"Dr. King left us with enduring lessons. He left us with lessons about courage, integrity, humbleness, decency, and steadfastness, and about living life to the fullest.   He provided those lessons not just through his memorable speeches, but also more importantly through his actions.  Dr. King inspired and led by example.

"He took the things he learned and the experiences he had, and saw that the dream of America fell short for many. Dr. King saw that people lacked the sense of their own value because their very country failed to value them.

"Dr. King went to jail. He was spit upon. He was devalued, because he fought for the value in others. Dr. King was assassinated because he stood for the lives of all – because he dared to dream.

"This weekend, as we honor that dream, we must take a look at our own lives – are we people of action?  Do we lead by example? 

"We have much to learn from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He taught us that no matter who we are or where we come from, we are all capable of achieving great things, even when faced with overwhelming obstacles.  I invite you to seek out activities in your community that celebrate his legacy, and share his story with your children so that one day we may reach his incredible dream, his dream for all of us."
 

Photo: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech during a march on Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963. About 250,000 people attended the march to urge support for impending civil-rights legislation.  Photo courtesy the Associated Press.

“I am pleased to have this opportunity to relocate my office for a few days, so I can sit down and visit with you in your hometowns,” Ross said.  “I feel it is necessary to visit places like Mena, Booneville, Waldron, and Paris, whose citizens may not get an opportunity to meet with me otherwise.  I invite you to come out and see us next Tuesday and Wednesday and let me know if there is anything I can do for you as your United States Representative.  In the meantime, feel free to call, write, or e-mail me whenever I can be of assistance.  I look forward to visiting with you next week.”

Tuesday, January 21
Location: Polk County Courthouse, Mena 
Time:  2:00 – 3:00 pm

Wednesday, January 22
 Location: Logan County Courthouse, Paris
 Time:  10:00 – 11:00 am

 Location: Logan County Courthouse, Booneville
 Time:  1:00 – 2:00 pm

 Location: Scott County Courthouse, Waldron
 Time:  3:30 – 4:30 pm

“Our rural volunteer firefighters perform a vital service to residents throughout Arkansas,” Ross said.  “They confront new and changing life safety challenges every day.  These grants will help the Arkansas City department provide training, personal protective equipment, and firefighting equipment for its volunteers so that they can continue to help keep Desha County safe and come to the aid of neighbors and residents in times of disaster.” 

Under the grant, FEMA has agreed to pay 90 percent of the total project costs submitted by each department in the grant application.  The Arkansas City Volunteer Fire Department will receive $39,295. 

Last year a panel of more than 300 fire service personnel evaluated approximately 19,500 applications from across the United States.  FEMA will distribute $360 million through approximately 5,500 grants for 2002.  Grant recipients are being announced in batches, and future grant recipients will be posted as awards are made.  In an earlier round of award announcements, the Dumas Fire Department was awarded $83,961.