Catching Up With Quigley: Week of August 5
Dear Friend,
I hope you had a good week. I wanted to recap some of the work I did while in Illinois' 5th district.
1. Attended the Citizenship Oath Ceremony at Wrigley Field
On Thursday, I had the privilege of speaking at Wrigley Field's fourth Oath Ceremony. This was their largest naturalization ceremony to date, with 981 individuals from 97 countries becoming citizens. I was honored to offer remarks and congratulate this new group of Chicagoans on completing such an incredible achievement. I encouraged them to always stay proud of their roots and their cultural identity. I firmly believe that we are stronger as a community and as a nation when we bring a multitude of cultures, ideas, and experiences to our society. I am confident these Americans will use their new citizenship to build a brighter future and make a difference for generations of future citizens.
To watch a short video of the ceremony, click HERE.
2. Met Arlo the Therapy Dog
On Thursday I met Arlo, a five-year-old Bullmastiff representing the not-for-profit organization, Resilient Heroes. Resilient Heroes works to provide mental health services to first responders and military service members. Arlo is a certified therapy dog and works with members of Law Enforcement and Military Veterans who experience stress, trauma, grief, and emotional distress. Arlo's owner, Elizabeth Pol, is the CEO of Resilient Heroes and an active Chicago Police Department officer. This visit was an important reminder of the tremendous impact working dogs can have on people's lives.
Most recently, I was proud to help introduce the bipartisan Honoring Our K9 Heroes Act, which establishes a grant program for non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations to provide essential veterinary care for retired Federal and Military working dogs. These dogs make sacrifices in service of our country that result in long-lasting effects on their quality of life and exorbitant veterinary fees for their handlers. This legislation will ease the burden of these costs for owners and help provide life-saving care for our hero dogs.
3. ICYMI: Stopped by the Moms Demand Summer Picnic
This past weekend, I stopped by the Moms Demand Summer Picnic to meet some of the tireless advocates working to end gun violence across the country. I took a moment to hear some of their stories, learn about the work they're doing and assure them of my commitment to keeping people safe from gun violence. In Congress, I am proud to support legislation to ban assault weapons and institute universal background checks. These are just a few of the common-sense proposals that could prevent the next mass shooting in our malls, our schools, and in our houses of worship. We must act and finally end the epidemic of gun violence.
Don't forget, our office is always here to help.
You can call my DC office at (202) 225-4061 or my Chicago office at (773) 267-5926. You can also email me through my website at Quigley.house.gov/contact.
Sincerely,
Mike Quigley