Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of attending the 75th birthday celebration of the Salem American Legion Band. The Salem American Legion Band was started in 1947 by World War II veterans. Today, the band is comprised of young musicians, both veterans and non-veterans, from all over Salem County, as well as neighboring South Jersey counties. The Salem American Legion Band performs two major concerts each year. In May, they have their Spring Veterans Concert, where they honor and recognize our nation's veterans for their service. Then, in the winter, the band hosts their Christmas concert. In addition to their semi-annual concerts, the American Legion Band performs at various events around the South Jersey area. Congratulations to the band on their 75th year and thank you to our veterans for their brave service. God Bless the Salem American Legion Band, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I attended Nicholas George's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Nicholas is a junior at Ocean City High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 79 in Upper Township. For his Eagle Scout project, he created a permanent memorial honoring Marienus J. Segeren (Mar-e-en J. Seg-e-ren), a trooper who died serving the New Jersey community in 1971. He decided to create this memorial because he has a strong interest in pursuing law enforcement as a future career path. Nicholas planned the project, solicited the funding, organized the labor groups, and installed the memorial all on his own. In addition, he presented the excess of funds that he obtained for the memorial to the New Jersey State Police Survivors of the Triangle to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Nicholas is a very special young man with high ideals. He should be proud of his contributions to the law enforcement community in New Jersey, and I wish him the best of luck in pursuing his own career in law enforcement. God Bless Nicholas, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of attending Christopher Lemon's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Christopher belongs to Troop 1079 of Seaville, South Jersey. For his Eagle Scout project, he created and gifted Shore Medical Center over 200 wooden hearts for their memorial recognizing COVID-19 patients who recovered in their hospital. Christopher painted the hearts with Shore Medical Center's colors, purple and white, and put them on posts. The posts were placed in the front lawn of the center and resided there for several weeks during the summer of 2021. This young man should be proud of his contributions to the memorial and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. God Bless Christopher, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of honoring Michelle Purdy with the Republican of the Year award. Michelle is a lifelong Galloway, South Jersey resident who runs several South Jersey businesses with her husband, Don. In her spare time, she served as the President of the Family School Association for 12 years, as well as became a member of the Galloway Township Education Foundation. In 2018, Michelle won both the Outstanding leadership Award and the Citizen Advocate for Education Award. She also serves as an executive board member of the Absegami High School softball program. Then, in 2021, Michelle became the President of the Galloway Township Republican League, where she was able to embrace her passion for Republican values. Michelle is a true conservative, and it was my honor to award her with the Republican of the Year award. God Bless Michelle, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I attended the retirement ceremony of Greg Speed, who was the CEO of Cape Counseling in South Jersey. Greg worked in the behavioral health sector for 48 years. He served at Cape Counseling Services for 37 years, where he worked as the Unit Director of Screening and Specialized Services from 1982 to 1995. Then, in 1995, Greg became the Vice President of Mental Health Services until 2000 when he became the CEO. At Cape Counseling, his leadership, direction, and vision were essential in completing a successful and seamless merger between Cape Counseling and Acenda. At Acenda, Greg continued his decade-long career and became the Chief Integration Officer during the merger. In addition, he also served and chaired multiple boards including the Human Services Advisory Committee, the Cape Alliance Steering Committee, the Health Community Coalition, and the Long-term recovery group after Hurricane Sandy. Greg should be proud of his notable career in the behavioral health sector, and I am glad I was able to attend his retirement ceremony. God Bless Greg, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the honor of attending William ``Liam'' Probasco's Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony. Liam is a senior at Cumberland Christian School and plans on attending Asbury University beginning this fall. He is a member of Daretown Troop 60 and worked very hard to attain his Eagle Scout ranking. For his Eagle Scout project, Liam built a 40-foot walkway bridge at Jersey Oaks Camp in Canton, South Jersey. He decided to build this walkway because access to the large field at the campground was greatly limited by ravine and hedgerow. The walkway opened up this field, which makes up 35 percent of the Jersey Oaks Camp property. Now, because of Liam's walkway bridge, the camp is planning to winterize the facility and add more buildings so that they can better serve their campers. Liam should be proud of his service to South Jersey, and it was my honor to have had the honor to attend his Court of Honor ceremony. God Bless Liam, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the honor of presenting Hunter Clark with Congressional record paperwork and a challenge coin at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Hunter currently attends St. Augustine's Prep in Richland, South Jersey and plans to attend American University in the fall. He achieved the Eagle Scout ranking as a part of Daretown Troop 60. For his Eagle Scout project, Hunter made some improvements to the beach at Camp Edge in Alloway, New Jersey. Camp Edge is part of Ranch Hope Ministries and provides care and outreach to troubled boys in the South Jersey community, as well as hosts a camp during the summer for kids of all ages. Hunter replaced some of the timber boundaries on the beach at Camp Edge. In addition, he added fishing pole hangers to the beach. Hunter should be proud of his service to South Jersey, and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors at American University. God Bless Hunter, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last month, I had the honor of attending Matt Wescott's Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony. Matt attained his Eagle Scout ranking as a member of Boy Scout Troop 60 in Daretown, South Jersey. For his Eagle Scout project, Matt led some of his fellow scouts in building a Gaga Ball pit at Alloway School. Gaga Ball is a very popular game with elementary and middle schoolers in the South Jersey community. However, the game needs to be played inside of an octagonal shaped court, which is why Matt decided to build the school a court. This will provide years of entertainment for the Alloway community and students. Matt should be proud of his project, and it was my honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him for his service to the

South Jersey community. God Bless Matt, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of attending a ceremony where World War II veteran John Christman was presented a Congressional Gold Medal. John is one of the nine surviving veterans who served as a soldier in the U.S. Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops tactical deception unit, more popularly known as the ``Ghost Army.'' This 1,100-man unit has a very unique mission. The Ghost Army's mission is to impersonate other Allied Army units in order to deceive our enemy. The Ghost Army has staged more than 20 battlefield deceptions, often operating very close to the front lines. I would like to thank John for the bravery and selflessness that he displayed while serving our country in the Ghost Army. God Bless John, and I thank him for his exemplary service, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, last week, I had the pleasure of attending the official storefront opening of Guppi in Wildwood, New Jersey. Driven by a young entrepreneur, Abby, Guppi aspires to reduce the plastics that pollute our oceans by creating eco-friendly apparel, bags, knick-knacks. Since launching her brand in 2018, Abby has created all her products by hand via screen-printing with ecofriendly inks and embroidering with threads made from recycled plastics. I am so impressed by Abby's work ethic, as well as her continued commitment to make our South Jersey community a safer and more eco-friendly environment. Abby truly exemplifies ambition, and I am excited to watch Guppi continue to grow. God bless Abby and all the other hardworking employees at Guppi, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of attending the New Jersey Dogs of Honor graduation in Maurice River Township, South Jersey. New Jersey Dogs of Honor started with a dog named Gunnar, who was the service dog of Diana Pitman, a former army nurse dealing with post-traumatic stress. Through Gunnar, Diana learned first-hand how a service dog can change a veteran's life. Diana then collaborated with Ted's Pet Country Club and Patti and Gordon Gross to establish New Jersey Dogs of Honor. Since then, these service dogs have been changing the lives of veterans in the South Jersey community by performing tasks to help veterans with disabilities. At the graduation this month, Meet, King, and Maggie all graduated and will now accompany three of our nation's veterans. God Bless both these dogs and veterans, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the lifelong achievements of Fredrick John Nahas II. Dr. Nahas moved to Margate, South Jersey as a young boy and graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1964. In high school, he was a South Jersey swimming champion and was recruited to swim at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. After graduating from University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nahas followed in his father's footsteps and pursued his career as an electrical engineer working on the Apollo Moon Project in Florida. He then continued his education and graduated from Temple University School of Medicine in 1974. After years of hard work, Dr. Nahas opened his own practice in 1978 and became a board-certified surgeon in 1980. Since then, he has maintained certifications in both general and vascular surgery. Currently, he works at his solo practice in South Jersey and enjoys spending time with his six grandchildren. Dr. Nahas should be proud of all of his achievements, and it is my pleasure to recognize him. God Bless Fredrick, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, last week, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the Complete Care Adult and Specialty Medical Professionals health center and corporate office in Bridgeton, South Jersey. The Complete Care Health Network began in 1973 as the Community Health Improvement Plan. Since then, Complete Care has grown to become the leading community health center in the state of New Jersey with a multitude of locations throughout Gloucester, Cumberland, and Cape May counties. The mission of the health center is to improve lives by providing convenient, comprehensive, high-quality healthcare to every community they serve. Complete Care Health Center truly does provide affordable and accessible care to the people of South Jersey. God Bless the employees and leaders of the Complete Care Health Network, and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, Michael John Donohue was born in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. He was the senior class president at Middle Township High School, where he earned seven varsity letters for football and track and field. In 1989, Mike graduated from the Catholic University of America with a degree in World Politics. After college, he graduated Cum Laude from Stetson University College of Law and served as a volunteer teacher at St. Joseph Catholic High School in the Virgin Islands, where he coached the mock trial team. Mike then went on to open his own firm, the Donohue Law

Firm. In 2015, he was appointed to Judge on the New Jersey Superior Court. Mike served as Judge in the Criminal and Family Courts until 2020, before deciding to return to practicing law. In addition to these career accomplishments, he was also Chairman of the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization and won Irishman of the year. I am very proud of Mike for his extensive career as a lawyer, judge, and chairman in the South Jersey community. God Bless Mike, and God Bless America.

Madam Speaker, I want to honor Gerald Thornton, also known as Gerry, who started his career in 1974 as a District Committeeman in Lower Township, Cape May County. He was then appointed to Cape May County Freeholder in 1976. Later on, Gerry became the Chairman of the Board of Elections for six years and eventually was appointed as the Director of the Board. He was placed in the New Jersey Association of Counties Hall of Fame and was recognized as Freeholder of the Year for all 21 counties in New Jersey. Over the years, Gerry has directly participated in developing many South Jersey projects including building the Cape May County Special Services School, building the Gerald M. Thornton Veterans Cemetery, and helped to bring a Veterans Clinic to Cape May County. After 44 years serving Cape May County, he has decided to retire. Gerry should be very proud of his lifelong service in South Jersey, and it was my honor to have had the opportunity to recognize him for all his accomplishments. God Bless Gerry, and God Bless America.