The Dream Will Survive
Floor Speech
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, tonight, I rise for the 92,000 Dreamers in the State of Florida. Tonight, I rise for the 3.6 million Dreamers across this Nation.
President Trump may have terminated the DACA program this week, but the dream will survive.
These Dreamers are serving in our military. They are our teachers. They are students and businessowners, lawyers, doctors, and engineers. They are an ambitious group of young people who are renewing our democracy and who are some of the very best of what the next generation has to offer.
I have no doubt, despite this termination this week, these young people will continue to fight, and we in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will stand with them. We in the Democratic Caucus will continue to stand with them.
I hope some of my colleagues who have signed on to this bill in the Republican Conference will continue, but we need a vote on the floor.
Seventy percent of Americans already stand with our Dreamers.
It is true that the Federal courts this week have continued with their injunction enjoining the termination of the DACA program. This will help those who are already in the program, but that is a small fraction of the Dreamers in this country.
It is a sad state of affairs that Dreamers could only find justice in our courts. This is the people's House, and the people's business needs to be done. It is time to have a vote on the floor in a bipartisan fashion--a clean Dream Act now, or in November the voters will have their own vote regarding Dreamers. Honoring Seretha Tinsley During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Seretha Tinsley.
Seretha Tinsley is a Winter Haven resident, trailblazer, and overachiever. She was the first African-American female to attend and graduate from Wesleyan College, in 1971.
In the early 1980s, Seretha became one of the first Black female general managers in radio.
In 2008, she became the first African-American president of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
She is an entrepreneur, civic leader, mother, and wife.
Desiring to become a missionary, she took a trip to West Africa, visited six countries, and studied with educators. Consequently, she became an educator so that she could have a greater impact empowering young lives with knowledge.
Tinsley served as executive director and cofounded Chain of Lakes Achievers, an achievement center devoted to empowering youth through tutoring, leadership, and life skills training. She maintains her passion for teaching by mentoring on a daily basis.
She is a businesswoman who takes pride in assisting others in reaching their phenomenal potential. Tinsley is the CFO/owner of several family businesses, KFC, Tinsley Family Concessions, where she oversees administrative and fiduciary responsibilities.
Seretha's community service and progressive leadership have earned her numerous honors, recognitions, and media coverage.
Seretha is involved with multiple organizations in the community. She is a Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce business member; First Missionary Baptist Church trustee; life member of the NAACP; Polk Academies Advisory Board; Winter Haven Chamber; past president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Polk County Chapter; among many other accomplishments.
Seretha Tinsley, we honor you. Honoring Lisa Landers During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Lisa Landers.
Lisa Landers has served in the executive director position of the Winter Haven Housing Authority since 2009. She leads in the overall operations of the agency's public housing Section 8, low-income tax credit, and multifamily housing programs.
Known for her tenacious spirit, Lisa has been recognized for successfully transforming a once nonperforming troubled agency into one now competitively recognized by Florida housing officials.
Prior to joining the WHHA in 2004 as a volunteer, Lisa championed research on infant mortality and neonatology for the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and wife, Rhea Chiles, at their Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Ms. Landers is also an award-winning journalist for The Tampa Tribune.
Her career includes leadership as director of public relations for The Spring of Tampa Bay, one of Florida's largest domestic violence centers.
A graduate of Florida A&M University with a B.S. in journalism, Ms. Landers has also pursued advanced studies in public administration at USF and holds the distinguished Executive Director's Education Certification from Rutgers University's Center for Government Studies.
Among her board and outside interests, Ms. Landers is a member of the Winter Haven Leadership Class of 35, currently serves as the Florida State public relations representative for the Florida Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and its Southeastern Regional Council, and is currently a member of the Leadership Polk Class XI.
Lisa Landers, we honor you. Honoring Twanna Dewdney During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Twanna Dewdney.
Twanna Dewdney is a Winter Haven resident and proprietor of Salon Ashanti. She has proudly operated her salon in Winter Haven for over 13 years and considers it a vital resource to the community.
As a community activist, Twanna advocates for HIV and AIDS education and prevention. Her salon is an HIV testing site for the Polk County Health Department.
Salon Ashanti also serves as a location for voter outreach, registration, and school supply drives. Children within the neighborhood utilize Salon Ashanti as a place of refuge, and she prides herself as a mentor to young women.
Her ministry extends beyond her local community, as she also organizes toiletry drives for women's and men's prison ministries.
Twanna began Project Park Bench as a drive where warm items and food could be brought to the salon for donations to the homeless. Items are then donated to the Mission of Winter Haven.
Further, she also uses her salon to promote other entrepreneurs.
In 2010, Twanna received the Community Service Award from the Jewett Alumni Association and the Bringing Your Business Back Award from the NAACP.
In 2011, she received her associate of arts degree from Polk State College and bachelor of applied science in supervision management in 2013.
Twanna is an usher, president of HIV/AIDS Ministry, and member of the Willing Workers Committee at Hurst Chapel AME Church.
She was the 2014 recipient of Girls Inc. She Knows Where She's Going ``George Jenkins'' Award.
In 2015, Twanna received the Outstanding Entrepreneur's Self- Determination Award, presented by presiding elder Jimmy Thompson and the Lakeland District African Methodist Episcopal Church.
She also received the Shining Star Award for outstanding ministry and community service and was the recipient of the Minerva Achievement Award from the Lakeland Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
Twanna Dewdney, we honor you. Honoring Glenda Jones During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Glenda Jones.
It has been said that humility is often found in those who serve others. Glenda Jones best personifies that statement.
For 45 years, Glenda has and continues to champion the elderly by seeking to empower them with knowledge, skill, and resources through the Winter Haven Neighborhood Service Center Inc.
As a registered nurse, she provides care and compassion for her community through civic engagement. Glenda actively serves her community and has been recognized for her participation with a number of organizations in our community.
Glenda won Woman of the Year, the highest honor in Winter Haven, in the 2008 Banker's Cup. She is involved with St. Joseph's school board, the Keep Winter Haven Clean and Beautiful organization, a charter member of the East Central Democratic Club, secretary for the Polk County Democratic Black Caucus, and the United Way of Central Florida board of directors.
She is also a current member of the Agricultural and Labor Program board of directors, PRIDE of Polk County, the Women's Club of Winter Haven, Silver Life member of the NAACP, and chair of the Winter Haven Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Commission as well.
Glenda has been an official sponsor of the Winter Haven MLK Parade and other activities during King Week. She is current chair of the Florence Villa CRA in the city of Winter Haven and a past recipient of the Winter Haven Girls, Inc., She Knows Where She's Going Award.
Glenda Jones, we honor you. Honoring Lakecia Gunter During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Lakecia Gunter.
Lakecia Gunter is a Haines City native. She is currently Intel's chief of staff and technical assistant of Intel. Prior to her current role, she was the general manager of the consumer desktop segment marketing team in the client computing group, where she was responsible for maximizing desktop profitability to grow the desktop P&L.
She is an active member of the Intel Black Leadership Council, Intel's network of Intel African Americans, and Women at Intel.
Lakecia started from humble beginnings, growing up in a single-parent household. Her late mom, Barbara Griffin, always described her as a curious child. She is a trailblazer who has never been afraid to be the only one.
``If they let me in the door, I'm going to make the entrance wider,'' she says. And she does just that by sharing her time and talents with several nonprofits focused on improving educational outcomes for high school dropouts and underprepared college students. In her mentoring, she tries to impress upon kids that challenges are designed to help them grow.
Lakecia earned an MS in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science degree in computer engineering from the University of South Florida. She also earned her project management professional certification.
Her efforts in the engineering career field and the community have garnered her national recognition. She recently was named to Business Insider's list of the 26 most powerful female engineers in 2016. She was the recipient of the Society of Women Engineers' Prism Award for demonstrating outstanding career technology leadership as well as leadership in STEM and in the community.
Further, she was named to Diversity MBA Magazine's 2014 list of top 100 under 50 diverse executive leaders for her technology leadership and achievements at Intel and in the community.
For that, Lakecia Gunter, we honor you. Honoring Gloria Niec During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Gloria Niec. Ms. Niec is the executive director of the Celebration Foundation and has tackled serious issues affecting Osceola County.
In 2012, the Celebration Foundation led the effort to increase awareness of those experiencing hunger in the county by creating Osceola Connected. The group became very involved in combating childhood hunger. Today, Osceola Connected provides food to over 1,000 Osceola County elementary students every week during the school year.
While handing out bags of food or taking children to summer camp, Gloria learned that many graduating seniors had no postsecondary plans. Once she learned that most students had never even visited a college campus before, Gloria and her committee began sponsoring campus tours of Technical Education Center Osceola and Valencia College Osceola Campus. The first year, just over 100 students toured the campuses. Since then, over 6,000 students have toured the campuses, which have helped improve the county's college-going rate.
Education is one of the cornerstones of Celebration Foundation's mission ``to work hand in hand with our neighbors to build a strong and caring central Florida community.''
Gloria was concerned about the effect of media on girls and young women. She convened a group of talented women, and they formed WINGS, Women's Initiative Nurturing Girls' Strength. The goal is to help girls and women create powerful life journeys.
Gloria also gathered a group of architects and urban planners who are committed to preserving, protecting, and advancing the principles upon which Celebration was based. They teach at Lifelong Learning, lead tours, and sponsor an annual speaker.
The Concert Series, in its 16th year, is enjoying robust attendance and sponsorship. Gloria has helped to grow the series, which offers a cultural opportunity for residents in Celebration, Osceola County, and central Florida. She has also been involved with Thriving in Place and Lifelong Learning, programs that enable seniors to live healthy, safe, independent, and have enriched lives.
And for that, Gloria Niec, we honor you. Honoring Heather Wilkie During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Heather Wilkie.
Heather Wilkie is the executive director of the Zebra Coalition, a network of community organizations which provide services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all youth. Following the tragic Pulse nightclub shooting, the Zebra Coalition evolved as a leading organization in the community's provision of services to victims and their families, and Wilkie continues to lead these efforts to ensure the LGBTQ-plus youth in central Florida have a safe space to turn.
Wilkie serves on the task force for the LGBTQ Alliance, a group of appointed LGBTQ organizations and community leaders formed to address our community's needs as a result of the Pulse shooting.
She is an experienced executive leader in the nonprofit sector with over 13 years of personal commitment and dedication to community service. A dynamic and energetic advocate for global change and equality, Wilkie contributes a strong passion for social justice.
Prior to joining the Zebra Coalition, Wilkie served as chief operating officer for the leading central Florida domestic violence organization Harbor House. During that time, she chaired the LGBTQ Caucus with the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where she led the statewide initiative to enhance services for LGBTQ survivors of abuse.
Wilkie holds a master's degree in mental health counseling from Rollins College.
And for that, we honor you, Heather Wilkie. Honoring Mary Downey During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Mary Downey.
Reverend Mary Lee Downey is the executive director and founder of the nonprofit Community Hope Center. The Community Hope Center is a one- stop shop providing services to the homeless and disenfranchised in Osceola County. In 2016, the Community Hope Center was awarded the prestigious Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award and, in 2015, the Bob Allen Award by Walt Disney World for innovative approaches to helping the homeless in the community.
In the last five years, the Community Hope Center has served over 25,000 individuals in the central Florida area. The Center focuses on a ``housing first'' model of care while also including a strong position regarding poverty alleviation.
Reverend Downey is a deacon in the United Methodist Church for the Florida Annual Conference. Her focus is on missional outreach through social justice in the nonprofit organizations. She is also a clergy at the Spring of Life United Methodist Church.
Previously, Mary served as the deputy director of Helping Others Make the Effort, HOME, a nonprofit committed to ending homelessness in Osceola County. She was also the program and evangelism director for the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee, where she focused on spiritual formation, outreach, and missions.
Before moving to central Florida, Mary was a journalist. In 2004, Mary graduated cum laude from Henderson State University in Arkansas with a bachelor of art in mass media. In 2016, she graduated from Henderson State with a master of art in art history and liberal arts. In 2012, Mary graduated with a master of Christian leadership with an emphasis in missions from Asbury Theological Seminary.
Mary and her amazing husband, Martin, have three children. She enjoys writing, preaching, and reading. In her free time, you can find her and her family enjoying the theme parks in central Florida.
And for that, Mary Downey, we honor you. Honoring Sheri Morton During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Sheri Morton.
For over half a century, Sheri Morton has volunteered for progressive causes. From the peace, civil rights, and women's movements in the 1960s to voting, equal rights, and quality affordable healthcare, Ms. Morton has volunteered tens of thousands of hours to help improve the quality of life for people in our community, our country, and our world.
Ms. Morton began volunteering as a teenager and continued doing so during her undergraduate years, when she was the first woman from her high school to attend Harvard College. She earned a master's degree at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she later worked.
After receiving her JD, she became an attorney and is now retired.
Sheri has held numerous volunteer political positions as well as served on the Osceola County Library Advisory Board.
A lifelong supporter of quality affordable healthcare for all Americans, she was a local volunteer spokesperson, encouraging enrollment in the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges.
Ms. Morton's volunteer work has ranged from teaching English to immigrants and tutoring a blind student in high school math to collecting food for Appalachia's needy and warm clothes for the homeless. Currently, she regularly volunteers hosting Jewish cultural events for the residents of a local assisted living facility.
After half a century of volunteering, Ms. Morton's dedication to improving the lives of others continues unabated.
And for that, Sheri Morton, we honor you. Honoring Kathleen Plinske During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Kathleen Plinske.
Kathleen Plinske serves as campus president of the Osceola, Lake Nona, and Poinciana campuses at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, and in central Florida. She has served as an advocate for increasing access to higher education in historically underserved communities and has been instrumental in Osceola County's ``Got College?'' efforts, which have resulted in an increase in the community college's going rate by more than 20 percent over the last 5 years.
Prior to joining Valencia in 2010, Plinske began her career at McHenry County College, rising up to ultimately becoming interim president of institutional effectiveness. A graduate of Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Plinske attended Indiana University Bloomington as a Herman B. Wells scholar, earning a bachelor of arts in Spanish and physics with highest distinction and honors. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she completed a master of arts in Spanish from Roosevelt University, a doctorate in education technology from Pepperdine University, and a master of business administration from the University of Florida.
Actively involved in her community, Plinske has served as a board chair of the Education Foundation of Osceola County and as president of the Rotary Club of Lake Nona. She has also served on the board of CareerSource Central Florida, the Osceola Center for the Arts, Junior Achievement of Osceola County, and the Lake Nona Education Council.
In 2010, Plinske was recognized as one of 24 emerging leaders in the world by Phi Delta Kappa. In 2012, she was named Woman of the Year by Orlando Business Journal in its 40 Under 40 competition and the Outstanding Young Alumna by Indiana University.
In 2014, she received the Compadre Award from the Hispanic Business Council of the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce and the Don Quijote Hispanic Community Champion Award from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.
Plinske was selected as an Aspen Presidential Fellow in 2016 and was named Pepperdine University's Distinguished Alumna in 2017.
And for that, Kathleen Plinske, we honor you. Honoring Kathy Wandel During Women's History Month
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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I would like to honor Kathy Wandel.
Kathy Wandel comes from a career in transportation, which focused on sales, operations, and training. Upon her retirement, she and her husband relocated from Texas to central Florida.
She served on the board of directors for the Senior Resource Alliance, the Area Agency on Aging for Central Florida, representing Osceola County, and was board chair for three years. She also delivered Meals on Wheels for the Osceola County Council on Aging.
She became a volunteer guardian ad litem, helping to provide a powerful voice in court on behalf of Florida's abused, neglected, and abandoned children in 2003.
She was soon invited to join the local nonprofit for the Guardian Ad Litem Program in Osceola County, Voices for Osceola's Children, where she is serving as board chair. This nonprofit supports the efforts of over 200 certified local volunteer GALs, as well as provides for the unmet needs of over 500 local children while they are under the supervision of the court dependency system.
She is a longtime member of Rotary International's Kissimmee West Rotary Club in Osceola County. She plans on continuing to support her club's fundraising efforts through local causes, including the Adopt-A- Precinct program for the Osceola County Supervision of Elections.
She finds the Rotary ideal of ``Service Above Self'' a wonderful way to meet new people who share the ideal and work to give back to the community.
For that, Kathy Wandel, we honor you.
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