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E1034 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks August 6, 2019 J. Tominac on 12 September in Vesoul. 1916, Hale did so to create an organization base supply stores on Little Rock Air Force Among the Distinguished Service Cross recipi- centered around the concept of helping the Base and at Fort Leonard Wood, and the part- ents was a young SSG in the 15th Infantry blind help themselves. Now at the helm of nership between Alphapointe and America’s Regiment, Audie Murphy, whose action came what would later be renamed Alphapointe, military bears testament to the profound value near Ramatuelle on 15 August and who would Hale immediately took action to address the of blind workers and the quality of the prod- go on to become the most-decorated soldier rampant unemployment and lack of oppor- ucts they can produce. and best-known soldier of WWII. Other Medal tunity available for those throughout the city Today, Alphapointe offers a wide range of of Honor recipients were 2LT Stephen R. experiencing vision loss. At the time, a mere services and opportunities to the blind and vis- Gregg from the 36th Infantry Division on 27 sixteen industrial programs existed in the ually impaired community of the Greater Kan- August near Monte´limar and 2LT Almond E. United States that trained and employed blind sas City area. Since its creation in 1952, the Fisher of the 45th Infantry Division on 12–13 individuals, but Hale knew that those without Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired has September near Grammont. sight need not rely only on charity. Hale’s served thousands of blind youth. Through the Unit awards included Presidential Unit Cita- brother, for example, went on to attend the center, children learn life skills needed to over- tions to the following 3rd Infantry Division Palmer School of Chiropractic while come the obstacles that come with vision loss, units: 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment for Alphapointe’s Vice President, Hayes Brooks, including how to socialize with sighted children its performance in Monte´limar on 27 August was the first blind student to graduate from the and navigate unfamiliar locations. Further- embroidered Monte´limar and the 1st Battalion, Kansas City School of Law. more, the Student Transitional Employment 30th Infantry Regiment for Besanc¸on 6–7 Sep- Taking inspiration from these two trail- Program has worked to address the high un- tember embroidered Besanc¸on; and to the blazers, Hale opened a workshop in 1918 employment rate that continues to hinder the 36th Infantry Division the 1st Battalion, 141st where eight blind workers assembled brooms, blind community. Additionally, Alphapointe’s Infantry 15–16 August embroidered Southern mats, and cane chairs. Attached to the College Preparatory Program has ensured that France and the 3rd Battalion, 143rd Infantry brooms were labels that proudly asserted many blind students were able to successfully Regiment 26–29 August for fighting embroi- ‘‘The Blind Man’s Broom is the Best Broom,’’ adapt to their college campuses. dered Monte´limar; and Cannon Company, and the project that began in Hale’s own living Alphapointe’s services, however, extend far 442nd Infantry Regiment for the full campaign room soon began to turn a profit. Notably, this beyond one’s college years. At Alphapointe’s embroidered Southern France. venture established Alphapointe’s reputation Center for Blindness and Low Vision, a one- Madam Speaker, I ask that the entire House not only as an employer of the blind, but as of-a-kind facility in the state of Missouri, the of Representatives join me in congratulating a manufacturer of high-quality products, there- organization offers Comprehensive Rehabilita- and thanking the surviving veterans of Oper- by marking the beginning of a long tradition in tion Services that address the challenges ation Dragoon and the Southern France Cam- the organization’s history. A year later, fol- faced by blind individuals throughout daily life. paign on the occasion of the upcoming 75th lowing the conclusion of the First World War, Reflecting the Hale Home’s mission to keep anniversary of this highly successful operation young men from across the country who had elderly blind individuals within their own which liberated Southern France and played a lost their vision on battlefields overseas head- homes, the Senior Adult Services offered at critical role in the Allied victory in Europe in ed to Kansas City in search of jobs and the Alphapointe ensure that blind seniors can live WWII. opportunity to lead dignified lives. comfortably and independently for as long as f In addition to confronting the widespread possible. unemployment that plagued the blind commu- Madam Speaker, please join me in cele- IN RECOGNITION OF ALPHAPOINTE nity, Hale was also determined to address the brating the work that Alphapointe has done for housing problems that blind individuals faced. the blind and visually impaired community HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER In the early 1900s, life was quite dangerous since 1911. For over a century, Alphapointe OF MISSOURI for people without sight, and blind individuals has offered hope to individuals who often felt IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES were all too often institutionalized simply be- hopeless, and their services have brought cause they had nowhere else to live. In re- Tuesday, August 6, 2019 great meaning, fulfillment, and dignity to the sponse to this somber reality, Alphapointe lives of countless people facing vision loss. Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise opened the Catherine Hale Home for Blind Let us recognize this occasion by rejecting today to recognize Kansas City’s Alphapointe Women in 1917, a place of refuge where any prejudices towards visually impaired for their 108 years of service to the blind and women who lost their vision were able to Americans which may still linger within our visually impaired community. For the last cen- peacefully spend the twilight of their lives. A country and by reflecting on the inherent value tury, Alphapointe has worked to empower far cry from the facilities that less fortunate of all people in the same spirit as founder those without sight to live independent and ful- blind senior citizens were forced into, the Hale Catherine Hale. filling lives. The organization stands out as our Home was known for its warm atmosphere in f country’s third largest single employer of indi- which the forty residents cared for themselves, viduals experiencing vision loss, providing maintained their favorite hobbies, socialized PERSONAL EXPLANATION meaningful jobs to over four-hundred people amongst each other, and organized holiday across their nine locations. fundraisers. In operation until the late 1980s, HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY Alphapointe traces its roots to Labor Day of the Catherine Hale Home for Blind Women OF INDIANA 1911, when thirty advocates for the blind gath- symbolized Alphapointe’s commitment to serv- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ered in Kansas City’s Budd Park to ‘‘promote ing senior citizens experiencing vision loss. the social intercourse and general welfare of Moreover, Alphapointe and their workers Tuesday, August 6, 2019 those without sight,’’ leading to the establish- have repeatedly answered our nation’s call Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, on July ment of the Workers for the Blind of Greater during times of international conflict. In fact, 25, 2019, I missed roll call vote 510. Kansas City. Present at this gathering were Alphapointe’s factory has supplied the United Had I been present for roll call 510, on Mo- Eugene E. Condon and his sister, Catherine States military in every war since World War tion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 693, Hale. Determined to overcome his own vision I. During the Second World War, for example, the U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial loss, Condon had enrolled at the Nebraska In- Alphapointe was churning out an impressive Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2019, I would stitute for the Blind in 1900, a residential 4,480 feet of tent rope every day, a feat which have voted ‘‘Yes.’’ school that taught blind individuals the skills earned the organization the prestigious Army- f needed to lead independent lives. Inspired by Navy Production Award for Excellence in War the transformative impact that the institution Production. Notably, Alphapointe was one of IN RECOGNITION OF DIXON’S had on her brother, Hale set out to prove that only three factories with a blind workforce to FAMOUS CHILI people without sight were fully capable of sup- receive this honor. Later, as the United States porting themselves when presented with op- entered the Cold War, Alphapointe began HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER portunity. manufacturing sanitation kits for bomb shel- OF MISSOURI Indeed, it was this campaign that led Hale ters, and in 2012, the organization created a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES to accompany her brother to the rally in Budd new Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet that will Park, and when she helped the Workers for soon be included in the first aid kits worn by Tuesday, August 6, 2019 the Blind of Greater Kansas City incorporate our men and women serving our country over- Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise as the Kansas City Association for the Blind in seas. Additionally, Alphapointe now operates today to commemorate Dixon’s Famous Chili VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:15 Aug 07, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A06AU8.002 E06AUPT1 August 6, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1035 and their one hundredth year serving the are taking the time to honor those who have In August of the same year, Sergeant First greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Since earned the Purple Heart for sacrifices in serv- Class Hayes was shot a second time, now in their opening, Dixon’s has served as a be- ice to this Country.

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