[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 14] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 19088-19089] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]COMMEMORATING TALA De WYNTER FOR SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY ______ HON. MIKE THOMPSON of california in the house of representatives Monday, September 15, 2008 Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tala De Wynter, who has been a pioneer in the Napa County community and is being honored today at the Napa County Hispanic Network 25th Anniversary Gala. De Wynter was born and educated in Lima, Peru. She has resided in Napa since 1965 with her husband and two children. Since coming to Napa, De Wynter has invested her time in helping others, in creating opportunities and bridging the communication gap in the Latino community. In the 1970s, the Napa Valley was in need of inexpensive healthcare for farm workers and the low-income community. De Wynter, along with other community members established Community Health Clinic Ole. What started off as a small clinic in Rutherford has generated six sites, with six full-time doctors, 10 mid-level providers, and this year it received 1.3 million dollars from Auction Napa Valley. Continuing the tradition of providing for others, she served as the director of El Centro de Informacion (The Center for Information). The Centro was viewed as a controversial organization for providing services exclusively to the [[Page 19089]] Spanish speaking community. De Wynter and other Latino activists also realized the need to support young Latinos in their quest for higher education, and in 1984 they founded the Napa County Hispanic Network. The Hispanic Network is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and will award 25 high school and college students with a $1,000 scholarship. De Wynter also started the first immigration consulting business in Napa. She was also the coeditor of Noticias Bilingues del Valle, the Spanish section of the Napa Valley Register and served as the editor of the Spanish language newspaper, Tiempo Latino. De Wynter was also the first Latina woman to be elected to public office in Napa County when she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Napa Valley Unified School District in 1975. Madam Speaker and colleagues, Tala De Wynter has earned the respect of her colleagues and community. Through visionary leadership and persuasion Tala De Wynter has created pathways for other leaders in the community to follow. For these reasons and for the lasting impact Community Health Clinic Ole and the Napa County Hispanic Network continue to have in Napa County, it is appropriate that we honor Tala De Wynter. ____________________