Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the Native American Youth Association (NAYA) for thirty years of diligent work in serving the Native community in the Portland Metropolitan area. Aiding Native American youth and families, NAYA Family Center has answered an important call to reach the urban Indian population in Portland, estimated to be 31,000 people strong.
As Native American high school students experience a dropout rate 13.3 percent higher than the national average, the need for youth intervention is clear. NAYA Family Center has tirelessly pursued these issues with a focus on providing the cultural, educational, family, economic, spiritual, and leadership resources necessary to deliver service to this important population.
NAYA worked as a volunteer-based service provider for 20 years, incorporating as an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1994. Now, in 2004, thirty years from the beginning, it is my honor to recognize the organization's first ``Celebrating Native American Month'' development dinner.
