Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to honor an extraordinary constituent, Joanne McGunagle, on her retirement as the chief executive officer of the Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP), which serves the communities of Cranston, Scituate, Foster, Warwick, and Coventry. As the leader of one of Rhode Island's largest anti-poverty nonprofit organizations, Joanne has embodied the spirit of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, mobilizing resources to address human needs while empowering the community to chart its own course to greater prosperity. Joanne demonstrated a passion for service from her earliest days as a sociology student at Rhode Island College. During her junior year, she participated in an internship as a summer camp counselor at the Thornton Center, and she found her calling. In 1979, as a newly minted graduate, she went to work for CCAP as the manager of its Fiskeville Center. With her strong commitment to the community and her prodigious organizational skills, Joanne quickly rose up the ranks at CCAP. By 1985, she was named chief executive officer. Under Joanne's leadership, CCAP expanded its reach and services to the community. Her approach to leadership was to involve the community, collaborate with partners, and streamline administrative costs in order to maximize resources available for direct services. When she took the reins, CCAP had a budget of just over $3 million and a staff of 60.…”