Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize an extraordinary constituent, a man who, in my community, is known only as Rooster. He really needs no other name, but his given name is Russell Valentini. Rooster has worked in the Allentown School District for a very long time. His title with the Allentown School District is Home and School Visitor, but it fails to capture the world of difference he has made in the lives of homeless children and families. For 35 years, Rooster has served as the lifeline for the 600 to 800 students experiencing homelessness in the Allentown School District at any given time. The poems he has written over the years about the children he has encountered reflect the ways that the children have touched his life and in which he has touched theirs. Even now, Rooster still grows emotional when telling the story of the father who doesn't know if he will be able to get his paycheck in time to make the rent, the family who has lost their home, the child with no bed to sleep in at night. Rooster, for these many years, has provided school supplies, uniforms, and hygiene items, as well as food, to help these students and their families. Everywhere in my community there are people whose lives are immeasurably better today because of Rooster. Rooster prepares to retire at the end of this school year, and I want to congratulate him. We will miss him. We should all draw inspiration from the powerful example he has set. ____________________”