FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             CONTACT: Joshua Gillespie
November 24, 2010                                                                                    (317) 848-0201

Miami County Awarded Economic Development Administration Grant

PERU, IN –  The Miami County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) received big news from the  US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) on Wednesday, November 24, 2010.  The EDA announced the approval of a $2.5M Grant as the last piece in a financing package to bring 200 new jobs in aircraft maintenance to the Grissom Aeroplex and the region.  The grant, combined with other local, state and a US Department of Agriculture Loan, will fund renovations and expansion of Hangar 200 at Grissom Aeroplex to close a deal with an aircraft maintenance company looking to expand operations into Miami County, at the former Grissom AFB.   The Hangar at Grissom, which is owned by the County, requires an expansion to accommodate larger wide body aircraft to include the B747-400, B767, B777 aircraft for the company.

The aircraft maintenance company, currently operating in the Southwestern United States, has been in business for 43 years.  The company has provided service for most major airlines in the United States, including United, US Airways, Sky West, American Eagle and Air Canada.  The company is seeking to expand its existing operations to Grissom Aeroplex, where they project 200 new jobs will be created, at an estimated five-year regional economic impact of over $160 million.  The project is pending final lease negotiations.

Upon hearing the news, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) issued the following statement:

“In August, I reached out to the Federal Economic Development Administration to urge them to give every due consideration to the Miami County Economic Development Authority’s application because I understood the importance of this contract for the future of the Grissom Aeroplex.  Winning this grant was absolutely critical for the completion of this deal and I am very pleased that I could help put the final piece of the puzzle in place.  Now Hoosiers hit so hard by the downturn in the economy, have a new opportunity for some good paying jobs.”

Don Cates, Chairman of the Miami County Economic Development Authority, remarked, “This is fantastic news.  In addition to Congressman Burton efforts, the community received non-partisan support and assistance from Senator Lugar, Senator Bayh,  Congressman Donnelly, and Congressman Ellsworth and their staff’s with this project – thank you.  A special thanks to Phil Lehmkuler, State Director of USDA, Robert Sawyer, Director EDA Chicago Regional Office, and Governor Daniels for their leadership and vision in support of this project as well.  It is refreshing when all of us, local, state and Federal officials and agencies work together to improve local, regional and State economies and create jobs.  An aviation project, such as this, has been the vision for the redevelopment of Grissom for a long time by local and regional entities.  This project is an excellent example of how our local and region al economy of North Central Indiana can become more diversified and stable.“

(POC is Jim Tidd, Executive Director Miami Co Economic Development Authority at (765) 689-0159)

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Madame Speaker, as co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Serbian Caucus, I rise tonight to honor an outstanding Serbian-American, Captain (Ret.) George M. Vujnovich, who was recently awarded the Bronze Star Medal, for his heroic actions during World War II.

The Bronze Star is awarded to military service personnel for bravery, acts of merit or meritorious service.  When awarded for bravery, it is the fourth-highest combat award of the United States Armed Forces.  Captain Vujnovich’s participation in the planning and execution of Operation Halyard – one of the most successful air force rescue missions in history; and an operation so secret that the records were only declassified in 1997 – certainly exemplifies the heroism required to receive this prestigious military honor.

Captain Vujnovich served with the Office of Strategic Services; the predecessor of the modern Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the wartime organization charged with coordinating activities behind enemy lines for the branches of the United States military.   Operation Halyard evolved in wake of the Allied bombing campaign to destroy Nazi Germany's vast network of petroleum resources in occupied Eastern Europe.   The most vital target of bombing was the facilities located in Ploesti, Romania, which supplied 35 percent of Germany's wartime petroleum.  Beginning in April 1944, bombers of the Fifteenth Allied Air Force began a relentless campaign to blast the heavily guarded facilities in Ploesti in an attempt to halt petroleum production altogether. By August, Ploesti was virtually destroyed — but at the cost of 350 bombers lost, with their crews either killed, captured, or missing in action.

The assault on Ploesti forced hundreds of Allied airmen to bail out over Nazi-occupied eastern Serbia, an area patrolled by the Allied-friendly Chetnik guerrilla army. When the Chetnik commander, General Draza Mihailovich, realized that Allied airmen were parachuting into his territory, he ordered his troops, as well as the local peasantry, to aid the aviators by taking them to Chetnik headquarters in Pranjani, Serbia for evacuation.

General Mihailovich's first attempts to alert American authorities to the situation regrettably failed to produce action. Fortunately, fate would have it that when Mirjana Vujnovich, a Serb employee of the Yugoslav embassy in Washington, D.C., heard of the trapped airmen.  She immediately wrote to her husband, Captain Vujnovich, stationed in Bari, Italy.  As an American, descending from Serb parents, Vujnovich knew the region intimately and also knew how to escape from Nazi-occupied territory: he had been a medical student in Belgrade when Yugoslavia fell to the Axis powers in 1941, and he and his wife spent months sneaking through minefields and begging for visas before they finally escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe.

Captain Vujnovich made it his personally crusade to get the airmen home.  From the outset though, Operation Halyard encountered opposition from Allied leaders — from the U.S. State Department, from communist sympathizers in the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), even from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill himself.   It was an operation that seemed condemned from the start, but Captain Vujanovich’s persevered rather than let the mission die. His persistence not to be in vain; he eventually won out.

Even though the operation endured from August 9, 1944 through December 27, 1944, within only the first two days, Operation Halyard successfully retrieved 241 American and Allied airmen.  By the time the Operation was officially ended, Vujnovich's team had airlifted 512 downed Allied airmen to safety without the loss of a single life or aircraft — a truly impressive accomplishment.

Captain George Vujnovich’s recognition as a hero and valued asset to this country and the United States Air Force is long over due. Frankly, had the records of the operation not remained sealed until 1997, I feel certain Captain Vujanovich would have received this honor years ago. Nevertheless, the decades do not and cannot diminish the valor and patriotism of this extraordinary man.  I ask all my colleagues to join me now to honor this Serbian-American hero, to thank him for his dedicated service to our country and to congratulate him for winning the Bronze Star. Captain Vujanovich, I salute you.

Madam Speaker,

Today I rise to celebrate and honor the service of Army Master Sergeant Jeffrey Mittman for receiving the Osborne A. “Oz” Day AbilityOne Awareness Award.  The prestigious “Oz” Award is presented by the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled to an employee at a federal agency who demonstrates exceptional service promoting the AbilityOne Program throughout the federal, state and local communities.

Now, the National Account Manager for the National Industries for the Blind’s Midwest Region, Master Sergeant Mittman supports a mission of employment for others with disabilities by promoting the AbilityOne Program through the federal procurement process in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. This patriot’s story is a remarkable one, for his story does not start nor finish here with this award.

Master Sergeant Mittman’s indefatigable commitment to serve his fellow Americans began as a soldier in the United States Army in 1989. Having fought in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom, and in 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Master Sergeant Mittman was the All-American hero who never turned down defending his country. It wasn’t till his return to Iraq in 2005 as a special advisor to the Iraqi Department of the Interior, that he came face-to-face with death; changing his life forever.

Tragically, an improvised explosive device that exploded near his vehicle in Iraq, leaving Master Sergeant Mittman without a nose, lips, most of his teeth, and the majority of his vision. Since that time, he has endured more than 40 operations and spent over four years recovering physically and emotionally. To his great credit, he has traveled the country sharing the lessons he learned from these experiences with the world.

He is noted for saying it is the veteran who has to take that very first step to recovering and that he realized this after attending the Blinded Veterans Association Conference in 2006, where he met people who were blinded years ago who are now attorneys, teachers and business executives. After realizing life can be good in spite of having a disability, he decided to help others who also have disabilities find jobs and lead meaningful lives.

Master Sergeant Mittman, a 40-year old decorated warrior, husband of 17 years, father of two and outspoken military veteran was and forever will be an All-American hero whose determination and selflessness continue to serve our country and inspire our hearts. Today, we salute you.

Since 2007, the IRS has required Non-Profits with revenues below $25,000 to file a form 990 to be tax compliant.  Any Non-Profit that has failed to file a form 990 each year since 2007 will lose its tax exempt status on October 15, 2010.  Here are some helpful links to find out if your organization is at risk, and if so, how to file the appropriate form.

 
The list of at risk Non-Profits in Indiana is available here: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225889,00.html
 

To view frequently asked questions to the IRS about form 990 compliance, click here: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225954,00.html

Click here for complete details on this situation from the IRS: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=225959,00.html

Click here for forms and instructions for exempt organizations: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=228897,00.html

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             CONTACT: John Donnelly
September 29, 2010                                                                   (317) 848-0201

Congressman Burton Honors Sherrie Eldridge as an Angel in Adoption™

Fishers Resident To Be Recognized at National Event in Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dan Burton (IN-05) has selected Sherrie Eldridge of Fishers, Indiana, as a 2010 Angel in Adoption™ for her outstanding advocacy of adoption or foster care issues.  The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption™ program, will honor Eldridge, along with more than 190 Angels, at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, DC, on October 6, 2010.

Sherrie Eldridge is being recognized for the many lives around the globe that have been edified, educated, and inspired by her writing and speaking.  Said Congressman Burton about the selection of Eldridge, “Sherrie is a real hero.  As a child who overcame tremendous odds, to the best-selling author and inspirational speaker she is today, Sherrie has made life-changing contributions to communities around the world.  She absolutely deserves this special honor, and I’m thankful the Angels in Adoption program exists to recognize extraordinary people like Sherrie.”

The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad.

About receiving the Angel in Adoption honor, Eldridge said, “What has come to mind after receiving this incredible honor is that I was somebody who wasn’t given a name by my birthmother after birth and was named ‘Baby X’ by hospital workers. Now, at age 65, I’ve been named an Angel in Adoption by Congressman Burton. What an exciting ride my life has been! And, I’ve been invited to the White House. I’m more excited about this than meeting my birthmother at age 47! Thank you, Congressman Burton. I never thought anyone would name me an angel.”

About Sherrie Eldridge:
Sherrie Eldridge overcame being abandoned as an infant to become an internationally-recognized author and speaker in the field of adoption. Random House Publishing Group refers to her as an adoption expert. Her mission is to help adoptive parents deepen their connections with their children by helping them understand the adopted child’s perspective and unspoken needs.

For the last fifteen years, Eldridge has traveled the globe, speaking to anyone who will listen about adoption. From an HIV-AIDS orphanage in Thailand, to CBN-Asia’s Beijing special event with government officials and college professors, to children and parents attending Ethiopian and Chinese culture camps, Eldridge has become known as the “Go-to-Gal for Adoption.” Her non-profit adoption educational organization, Jewel Among Jewels Adoption Network, Inc., was named by the Indiana Business Journal as a “Non-Profit of Note.”

Twenty Thing Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew (1999), her best-selling book with more than 160,000 copies in print, has become required reading by many adoption agencies for prospective parents. It has been translated into four different languages. Questions Adoptees Are Asking (2009, NavPress) provides a Biblical resource for post-adoptive growth and has been translated by CBN-Kiev into Russian and distributed in Ukraine in 2009-2010.  Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children (EMK Press, 2007) was read in every state the year it was released to commemorate National Adoption Month.  It was also chosen by the First Lady of Maine for her Christmas Tea. 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed (2009 Random House Publishing Group, 2009), the newest companion book to the first 20 Things, gives much-needed encouragement to adoptive parents and helps them offer their best to their children in practical, life-impacting ways.  Three of the four books listed above have been chosen by the Indiana Historical Society’s Christmas Gala, both in 2008 and 2009.

Learn more at http://www.sherrieeldridge.com/

About the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and Angels in Adoption:
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption.  CCAI’s goal is the elimination of the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family. 

CCAI was created in 2001 by the active co-chairs of the bicameral, bipartisan Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) to more effectively raise Congressional and public awareness about the issue of adoption. 

The Angels in Adoption™ program was established in 1999 as a Congressional press conference to honor outstanding individuals. Since then, the program has developed into a yearlong public awareness campaign culminating in an extraordinary awards Gala and celebration in Washington, D.C. 

CCAI does not receive any government funding and they rely on the generous support of foundations, corporations, and individuals to accomplish their mission.  For more information visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/

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