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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 656 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 656

              Honoring the 100th anniversary of Boys Town.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2017

  Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Fortenberry, and Mr. Smith of Nebraska) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                     on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
              Honoring the 100th anniversary of Boys Town.

Whereas Father Edward J. Flanagan was an Irish-American Roman Catholic priest 
        assigned to the Diocese of Omaha in 1912;
Whereas Father Flanagan was a social reformer who cared deeply for all children, 
        regardless of race or religion, and truly believed his statement, 
        ``There are no bad boys. There is only bad environment, bad training, 
        bad example, bad thinking.'';
Whereas Father Flanagan founded a Home for Boys on December 12, 1917, so that 
        all children, no matter their background, would have a chance to 
        succeed;
Whereas, in 1921, Father Flanagan purchased a farm in Douglas County, Nebraska, 
        on the outskirts of Omaha, which became known as the Village of Boys 
        Town;
Whereas, by the 1930s, hundreds of boys lived in the Village of Boys Town, 
        Nebraska, which grew to include a school, dormitories, and 
        administration buildings;
Whereas Father Flanagan passed away in 1948, but his legacy continued and in the 
        coming decades, Boys Town continued to grow;
Whereas, in the 1970s, as girls began coming to Boys Town, the Family Home 
        Program was established and has become the trademark treatment approach 
        of Boys Town;
Whereas Boys Town children live in homes and are cared for by married couples 
        known as Family-Teachers, giving the children a stable family life that 
        often they did not have prior to arriving at Boys Town;
Whereas, to date, the Boys Town Family Home Program has grown to 96 homes 
        nationwide, serving approximately 36,000 children;
Whereas, opening in 1977, the Boys Town National Research Hospital is a leader 
        in treating children with hearing and speech disorders;
Whereas Boys Town Hospital helps 60,000 patients who are hearing impaired, 
        visually impaired, or have other related communications disorders each 
        year;
Whereas, today, Boys Town has a national footprint in nine locations around the 
        United States;
Whereas Boys Town has locations in Nebraska, Iowa, Nevada, Louisiana, South 
        Florida, Central Florida, North Florida, New England, and Washington, 
        DC;
Whereas, in 2016, 8,984 children were served across the country through the Boys 
        Town In-Home Family Services program;
Whereas, since the inception of Boys Town in 1917, Boys Town has served at least 
        392,000 children of all backgrounds; and
Whereas Boys Town was founded and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the 100th anniversary of Boys Town; and
            (2) recognizes the work Boys Town does to keep to Father 
        Edward J. Flanagan's original belief that all children have the 
        right to be valued, to have the basic necessities of life, and 
        to be protected.
                                 <all>
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