[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 8689] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]CONGRATULATING THE RAPE COUNSELING SERVICE OF FRESNO ON THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 5, 1999 Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Rape Counseling Service of Fresno, Inc. (RCS), on occasion of its 25th anniversary. Rape Counseling Service is a victim advocacy agency. Its mission is to alleviate the trauma due to sexual assault and/or child molestation, to educate the public and to raise the level of awareness regarding rape and child abuse prevention. RCS made its start with a small core of volunteers meeting in a dorm room at California State University Fresno. It now has a staff of 33 members, and 52 volunteers who aid in crisis intervention, prevention education, a 24-hour hot-line, hospital and court advocacy and individual counseling. For the past seven years, RCS has been ranked the number one rape crisis center in the state of California by the Office of Criminal Justice Planning, and for the past six years, has been the number one funded agency by Fresno County. The U.S. Department of Justice has named the RCS Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) as one of only two programs in the state to be listed in Promising Practices, a report to improve the criminal justice system's response to violence against women. Over the years RCS has established a strong working relationship with the Fresno Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's office. It also interacts with other community- based organizations: Sanctuary, House of Hope, Human Services Coalition, Fresno County Child Abuse Prevention Council, The Fresno Policy Academy and Comprehensive Youth Services. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Rape Counseling Service of Fresno on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The services provided are invaluable to the well-being of the community and victims of assault. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in wishing RCS many years of continued success. ____________________