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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING MS. LUSILA ``LUSI'' ORTEGA
______
HON. FILEMON VELA
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 11, 2020
Mr. VELA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the
accomplishments of a remarkable community leader from my district, Ms.
Lusila ``Lusi'' Ortega.
A native of Lozano, Texas, Ms. Ortega, got her first job as a teacher
at the Rio Hondo Head Start in 1971. At the time, the Head Start
program did not provide transportation, so she, along with her husband
Juan Alaniz, retrofitted an old GSA van and drove it to transport
children in the surrounding rural areas. She also organized many
fundraisers and fun family events to benefit the Head Start children
and families. Ms. Ortega's dedication and success caught the eye of her
supervisors and she was promoted to work at the administrative level as
a Parent Involvement/Volunteer Services Coordinator. With the support
of her peers and community leaders, she helped build a phenomenal
Parent Involvement Program that was recognized at the national level.
Ms. Ortega spearheaded many fund raising events that provided parents
the opportunity to travel and advocate for Head Start in the state of
Texas and across the country.
In 1990, Neighbors In Need of Services, Inc. (NINOS) was awarded the
Head Start grant and Ms. Ortega was promoted to Assistant Head Start
Director. During her tenure, the Head Start Program grew from serving a
few hundred children to now serving over 2,900 Head Start and Early
Head Start students. Ms. Ortega served on the National Head Start
Association Board of Directors and she was the first Head Start staff
member elected to preside over the Texas Head Start Association (THSA)
Board of Directors. The THSA continues to honor her service by awarding
a yearly scholarship in her name. Ms. Ortega was also selected to
represent Region VI at the White House when President Bill Clinton
signed a bill into law that broadened the Head Start Program to include
children under the age of three.
Ms. Ortega was a member of the National Head Start Association Board
of Directors, the Texas Department of Human Services Licensing Advisory
Council, the University of Texas at Brownsville Child Care and
Development Advisory Council, the Rio Grande Valley OIC Foster
Grandparent Advisory Council, and was the Region VI Head Start
Association Board of Directors officer. She was also a fellow with the
Johnson & Johnson Management program and served as intergovernmental
staff in the Office of Children and Families Region VI for one year.
Anyone who knows Lusi Ortega knows her as the ``Voice of Head
Start.'' I wish her a happy retirement and thank her for her lasting
contributions to the educational and personal development of the
children of South Texas.
____________________