Global Youth Service Day

Floor Speech

* Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, we celebrated Global Youth Service Day--an annual campaign which celebrates the millions of young people who improve their communities each day of the year through service and self-discovery.

* Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries.

* As part of this effort, I have the pleasure in recognizing two young people who are making a difference in Nebraska communities.

* Sydney Swanson, a senior at Alliance High School, organized the first ``Coats for Kids'' drive in Alliance. This year, she expanded it to three additional cities, collecting a total of 875 coats for children in need. Sydney also created a website with instructions for teens to start ``Coats for Kids'' drives in their own communities.

* Jordyn Lechtenberg, a senior at Ainsworth High School, founded and directly recruited 20 other high school students for the Youth Community Development Force, a group interested in community and economic development. She also served as interim executive director of the North Central Development Center while the director was on maternity leave.

* Young people like Sydney and Jordyn are essential assets and resources not only for their communities, but for our entire country. They have set a high benchmark, and I challenge every American to follow their example.

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