin brother Edwin.

On behalf of the residents of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, I want to share our gratitude for Erwin's service to this country, in uniform as a Marine and in the cockpit as a civilian pilot who kept flying into harm's way long after his discharge.