IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1565 

Expressing support for the designation of the third Thursday of April as 

‘‘Rachel’s Challenge: A Day of Kindness and Compassion’’ in honor 

of the triumph and hope stemming from the life of Rachel Scott and 

in memoriam of the Columbine High School tragedy. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2010 

Mr. HALL of Texas (for himself and Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of the third Thursday 

of April as ‘‘Rachel’s Challenge: A Day of Kindness 

and Compassion’’ in honor of the triumph and hope 

stemming from the life of Rachel Scott and in memoriam 

of the Columbine High School tragedy. 

Whereas Rachel Scott was born on August 5, 1981, and 

passed away on April 20, 1999; 

Whereas Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine 

tragedy who through acts of kindness and compassion 

sparked the inspiration for Rachel’s Challenge, a nationwide school outreach program for the prevention of teen 

violence that empowers people, recognizes and celebrates 


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•HRES 1565 IH 

doing the right thing, focuses on healthy, happy, well-balanced students, and builds healthy communities; 

Whereas Rachel Scott drew an outline of her hand on the 

back of her dresser and wrote, ‘‘These hands belong to 

Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people’s hearts’’; 

Whereas Rachel Scott was beloved by her family, friends, fellow students, teachers, and administrators for her generosity, good humor, spirited charm, and the belief that 

kindness and compassion could be contagious and life 

changing; 

Whereas Rachel Scott wrote a challenge to the world through 

an essay she titled, ‘‘My Ethics, My Codes of Life’’ just 

a month before she was killed; 

Whereas in this essay she challenged people by saying, ‘‘I 

have this theory that if one person can go out of their 

way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little 

kindness can go’’; 

Whereas Rachel Scott left an example of kindness and compassion as one of the most inspirational students in the 

United States by reaching out to students who were 

handicapped, new to school, or picked on or put down by 

others, and her actions are now being replicated by millions of people; 

Whereas Rachel Scott was posthumously awarded the 2001 

National Kindness Award as Student of the Year by the 

Acts of Kindness Association; 

Whereas Rachel Scott, through her humanitarian work, 

leaves an incomparable legacy serving as an inspiration 

for kindness and compassion and will never be forgotten; 


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•HRES 1565 IH 

Whereas Rachel Scott once said, ‘‘How do you know that 

trust, compassion, and beauty will not make this world 

a better place’’; 

Whereas Rachel Scott through the work of her dad, Darrell 

Scott, and Rachel’s Challenge, was awarded the National 

Education Association of New York Friend of Education 

Award; 

Whereas Rachel’s Challenge has directly impacted over 

13,000,000 people since 1999, prevented hundreds of suicides, documented the prevention of school shootings and 

incidence of violence, and inspired over 1,000 service 

clubs, involving hundreds of thousands of students, that 

have been created in her memory in schools across the 

United States and are impacting innumerable communities; 

Whereas Rachel’s Challenge extends Rachel Scott’s challenge 

of kindness and compassion to all students through national and international multimedia campaigns and 

broadcasts; 

Whereas Rachel’s Challenge will cosponsor on May 6, 2010, 

the packaging of over 1,000,000 meals for Haiti in 1 day, 

and each year from this point forward on the third 

Thursday of April the world record for packaging meals 

will be broken again and again; and 

Whereas the third Thursday of April would be an appropriate 

date to designate as ‘‘Rachel’s Challenge: A Day of Kindness and Compassion’’ to bring awareness to kindness, 

compassion, and service to world hunger: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 1565 IH 

1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘Rachel’s Chal2 lenge: A Day of Kindness and Compassion’’; 

3 (2) honors the life and accomplishments of Ra4 chel Scott and her challenge to start a chain reac5 tion of kindness and compassion; 

6 (3) recognizes Rachel’s Challenge for delivering 

7 Rachel Scott’s legacy to the world; and 

8 (4) remembers the victims of the Columbine 

9 school tragedy, their families and friends, and all the 

10 people impacted. 

Æ 


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