Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public servant from Chester County, Pennsylvania, who is retiring after a nearly 30-year career with the West Whiteland Township Police Department.

Sgt. Richard J. ``Rick'' Kasper joined the West Whiteland Police as a patrol officer in 1978. He became one of the first members on the force to be promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1988.

As a patrol shift supervisor for 25 years, Sgt. Kasper earned the respect of his colleagues for his ability to think on his feet and his sound judgment at times when officers' lives and the safety of the community were on the line.

Whether it was safely disarming a knife-wielding suspect or responding to a threat of violence at a local mall, the members of the West Whiteland Township Police Department

knew they could always depend on the steady hand of Sgt. Kasper to guide them through the tension-filled moments.

In addition to pinning on a badge for work each day, Sgt. Kasper passed on his knowledge about police work as one of the Department's original firearms instructors. Sgt. Kasper's dedication to the Department was surpassed only by his devotion to his family. In a testament to just how well Sgt. Kasper juggled the demands of police work and the needs of his family, his daughter, Heather, followed in her father's footsteps to become a police officer with a department in Florida.

Rick's career and accomplishments will be celebrated on Friday, May 9, 2008 during a dinner at the Downingtown Country Club.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in praising the outstanding service of Sgt. Richard J. Kasper, and all those who take an oath to serve and protect their communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated community volunteer from Chester County, Pennsylvania, who recently passed away, but whose service is still lauded and remembered.

Each year, the Downingtown Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the community. This year, the Citizen of the Year Award will be presented posthumously to Thomas J. Cooper, Sr.

Mr. Cooper made substantial contributions to several community organizations throughout our region. He was very active with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a Cubmaster and Den Leader for Hopewell Pack 8 for a

number of years. He also served as the Scoutmaster for Hopewell Troop 8, as well as a Vigil Member of the Order of the Arrow.

Tom was also very active with the Downingtown High School Band Parents organization, making numerous trips hauling the band instruments to local venues and even Florida for band appearances. He also worked the concession stand at the Downingtown High School stadium for numerous athletic events and band competitions, all part of his committed efforts to support our local youth.

No task was too big or too small for Tom. As long as he knew it would benefit area youth, he was there to help.

All of Tom's work and accomplishments will be acknowledged this weekend at the Downingtown Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on May 2, 2008, at Whitford Country Club. His wife, Winifred, will accept the Citizen of the Year Award on his behalf and area leaders and residents will pay tribute to the life and work of a selfless man.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in praising the work of Thomas J. Cooper, Sr., and all those who give of themselves to help others. The Citizen of the Year Award is an acknowledgment of the full and vibrant life that Tom led, and whose work is still remembered and paving the future for tomorrow's generation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor Dr. Zenia Chernyk of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania for her many years of service to the Ukrainian people and to the Ukrainian-American community. Throughout the years I have worked closely with Dr. Chernyk, I have seen up close her dedication and unbridled energy that has resulted in tremendous accomplishments.

Originally born in Ukraine, Dr. Chernyk lived in Poland during her childhood years and attended the Medical School of Wroclaw University. In 1964, she was invited to work on kidney and pancreas transplant research at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia. Since this time, Dr. Chernyk has worked closely with the Ukrainian Embassy, members of Congress, and national and international organizations and institutions to advocate on behalf of the healthcare needs of Ukrainian children with specialized medical needs.

For the past 17 years, Dr. Chernyk has been the Chair of the Healthcare Program of the Ukrainian Federation of America. Through this program, Dr. Chernyk has overseen the development and implementation of a variety of healthcare programs in Ukraine, including the education of healthcare providers and increasing the level of medical technology and research support available to Ukrainian healthcare programs. In addition to this position, Dr. Chernyk also serves as the director of Project Lifeline, a healthcare reform project aimed at establishing rural practice clinics in Ukraine. These programs are a valuable asset in the efforts to improve the quality of healthcare for the children of Ukraine and the Ukrainian community.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Dr. Zenia Chernyk for her tireless efforts and service to Ukraine and the Philadelphia area Ukrainian-American community. May her continued service be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding community service provided by the volunteers of The Philadelphia Program of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care on the occasion of their annual volunteer celebration dinner taking place on April 30, 2008. This annual event is part of National Volunteer Appreciation Week from April 27 to May 3, 2008. National Volunteer Appreciation Week was created in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order to establish the week as an annual celebration of volunteerism.

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care has been a pioneer and leader in the hospice care movement since 1978 and is the nation's largest provider of end-of-life care. The Philadelphia Program of VITAS, which started in 1993, has four inpatient units and serves the five-county Philadelphia area.

More than sixty Philadelphia-area volunteers perform numerous services and serve more than 350 patients a day. The volunteers are both young and old and provide a variety of services for the elderly. These services range from running errands and placing reassuring phone calls, to spending quality time with the elderly. The volunteers serve patients in their own homes, in hospitals, and in nursing homes.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in thanking The Philadelphia Program of VITAS volunteers for their exemplary service to the citizens of Southeastern Pennsylvania. May their work be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and celebrate the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) of the greater Philadelphia area. Together, the institutions that make up SEPCHE enroll more than 20,000 students and represent the third largest provider of higher education services in the Delaware Valley. Collectively, the consortium awards more master degrees in education than any other institution in the Commonwealth and is the largest provider of teaching credentials.

Throughout the past 15 years, the eight colleges that comprise SEPCHE--Arcadia University, Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill College, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Holy Family University, Immaculata University, Neumann College and Rosemont College--have engaged in a collaborative approach to the challenges of higher education. Through a range of activities, services, technology and information, the consortium institutions have worked together to promote quality and efficiency of academic programming, student access, faculty development, institutional operations and community outreach.

In addition to its work at the collegiate level, the collaborative efforts of SEPCHE have had many positive outcomes for the member schools and the surrounding communities. With its development of the Mathematics & Science Institute, which offers ongoing education and training to hundreds of K-12 teachers in the Philadelphia area, the institute has been a valuable resource in curriculum development for use in classrooms.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in thanking the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education for its exemplary service and commitment to its students and region's communities. May its continued excellence be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 37 years of inspiring and motivational teaching of Mrs. Arlene Cory of Penn Christian Academy located in East Norriton Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Cory will be honored with a well-deserved retirement dinner on April 29, 2008, at Presidential Caterers in the township.

Ms. Cory began her career at Penn Christian Academy in 1971 and she is now teaching a second generation of students. Alumni who have learned of Mrs. Cory's coming departure have expressed regret that she will not be their children's teacher one day. She is loved, admired and respected by many. Her friends will tell you that this is due to her kind heart and her willingness to always lend a helping hand.

In 1985, along with her long-time co-worker Linda Kuntz, Ms. Cory was dubbed a ``teacher extraordinaire''. I'm sure the thousands of children whose lives she has touched over the years could not agree more.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in thanking Mrs. Arlene Cory for her exemplary service to the children of Penn Christian Academy. May her teaching career be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and congratulate the Coventry Lions Club for its 50th anniversary this year. The Coventry Lions Club held its first meeting on April 15, 1958 and was chartered by the International Lions Club to serve the area that is now known as the Owen J. Roberts School District, which includes seven townships in its community of service. Of the charter members, only two are known by the Club to still be living in the area--Dr. Robert Barr and Mr. Stauffer Kutz--who have agreed to be a part of the Club's celebration.

Over the years, the Coventry Lions Club has boasted a membership that includes business and community leaders willing to work under the International Lions slogan of ``We Serve.'' That history has continued into the present time with a membership that seeks to serve the local community, as well as participate in international programs that serve the less fortunate of the world. There are numerous examples of the great work they do in our community and abroad, including: providing eye examinations and glasses for children whose families are unable to meet the necessary financial requirements; delivering food boxes to needy families at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter; providing financial assistance to families who have experienced hardship due to injury and natural disasters; cleaning up and maintaining stretches of local roads; giving financial scholarships to deserving high school graduates; and participation in many other projects within its Lions District, the Delaware Valley and the Tri-State area.

One example of an international project the Coventry Lions Club is working on is the Campaign Sight First II conducted by Lions Club International Foundation. This project is hoping to provide $200,000,000 to attack preventable blindness throughout the world and contribute toward other humanitarian causes. The Coventry Lions Club has contributed financial resources to numerous noteworthy projects such as this over the years.

Madam Speaker, the Coventry Club has a long and wonderful history of helping its community, and all those throughout the world who may need help. I know my colleagues join me as I congratulate its members for their inspirational work and exceptional public service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the upcoming 95th anniversary of the Norristown Garden Club in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

The Norristown Garden Club was founded on April 13, 1913 by seven women who met at the home of Miss Bertha Slingluff Harry and established the Club to promote their common interest in the culture of flowers by exchanging ideas, seeds, plants and bulbs. At this first meeting, the group chose officers and laid the groundwork for what has been 95 years of fellowship and service to the beautification of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Throughout the 20th Century and today, the members of the Norristown Garden Club have dedicated endless energies and hours to volunteer activities in the area. Examples of this include 32 years of consecutive service to the Montgomery Geriatric Center and Rehabilitation--an achievement they reached in 1986. The organization has also donated thousands of dollars in flowers to places such as the Valley Forge Historical Society Museum and Ronald McDonald House. It is clear that the members not only gather around a common love

for botanicals, but seek to share this joy with fellow citizens and surrounding communities.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring the history and service of the Norristown Garden Club as they celebrate their 95th anniversary.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Albert Haroutounian of Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, who died in Iraq on March 10, 2008.

Albert was a linguist working on contract in Iraq for the Trinity Technology Group. Albert was on a mission when his vehicle was hit by

an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He was killed along with 5 soldiers in the blast.

Albert's grandparents fled Armenia during the Ottoman Empire's genocide of the Armenian people and settled in Kuwait, where he was born. While in Kuwait, he became fluent in three languages, Armenian, Arabic and English. After suffering the loss of his mother at the age of 14, Albert's father immigrated to the United States with Albert and his 3 brothers. Since immigrating, Albert grew to become an author and aspiring film maker. He had planned to make his most recent book, The Clock Doc, into his first movie.

In addition to his budding writing and film career, Albert loved to travel and spent time visiting places such as Armenia, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Mexico, Syria and Yugoslavia. His extensive travels and active lifestyle exposed him to many cultures and helped to formulate his outlook and dreams for the world.

Albert's goal in life was to establish an organization that would help educate, feed, and house people across the globe. He wished to make our world one of peace with a message to live a life of compassion, understanding, and happiness.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in paying honor to Mr. Albert Haroutounian for his exemplary service to our Nation. May his life be an inspiration to all fellow citizens and we extend our utmost respect and condolence to his family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 35 years of astounding community service provided by the citizen volunteers of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

RSVP was established for the purpose of creating opportunities for engagement, activity, and growth for older Americans. Through an amendment of the Older Americans Act, RSVP began as a nationwide program in 1969. The Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Chapter has been active since 1973.

With over 1,300 active volunteers assisting 300 non-profit organizations in Montgomery County, RSVP has become an invaluable resource. RSVP's volunteers serve to assist fellow citizens in a wide variety of activities. Their dedication to the community has greatly enhanced and contributed to an improved quality of life for thousands of citizens living in Montgomery County.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in thanking RSVP for their exemplary service to the citizens of Montgomery County. May their work be an inspiration to us all.

Madam Speaker, on March 5, I was delayed in making my way to the floor of the House for rollcall 99. I missed the vote, but had I been present I would have voted nay.

Madam Speaker, on February 28, 2008 I stepped away from the floor and accidentally missed rollcall 86. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea,'' in strong support of H.R. 3936, the bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 116 Helen Highway in Cleveland, Georgia, as the Sgt. Jason Harkins Post Office Building.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Helena Trafford Devereux--a pioneer in special education. From the beginning of her impressive career, her interest as a young school teacher from south Philadelphia was focused on children, usually in the back of the room who were unable to keep up with the rest of the class and were all too often forgotten by other educators. In the early 1900s, Helena Devereux began working with these children and others throughout Philadelphia as she developed the cornerstones of modern-day special education. Her passion led her to work further with these children, bringing eight of them into her home so that she could provide the necessary instruction not only educationally, but vocationally and socially as well. Her success led to the 1912 founding of Devereux, which has become the Nation's largest nonprofit provider of behavioral healthcare for people with developmental/intellectual disabilities, behavioral disorders and mental illness. Ninety-five years later, it now serves 15,000 clients in 11 states throughout the country.

Ms. Devereux's work was truly at the cutting edge for its time. Professionals throughout the country and representing diverse disciplines came to Devereux to study her models of treatment and special education. Being a true visionary, Helena Devereux knew the importance of providing educational services to people with special needs. But more importantly, she knew the importance of training professionals in the fields of education, psychology, social work, psychiatry and related areas. It was therefore important to her that this mission be incorporated in the 1938 charter of Devereux and the 1956 bylaws.

Fifty years ago, shortly before her resignation, Helena Devereux established the Institute of Research and Training, now known as the Institute of Clinical Training and Research (ICTR). ICTR is one of the ten oldest, continuously accredited internship training sites by the American Psychological Association in the country. Since its inception, over 1,200 individuals have received their pre- or post-doctoral training at Devereux and many of these individuals have gone on to attain positions of prominence in the field of psychology.

ICTR has also excelled in developing best practices in the field of education for infants and toddlers, children with significant behavioral disorders and mental illness, and children with developmental disabilities, including autism.

In celebration of the 95th anniversary of Devereux and the 50th anniversary of the ICTR, Devereux is planning a Gala celebration at the Independence Seaport Museum on Friday, November 16, 2007. The Gala is expected to draw the greater Philadelphia business and civic community for an evening of entertainment and appreciation.

While Devereux is recognized as a national leader in providing services for children, adolescents and adults, the largest population base served is in southeastern Pennsylvania. Almost every town and township in the Delaware Valley, as well as more than 40 counties throughout the state, are served by Devereux. In Pennsylvania alone, it serves 1,800 individuals.

Madam Speaker, I am sure all of my colleagues join me today in celebrating the 95th anniversary of Devereux and the 50th anniversary of the ICTR. Their legacy--and the tireless work undertaken by Helena Devereux--is evident in the countless lives that they have affected, and those students who they continue to help every day.

Madam Speaker, there are few more disturbing examples of human cruelty toward its own kind in the history of the world than the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. It is inconceivable that a government could have so little value for human life to kill up to 10 million people, including 3 million children, in order to break national resistance to Communism. For 500 days, 25,000 people died daily from hunger, when nature's harvest provided them with everything needed to lead a normal life and when food was in their plain view. The brutality of such a policy and the callous way it was enforced are beyond comprehension. The Ukrainian Famine-Genocide was caused by the imposition of extraordinarily high grain quotas in the agricultural areas of Ukraine, and inhumane efforts by the Soviet government in taking every foodstuff available to fulfill the quotas. Taking a handful of grain or a potato was considered ``stealing from the state'' and capital punishment could be--and was--applied as a consequence.

The eyewitness accounts are horrifying in their candor. One survivor wrote the following in her diary: ``Upon entering [the village] we caught up with a boy of about 7; my fellow traveler shouted [for him to step out of the way] but the boy did not seem to hear and continued to walk, swaying; our carriage caught up with him; I shouted; the boy stepped out of the way as though unwillingly; I wanted to look him in the face. That face left a chilling impression on me, one that I will never forget. I think that this was the expression of people who know that they will soon die, but who do not want to die. But this was a child. [. . .] I cried silently, so that my companion would not hear. The thought that I could not do anything, that millions of children are dying from hunger [. . .] dismayed me. . . . Near the village soviet office we ran into an old man with the same expression on his face.''

When the news of the Famine-Genocide reached the free world, the Soviet government denied its existence and refused humanitarian aid that could have saved the lives of millions. For the next 60 years, the government aggressively continued to deny the existence of the Famine- Genocide and even banned the use of the word ``famine''.

On the event of the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine- Genocide, I am confident that I speak on behalf of my constituents and our entire nation when I join the Ukrainian nation in mourning the millions of innocent victims. Their memory will always be with us. I believe it is our moral responsibility to recognize the Ukrainian American community's work and continue to inform the whole world of the crime against the Ukrainian people and humanity committed by the Stalinist totalitarian regime. We cannot let any similar tragedy be repeated ever again. Together, we need to continue to fight totalitarianism and the oppression until every corner of this planet is free and democracy reigns supreme. We honor the memory of the innocent victims and the brave fighters for Ukraine's independence today and we will remember them always.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Malvern Federal Savings Bank as it celebrates its 120th Anniversary this year. Malvern Federal Savings Bank, first known as the Malvern and Duffryn Mawr Building and Loan Association, opened its doors in 1887 at King Street and Warren Avenue in Malvern, PA. The Bank moved to new locations on Malvern's King Street in both 1938 and 1955, and to nearby Paoli in 1957. The Bank headquarters, which underwent an extensive renovation in 2004, remains in Paoli today. The institution has continued to expand through the opening of multiple financial centers and today has offices in Paoli, Berwyn, Malvern, Westtown, Lionville, Exton and South Coventry.

The community bank has dedicated itself through the years to fulfilling the financial needs of people and businesses throughout Chester County, Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas. For 120 years, Malvern Federal Savings Bank has remained a mutual savings bank owned by its depositors, thus ensuring that it always meets the needs of the community first. The Bank prides itself on staying active in the community, donating time and funds to numerous local events and fundraisers each year, as a way to give back to residents and businesses that have been supportive for so many decades.

Ron Anderson currently serves as the Bank's president and chief financial officer and F. Claire Hughes, Jr. as the chairman. Malvern Federal Savings Bank is one of the oldest banks based in Chester County and continues to offer numerous services to its customers and community.

I know all my colleagues join me today in congratulating the Malvern Federal Savings Bank as it celebrates its 120th Anniversary and continues its proud tradition of community involvement, business excellence, and superior customer service.