Recognizing Proteus

Floor Speech

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Mr. VALADAO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of Proteus, an essential non-profit organization in the Central Valley, as they celebrate their 55th anniversary.

In the 1960s, the Tulare County Community Action Agency formed Proteus Adult Training to address rampant poverty among farmworkers and impoverished adults--primarily through literacy programs. In 1972, Proteus would be incorporated as an independent non-profit organization and continue its core mission to provide education, job training, and support services that empower people to achieve self-sufficiency.

In 1978, Proteus began expanding outside of Tulare County and started to address poverty throughout the Central Valley. In 1994, Proteus opened its first vocational school, offering Shipping and Receiving classes. They received their accreditation in 1995 and have been expanding their classes into areas such as Truck Driving, Forklift Training, and Energy Career Training. Today, Proteus also offers academic courses such as Adult Basic Education and English as Second Language through its William M. Maguy School of Education.

Throughout its 55 years of work, Proteus has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to improve the lives of the disenfranchised through its local, regional, and national partnerships with governments, other non- profit organizations, and corporations. With 30 different locations throughout Tulare, Kern, Fresno, and Kings counties, as well as in East Los Angeles, Proteus continues to lift people out of poverty and put the less fortunate on a pathway to financial stability.

I ask all of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Proteus as it celebrates its 55-year anniversary.

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