Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 4.djvu/561

 PUBLIC LAW 101-587—NOV. 15, 1990 104 STAT. 2877 Public Law 101-587 101st Congress Joint Resolution To designate October 1-31, 1991, as "Community Center Month". Whereas Community Centers are large and complex cultural, social, and recreational institutions dedicated to preserving the wellbeing of a vital and vibrant segment of the United States; Whereas there are Community Centers, branches, and camps serving a large clientele of people across the continent; Whereas Community Centers feature programs and services for all age groups, from infants through the elderly, and for people with disabilities and special needs; Whereas Community Centers serve as gathering places for peoples of all denominations and offer a rich and varied program of educational and cultural opportunities; Whereas the first Community Centers came into being during the second half of the nineteenth century to provide social, recreational, and intellectual activities for community members in the United States; Whereas, as the nineteenth century progressed into the twentieth and the United States became a haven for hundreds of thousands of peoples fleeing the oppression and pogroms of Eastern Europe, Community Centers turned their energies and attention to the enormous task of acculturating the new immigrants, teaching them English and the meaning of United States citizenship; Whereas after the influx diminished and Community Centers evolved once again into institutions dedicated to preserving good citizenship through educational, cultural, social, and recreational programs; and Whereas, as Community Centers enter their second century of providing service, it is most fitting that we recognize their important contribution to the fabric of life in the United States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That October 1-31, 1991, is designated as "Community Center Month", and the President of the United States is authorized and requested to Nov. 15, 1990 [S.J. Res. 357]

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