Durham, NC -  I very much appreciate the opportunity to join you on this happy occasion and to honor this fine group of graduates. Our main order of business this afternoon is simply to offer our congratulations to the graduates and to the families, mentors, and friends who helped you reach this point – and perhaps also to offer a little free advice, as is customary on such occasions.  But I also welcome the opportunity to reflect upon the mission of this program, on the kind of support and training you have received at TROSA.

This is a kind of  homecoming for me. My association with TROSA began many years ago, not long after the organization began. In fact, I have distinct memories of my first visit, four impressions which struck me then and still hold true:

First, the energy, vision and can-do optimism of the founder, Kevin McDonald.

Second, how small Kevin’s staff was, because TROSA was (and is) mainly run by residents themselves,

Third, the determination of the residents to make TROSA work for them, to turn their lives around. TROSA will work only for those determined to help themselves, and it was clear the residents understood that from day one.

Finally, the utter honesty and openness of the conversations residents were having with each other and even with visitors like me. Residents had learned to face problems honestly, to talk about them openly, to confront them courageously, and to acknowledge readily what many of us sometime have trouble acknowledging: that we need one another for sustenance and support. There is no weakness in understanding our interdependence; in fact, it is a source of strength, and it makes us better, more caring people.

That was a number of years ago. And now, as I continue to represent you in Congress and have had many opportunities to work with this organization, I remain mightily impressed with how TROSA helps individuals turn the page, to fight addiction, learn workplace skills, and live independently. The success rate of the rehabilitation program is phenomenal. But I am also impressed with TROSA’s role in the Durham community – as a good neighbor, as a purveyor of everything from moving services to picture frames, groceries, and Christmas trees, and as a living symbol of the values we want to stand for, the kind of community we want to be.

Commencement is a time of celebration. You all have come a long way, with your own determination and with the support of friends, family and previous TROSA graduates. You have earned the right to take great pride in what you’ve accomplished, feeling great relief that you’re finished, looking forward eagerly to your new futures.

As you look back on what you have accomplished, please remember that it is not enough for you to receive a diploma here today, as important as that is and as satisfying as it will be.  Today you attain the status of a TROSA graduate and tomorrow you will be expected to be an active member of our community. I urge you to take that responsibility within the broader community seriously.  After all, the opportunities you’ve had and the prospects you anticipate owe a great deal to active, engaged, and caring people who have gone before.

Let me end as I began: with heartfelt congratulations for what you, with the help and support of many, many people, have achieved.  You have made it through TROSA’s demanding program, often under trying circumstances, on tight budgets, balancing competing family and job demands.  You have earned the admiration of this community and we look forward to the contributions you will continue to make.

I wish for you good fortune as you take your skills, industry, and determination into the workplace.  I wish for you the satisfaction of productive work that uses your full potential.  And may you also make a positive contribution to those around you, giving as well as receiving, blessing even as you have been blessed, gladly assuming the joys and responsibility of citizenship.

Thank you and Godspeed.

# # #