Easternseals Southern Georgia

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I consider it my great honor and
pleasure to extend my sincerest congratulations to the Easterseals
Southern Georgia program as it celebrates 60 years of serving
individuals living with disabilities and their families. The
Easterseals Southern Georgia will celebrate this significant milestone
with a celebration on July 15, 2017 at the Doublegate Country Club in
Albany, GA.

Easterseals Southern Georgia was brought to life by Mr. and Mrs. Carl
Huie after they spent nearly eight years traveling back and forth from
Atlanta with their daughter Carlton whose health was ailing. After
struggling to find a facility that accommodated her daughter's needs,
Mrs. Huie vowed to start a rehabilitation center in Albany to serve the
disabled people of Southwest Georgia.

After nearly two years of letter writing and talking with every
women's group in Albany, Mrs. Huie convinced the Junior League of
Albany to take on the sponsorship and they began working toward
establishing what would become the Easter Seal Guild. In 1954, the
Devane Home in Albany was rented, and later purchased for use. The
center officially opened on November 25, 1957 and on November 21, 1961,
the Easter Seal Guild was formed, boasting 25 charter members.

However, in 1990, the Easter Seal Guild dissolved and Easterseals
Southern Georgia became a direct affiliate of the National Easterseals
Organization. Through the changes, the program continued to grow into a
multi-faceted organization, becoming even more responsive to the needs
of the region it set out to serve.

The programs for adults and children created by Easterseals Southern
Georgia over the years have helped families of individuals who are
amputees and those who suffer from traumatic physical and emotional
injuries, developmental or intellectual disabilities, and mental
illnesses by providing programs that are customized to their needs. The
Easterseals Southern Georgia continues to provide these and new
services to help ensure that each group's needs are met.

Beyond working to provide opportunities to adults with disabilities,
Easterseals Southern Georgia opened ``Megan's House'' to serve families
of children with disabilities. The house was so successful that the
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
provided funds for a second home in Waycross, Georgia, and the U.S.
Congress provided federal funds in 2009 for a third home in Valdosta,
Georgia.

Since its inception in 1957, Easterseals Southern Georgia has served
over 70,000 citizens in need and has aimed to ensure that those with
developmental disabilities have valued roles in the community by
administering training and other services that support individual
choices and opportunities. Easterseals has expanded its area of
outreach to underprivileged adults and children in Northern Florida and
East Georgia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and the more than 730,000
residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District in expressing our
profound gratitude to Easterseals Southern Georgia for providing
citizens with disabilities the long-lasting skills needed to be
outstanding members of their communities.