HONORING WALTER SEGALOFF, FOUNDER OF AN ACHIEVABLE DREAM ACADEMY AND 2013'S VIRGINIAN OF THE YEAR

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and career of a local community leader, businessman, and humanitarian from Newport News, Virginia--Walter Segaloff.

I have known Walter throughout my career in public service representing the citizens of Newport News. He has dedicated his life to improving the lives of his fellow citizens. When he owned Virginia Specialty Stores, he would often interview young people seeking jobs but noticed many lacked the needed skills, despite having graduated from high school. Walter knew these young people had great potential that was going to waste and he wanted to do everything he could to make sure they had access to the right opportunities.

Walter took matters into his own hands. He joined forces with other local business leaders, citizens, Newport News Public Schools, and the City of Newport News to help improve the lives and educational outcomes of our City's most at-risk young children. Out of this effort, An Achievable Dream was born in the summer of 1992 as a summer education and tennis program.

Due in large part to Walter's dedication and tenacity, An Achievable Dream quickly expanded since that first summer. In 1994, it became a full-time, extended day school serving 400 children in grades three through five. A year later, An Achievable Dream expanded the extended day program to students at Dunbar-Erwin Middle School. By 2000, An Achievable Dream Academy was founded as a year-round full time elementary school and by 2007 a separate full time middle and high school opened under the An Achievable Dream name.

An Achievable Dream provides a social, academic, and moral educational framework for its students and every day starts with a motivation rally where each student shakes the hand of an adult. The Achievable Dream program is structured to give young people the skills needed to succeed in life. Those skills are taught at An Achievable Dream on the tennis court, in the classroom, on field trips, and in sharing experiences with successful and caring adults in our community. Today, An Achievable Dream is educating more than 1,200 at-risk students in Newport News and is putting these students on the path to success.

Often, young people don't think too much about the future, and don't realize that choices made today may limit those in the future. Walter has worked to ensure that the students at An Achievable Dream have every opportunity to be successful in life.

As a public-private partnership with Newport News Public Schools, the City of Newport News, the Newport News Police Department, the Newport News Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Army, the Rotary Club, Riverside Health System and the College of William and Mary, An Achievable Dream has received national recognition as one of the most effective urban school programs in the country and has provided a model for integrating support from the business community to support quality educational opportunities for at-risk students.

On April 19th, the Virginia Press Association will honor Walter as its Virginian of the Year for 2013. Walter was nominated by our hometown newspaper, The Daily Press, in recognition of his decades of dedication to improving the educational opportunities of thousands of at-risk young people living in Newport News and the Association was unanimous in selecting Walter as this year's recipient.

Walter recently stepped down as CEO of An Achievable Dream, but he leaves behind a strong legacy. His vision is expected to expand to other localities in Hampton Roads, helping improve the lives of thousands of more at-risk young people in our community.

I commend Walter for being recognized as this year's Virginian of the Year and I thank him for his years of dedicated service to improving the lives of so many young people in Newport News.