[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8387-8388] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN RECOGNITION OF SACRAMENTO'S CHILD SAFETY ADVOCATES ______ HON. DORIS O. MATSUI of california in the house of representatives Thursday, May 8, 2008 Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize many of Sacramento's outstanding individuals and businesses as members of the Sacramento community gather at the Child Abuse Prevention Center's annual Inspirations luncheon. The men and women being honored this afternoon are dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and well-being of Sacramento's children and families. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring these fine Sacramentans. David Ballard and the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento are receiving the community service provider award. The Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento is a shelter for abused and neglected children in Sacramento County. The only shelter of its kind, the Children's Receiving Home serves over 1,800 children each year. I would like to commend them on their ability to help these children in their time of need. David is being honored for his contributions to a variety of campaigns that have secured funding to help improve and expand the facilities and make changes in the care children receive there. In addition to his dedication to the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento, Mr. Ballard has served on the Children's Coalition's board, the human services planning council, the family support collaborative executive committee and the child welfare redesign steering committee. The hearts and hands award is being presented to Anthony Pico for his work with our foster care system. Mr. Pico was raised in foster homes and at 15 he began working with other youth in the California Youth Connection and the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Programs. He has worked with the American Bar Association, Casey Family Programs, Pitzer College, the California Institute for Mental Health, the John Burton Foundation for Children Without [[Page 8388]] Homes, and has held positions with the San Francisco Youth Commission-- Mayoral Appointee Commission and the Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care. For his dedication to improving our foster care system, Mr. Pico was the 2005, 2006, and 2007 recipient of the Youth Leadership Award from the City and County of San Francisco and is now being honored by his Sacramento partners. This year, the Board of Directors Award goes to a coalition of health care providers and agencies in Sacramento for launching California's first Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Program (SBS). The Sacramento County Departments of Health and Human Services, Child Protective Services, and Public Health Nursing in conjunction with Catholic Healthcare West-Mercy, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, the DC Davis Medical Center and the Child Abuse Prevention Center have championed this important cause. This program is modeled after a program in New York which has greatly reduced incidents of SBS by 50 percent in that State. With this program hospitals will provide educational materials to new parents on the dangers of shaking their babies and the prevention techniques that parents can use to avoid this heartbreaking form of child abuse. These organizations have come together to reduce the incidence of SBS and most importantly protect our children. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize these individuals and businesses for their extraordinary work on behalf of children and families in the Sacramento area, and I would like to thank the Child Abuse Prevention Center for their dedication to our children's safety. On behalf of the people of Sacramento and the Fifth Congressional District of California, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring their unwavering commitment to Sacramento's youth. ____________________