Slotkin honors LACASA, Livingston County Medical Reserve Corps., Wong Express, Lisa Kocab on floor of Congress

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Today, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin honored four residents and four organizations in the 8th District on the floor of the U.S. House for their exceptional service to others and to their communities in Michigan’s 8th District. Slotkin’s recognitions ensure the legacy of these leaders is included in the official Congressional Record of the People’s House for years to come.

Rep. Slotkin’s full remarks as prepared, for each of the four Livingston County honorees, are below (we’ve got complete video at the end of this post):

Lisa Kocab

Lisa Kocab

I rise today to recognize Ms. Lisa Kocab, the ultimate champion and advocate for the disability community in Brighton.

Simply put, Lisa is a powerhouse. As a teacher and a mother of 5, including an incredible 10-year-old boy — PJ — who has Down syndrome, she has built and created an incredible circle of support since moving back to Michigan in 2016.

At first, when she was scouting schools for PJ, she had to push through being told “no.” The family wanted to move back to be nearer to their kids’ grandparents, but the first school district that she called referred to students with special needs as “those kids.” Other schools gave similar responses when she asked if PJ could be placed in general education.

That is, until she called Brighton’s special education director, who told Lisa that PJ could absolutely go to school with the other students — that if they moved to Brighton,  she would work with them. So that’s what Lisa and her husband did.

Now, Lisa will be the first to tell you that it wasn’t always smooth sailing. She’s had to overcome plenty of challenges — from PJ’s struggles with development to the hurt of hearing intolerant words and from other families. Lisa has been tested in too many ways to count, but she has turned her pain into purpose by deciding to open a Gigi’s Playhouse in Southfield, Michigan.

With more than 45 locations nationwide, Gigi’s Playhouses are “achievement centers” for individuals with Down syndrome. They are spaces that are specifically designed for kids to interact and play with each other while offering free programs to learn how to read, improve their health, develop career skills, and reach their greatest potential.

Lisa was the driving force behind fundraising, searching for a location, and pulling resources together. Now, with her dream a reality, she strives every day to realize the vision of Gigi’s Playhouses —to see a world where individuals with Down syndrome are accepted and embraced in their families, schools, and communities.

In its first year of operation, Gigi’s served 383 people with Down Syndrome — more than half of whom were adults. Since then, they have expanded their offerings and in order to help more local residents, even adapting during the pandemic by switching to virtual programs.

I am a firm believer in finding your people — those who will have your back and stay by your side through ups and downs, failures and successes. Without a doubt, Lisa Kocab has found her people in Brighton and at Gigi’s Playhouse. And the disability community in Michigan has found its person in Lisa.

She’s an inspiration to us all, and I’m so proud to represent her here in the halls of Congress. It’s my honor to speak these words into the congressional record so that her story can inspire all those who read and hear it.

Wong Family

The interior of Wong Express in Brighton.

I rise today to recognize a staple of the community, the Wong family of Wong Express House in Brighton.

Before moving to Michigan, Mr. Xueqi Wong worked as a fisherman and a security officer for his town while raising his family with his wife Mei in Fujian province, China.

They immigrated to the US in 1991, moving to Brighton ten years later, where they have built a successful business with a loyal following for the last two decades. Mr. Wong, known as Ed around town, is known for his work ethic and attention to detail. His employees rave about the culture he brings to the team: “extremely flexible and supportive” “very welcoming and inspiring” “I feel honored to work with such excellent people.”

Mr. Wong’s character truly came through in his devotion to keeping his customers and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when restaurants and dining establishments were particularly hard-hit by the public health restrictions, Mr. Wong put a plan in place to allow Wong Express House to stay afloat.

After closing for nine weeks, they reopened on May 29, 2020, as a model for safe service. With a separate enclosed area inside the restaurant, the dining area was transformed into a contactless pick-up window for customer convenience. Instead of dine-in, the restaurant trained staff to fully transition to drive-thru and carry-out only.

The changes weren’t easy, but the space was turned into a safe, simple and effective process that limited customer-to-staff interaction, keeping everyone safe from infection. That ability to adapt, to work through the challenges in order to keep customers satisfied despite new COVID protocols, is why I am proud to recognize Mr. Wong, his wife Mei and their son Jian on the floor today.

Their pride in their restaurant is evident as soon as you walk through the door. And their resilience can be found in their dedication to each other and our community. During the shutdown, when Jian had to travel back to Brooklyn to support his wife and two kids, Mr. and Mrs. Wong stayed in Brighton, holding down the fort to make sure that the staff would be taken care of.

It’s no surprise that on their first day back in business, they were so overwhelmed with support to the point that they completely sold out of food. Now, as they chart a course for the weeks and months ahead, I know that the Wong family will continue to demonstrate the toughness and grit that Michiganders are known for during uncertain times.

On behalf of a grateful community, it’s my honor to recognize the leadership and staff at Wong Express House by inserting their story of resilience into the permanent record, so that it may last for years to come.

Livingston County Medical Reserve Corps

mrc team (2).jpgI rise today because in Livingston County, there is a group of retired medical professionals and volunteers that answer the call to serve by staying in action and continuing to train in the event of emergencies.

In 2006, the Livingston County Medical Reserve Corps was founded as a public health volunteer team. Today, I’m proud to honor them on the House floor for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As one of the 762 medical reserve corps units in the nation, they are part of a network of locally organized groups that strive to improve the health and safety of their communities.

In Livingston County, our reserve corps is composed of 194 members with an extra 80 volunteers dedicating their time at the clinic. These folks are registered nurses, pharmacists, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, paramedics, licensed professional nurses, EMTs, firefighters, veterinarians, chiropractors, social workers, teachers, public health professionals, and others with non-medical background.

They come from all walks of life but they’re voted to the cause of a healthier Livingston County, and their work during the pandemic is nothing short of heroic. They helped with mask packaging and distribution, staffing a COVID hotline, contact tracing, and vaccine support. Without the Reserve Corps, the county would not have been able to respond effectively. Since the beginning of last year, temporary staff have logged almost 7,000 hours on duty with volunteers adding another 5,000.

These hours represent shots in arms, questions answered, fears put at ease and more. When our people needed them most, the Medical Reserve Corps stepped up. Their training, designed for full-scale emergencies, was the difference when Livingston County was tested like never before.

I am so grateful for each and every single member who has proudly worn the yellow vest of the Reserve Corps. And M_. Speaker, I especially want to recognize Jennifer Kramer, the Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator, who has personally put in long hours in service of others.

With their motto of Partner, Provide, Prepare, and Protect, the Reserve Corps make the extraordinary seem ordinary. I’ve seen them in action when I visited a vaccination clinic in January. They’re organized, efficient, and wholly devoted to the cause. It’s my great honor to speak these words into the record so that future generations can read about these heroes who were there when we needed them most.

LACASA

LACASA’s Bobette Schrandt and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin during a visit at the agency’s comprehensive center in Howell.

And lastly, it’s my honor to recognize LACASA, a non-profit in my community that has stood out as a beacon of hope for thousands of vulnerable women and children in mid-Michigan.

In 1979, LACASA was founded as the Livingston Area Council Against Spousal Abuse. With just $40 in donations and a part-time director at a desk in a borrowed office space, the organization at first relied entirely on volunteers — selfless local residents who opened up their own homes so that survivors of domestic violence could find refuge.

Later on, as it grew, LACASA was able to rent, then buy, and finally expand to a permanent shelter where women and children can access counseling services, legal advocacy and wrap-around support.

In addition to sanctuary, LACASA offers 24-hour crisis response with trained staff who are able to intake and serve the diverse needs of survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. For so many in our community, the folks at LACASA are directly  responsible for giving them the tools and strength to begin the road towards a better future.

However, pandemics don’t stop abusers. In fact, when outside stressors occur, abuse historically tends to escalate. So when shelter-in-place orders took effect last year, closing LACASA and its around-the-clock facility was not an option.

Record numbers of victims seeking help and refuge contacted them, and their ability to adapt is nothing short of heroic. In 2020 alone, LACASA provided 1,170 overnight stays in hotel rooms and over 3,500 off-site meals for victims and their families. They expanded capacity to handle a 230-percent increase in child forensic interviews.

LACASA saw the number of calls to their 24/7 helpline nearly double while the number of individuals seeking personal protection orders more than tripled compared to an average year.

I’ve had the chance to personally visit LACASA, touring their shelter and working with their President and CEO, Bobette Schrandt, on several occasions. I am so thankful for her leadership and for the entire organization’s tireless work to provide a port in the storm for local residents. They are a model for similar nonprofits, earning national accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance as a Children’s Advocacy Center just last week. It’s their highest level of membership, an honor that says everything about LACASA’s dedication to addressing child abuse in Southeast Michigan.

Today, I’m proud to lift up their trauma-informed procedures and practices as a shining beacon of hope in Michigan’s Eighth District. On behalf of a grateful community, thank you for the work you do and may it continue to lead the way.

Slotkin also honored Lansing educators Nino Rodriguez and Adelante Forward; Lisa Brinker of Lake Orion, a volunteer with New Day Foundation for Families, a local non-profit that supports those fighting cancer and their loved ones; the Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing, a a comprehensive, basic-needs service center; and Peckham Inc., a Lansing nonprofit that provides job training opportunities for folks with significant disabilities and other barriers to employment.

 

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.