John Boozman: “I rise today to honor Dr. Merlin Augustine and the M&N Augustine Foundation for a decade of service to the third…”

“I rise today to honor Dr. Merlin Augustine and the M&N Augustine Foundation for a decade of service to the third district of Arkansas. The M&N Augustine Foundation embodies the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor. Their mission is to help individuals who, through no fault of their own, are down on their luck. They have accomplished great things to this end, including finding housing for the homeless, moving moms off welfare into paying jobs, providing funeral expenses for those without life insurance, and making holidays like Halloween and Christmas more enjoyable for underprivileged children. I personally had a chance to help some of the foundation's 800-plus volunteers provide over 20,000 home-cooked meals to senior citizens, homeless individuals, and unemployed persons during their annual Easter Feed Program. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Augustine's contributions to our community are invaluable. He and the hundreds of volunteers of his foundation exemplify the spirit of charitable giving that President Bush so often speaks of, and I appreciate the opportunity to commend them here today.”