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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 80 (Monday, May 15, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1036-E1037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

               HEATHER WILLIS, VOICE OF DEMOCRACY WINNER

                                 ______

                         HON. HAROLD L. VOLKMER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 15, 1995
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a high school senior 
from Bowling Green, MO--Heather Willis. Heather has been named a 
national winner in the 1995 Voice of Democracy Program and the 
recipient of the Robert A. Stock Memorial Scholarship. The Voice of 
Democracy program is sponsored each year by the Veterans of Foreign 
Wars of the United States and its Ladies Auxiliary, asking high school 
seniors to write and record a 3-5 minute essay on a patriotic subject.
  I believe that Heather's essay, ``My Vision of America,'' is an 
excellent example of what we hope our children are learning in school: 
An understanding of the principles on which this country was founded 
and the realization that we all have a part to play in its continued 
greatness.
  I feel that Heather, the daughter of two school principals--Keith and 
Charlene Willis, has clearly demonstrated a maturity beyond her years. 
She's hoping to attend Missouri University-Columbia to pursue a career 
in either law or journalism, and I am sure she will excel in either 
field.
  I urge my colleagues to take a few minutes to read this very 
thoughtful essay.
                         My Vision for America

       It was a single candle that lit mine, and in the chain of 
     events, I lit another until finally the room was filled with 
     illuminated faces.
       Many of you have seen it at a candlelight service. A dark 
     room lit by the flame of one candle, the light growing 
     brighter and brighter as the flame is passed.
       It always amazes me that the instigation of one small 
     spark, one small idea, one person, can make such a difference 
     in a chain of events. If one did not start such an event, 
     would anything be accomplished?
       The United States of America is considered to be one of the 
     most powerful and influential nations in the world. It has 
     been constructed in this fashion because of the power given 
     to its people.
       Out of all the people who started this nation, there stood 
     out among them a number of sparks that passed on the flame of 
     a dream.
       A man, who would not allow our country to be suppressed 
     under England's rein, led a convention of independence. His 
     ideas struck many others and together, the land we call home 
     was granted independence.
       A president who believed a nation should stick together. A 
     president who said, ``With malice toward none, With charity 
     for all.'' A president who freed a race, helped make our 
     country what it is today.
       A song writer, who watched the flag of our nation withstand 
     the firing of guns and the storms of the sky believed that 
     the nation this flag represented had to be just as strong. He 
     wrote what today brings thousands of Americans to tears, what 
     today unites a nation. Something as simple as a song.
       The hopes and dreams of our nation have solely depended on 
     a people to make them reality. We have the power to make or 
     break our nation. Our forefathers have handed us the torch--
     it is our turn to pass it on.
       Where do we start? We start with me--we start with you.
       A dream is a wonderful thing to have, that is unless it 
     stays just that--a dream. [[Page E1037]] 
       What is that man had not pursued his dream for 
     independence? What if that president had not pursued his 
     vision? What if?
       My vision, and hopefully yours, is that we as families, as 
     communities, as a nation, as a people, start working together 
     as a unit. We, as a people, need to understand that as long 
     as we have dreams, there is always room for reality--but if 
     we keep fighting each other there will never be peace. If the 
     notes were never written, there would never have been a song.
       You and I are the future of this nation--let's not let it 
     down. We need to look deep within ourselves and believe that 
     as one person, we have the power to make a difference.
       Our late president John F. Kennedy once said that ``One 
     person can make a difference . . . and each of us must try.''
       I challenge you to take your hopes and dreams for this 
     nation and ignite the imagination of those around you. Your 
     ideas may fan a flame and America will brighten. The light 
     will grow because of you.
       One writer has observed that: Rosa Parks was just one 
     person. She said one word. She said it on December 1, 1955. 
     She said it to a bus driver. The word was no. She said one 
     word and a nation blushed. One word and a world talked. One 
     woman said one word and 17,000 people walked.
       Yes, ``One person can make a difference . . . and each of 
     us must try.''
       My vision is to illuminate a nation--one step at a time. In 
     order to start this fire, I need you, my neighbor, to pass on 
     the flame. America needs you to pass the flame. We, the 
     citizens of the most powerful nation in the world, must 
     become an international source of light, each person holding 
     the flames of a dream, and then we as a nation can set a 
     world on fire.
     

                          ____________________
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