Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-10-01

CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

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On 2026-10-01, Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) delivered a floor speech titled "CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY" in the House.

Full Text

CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 156 (Thursday, October 1, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 156 (Thursday, October 1, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1011] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. MARCY KAPTUR of ohio in the house of representatives Thursday, October 1, 2026 Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor East Toledo Family Center on this occasion of its 125th anniversary. Founded in the summer of 1901 by Reverend H. Hoover, the center first began as an organization to help immigrants to Ohio adjust to their new lives in the United States. Thanks to decades of community support and engagement, the center has grown from the family-run Neighborhood Association to a thriving hub that serves families in all stages of life through preschool programs, athletic programming, community organizing, and senior events. If not the first of its kind in Northwest Ohio, the East Toledo Family Center is certainly among the longest-tenured and most well- known. It nurtured children through playground spaces and citizenship classes in the beginning of the 20th century. It uplifted the spirits of the downtrodden when the Great Depression struck our Nation. It brought a sense of community to families returning to everyday life after World War II. It reinvigorated seniors by expanding its offerings to a Senior Center in the 1980s. It offered early education opportunities with the opening of a Head Start program at the turn of the new millennium. Today, it continues to invest in our community in many of these same ways and more. The Center's resilience and commitment to the citizens of East Toledo through over a century of war, economic hardship, and societal shifts stands as an example to us all. It is an example of how to serve others and an example of when to ask for help. Cherished as a place that ``help(s) people help themselves,'' the center flourishes with the help of many dedicated staff members and volunteers. In seeking to strengthen and serve our community one life at a time, the East Toledo Family Center has steadily changed the lives of countless Toledoans for generations. Please join me, and our entire Northwest Ohio community, in honoring and celebrating ETFC and their 125 tremendous years of service. May the next 125 years bring continued prosperity and a sense of belonging to the many lives it will touch. Onward. ____________________

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CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 156 (Thursday, October 1, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 156 (Thursday, October 1, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1011] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING EAST TOLEDO FAMILY CENTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY ______ HON. MARCY KAPTUR of ohio in the house of representatives Thursday, October 1, 2026 Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor East Toledo Family Center on this occasion of its 125th anniversary. Founded in the summer of 1901 by Reverend H. Hoover, the center first began as an organization to help immigrants to Ohio adjust to their new lives in the United States. Thanks to decades of community support and engagement, the center has grown from the family-run Neighborhood Association to a thriving hub that serves families in all stages of life through preschool programs, athletic programming, community organizing, and senior events. If not the first of its kind in Northwest Ohio, the East Toledo Family Center is certainly among the longest-tenured and most well- known. It nurtured children through playground spaces and citizenship classes in the beginning of the 20th century. It uplifted the spirits of the downtrodden when the Great Depression struck our Nation. It brought a sense of community to families returning to everyday life after World War II. It reinvigorated seniors by expanding its offerings to a Senior Center in the 1980s. It offered early education opportunities with the opening of a Head Start program at the turn of the new millennium. Today, it continues to invest in our community in many of these same ways and more. The Center's resilience and commitment to the citizens of East Toledo through over a century of war, economic hardship, and societal shifts stands as an example to us all. It is an example of how to serve others and an example of when to ask for help. Cherished as a place that ``help(s) people help themselves,'' the center flourishes with the help of many dedicated staff members and volunteers. In seeking to strengthen and serve our community one life at a time, the East Toledo Family Center has steadily changed the lives of countless Toledoans for generations. Please join me, and our entire Northwest Ohio community, in honoring and celebrating ETFC and their 125 tremendous years of service. May the next 125 years bring continued prosperity and a sense of belonging to the many lives it will touch. Onward. ____________________