Recognizing Ron Hauenstein

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Ron Hauenstein, who has served as the executive director of the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative since 2018.

Throughout my time representing eastern Washington in Congress, I have seen firsthand the transformative impact that this organization has had under Ron's leadership. The Fatherhood Initiative has become a pillar in our community, equipping fathers with values like commitment, resilience, gratitude, and honor.

Their guiding principle and their guiding belief is simple but powerful: When fathers are present and engaged, children do better and entire communities prosper. Time and again, families across Spokane have been reunited, and lives have been changed for the better, one dad, one child, and one family at a time.

Earlier this month, my team had the honor of joining the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative's Building Legacy gala, where our community rallied to raise nearly $175,000 for life-changing programs.

With weekly classes, some lasting half a year, and special outreach to men reentering society after incarceration or dealing with drug addiction, Spokane Fatherhood Initiative is helping dads restore relationships with their children and strengthen the fabric of our region.

I express my gratitude and extend my congratulations to Ron Hauenstein and everyone at the Spokane Fatherhood Initiative. Their dedication to building stronger fathers is building a stronger Spokane and a brighter community for every child in our community. Honoring Scouts Across America

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Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Scouts Across America. Scouts Across America carries forward with a remarkable legacy that began with Robert Baden-Powell, a British Army officer whose simple idea was that outdoor skills, teamwork, and service could build better citizens and a better world.

Robert Baden-Powell served with the British military in Afghanistan and against the Boer in South Africa, and the ideas that he saw there and the skills that he saw that were needed to be developed in young boys. From that, grew a global movement and in our country inspired what is now Scouting America, chartered by Congress to serve our Nation's youth by instilling the values of the Scout oath and law.

As a proud Scout dad, I rise today to say very clearly: Scouts is an outstanding program, and America needs more Scouts, not less.

It takes real effort from moms and dads and volunteers to get kids to meetings, campouts, and service projects. That effort pays off in character, confidence, civic service, and self-reliance of our young people.

Eleanor and I are father and mother to three boys and two girls, and we look forward to hopefully one day being the proud parents of five Eagle Scouts.

Today, Mr. Speaker, let's honor the Scouts, the volunteer leaders, the parents, and the enduring legacy of Robert Baden-Powell, whose vision still calls each new generation to duty, service, and leadership.

May we always support this movement so that more young Americans, especially the young people of eastern Washington, can discover a lifetime of impact and purpose, guided by the Scout oath and the Scout law.

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