Wednesday night I had the honor of participating in a National Day of Prayer reception with Dr. James Dobson leading up to today's event. The National Day of Prayer has a truly special place of significance in our nation's history, partly because of the faith of many of our founding fathers. The genius of our founding is that America was to be a country where all its citizens could practice religion as they see fit. There is no national religion, and the National Day of Prayer allows people of all faiths to come together to give thanks to almighty God. I encourage you all to find a few minutes today to reflect on the blessings bestowed upon this nation and on each and every one of us.

This morning Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA) and the bipartisan Congressional Prayer Caucus held a prayer service in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol. In 1800, Congress approved the Capitol as a place of worship and it was the largest church in Washington in 1867, with 2,000 weekly attendees for Sunday services.

At the service today, a prayer was once again read that was read on the floor of the Senate on March 21, 1947, 63 years ago to this day:

O Lord our God, in the midst of the troubles that surround us, when compromises come home to roost and expediencies return to plague us, keep us from adding to the mistakes of the past. Save us from accepting a little of what we know to be wrong in order to get a little of what we imagine to be right. Help us to stand up for the inalienable rights of mankind and the principles of democratic government consistently and with courage, knowing that Thy power and Thy blessing will be upon us only when we are in the right. May we so speak, and vote, and live, as to merit Thy blessing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fitting words for what's happening on Capitol Hill today.

On Veterans Day, we pause to remember the brave American heroes who sacrificed so much to preserve our great nation.

Though we celebrate Veterans Day once a year, we reap the benefits of freedom everyday.  America's courageous sons and daughters who have chosen to fight for the freedoms and liberties upon which our country was founded deserve to be honored for their tremendous sacrifices.  From the Halls of Congress to Main Street, millions of Americans use this important day to thank our soldiers and their families for their strong commitment to our nation. We must not make the mistake of waiting until our heroes have passed on to recognize their sacrifices and tell them "thank you."

I want to express my deepest gratitude for each and every veteran that has fought for our nation's freedom, safety, and prosperity. I also encourage the American people to thank and pray for the men and women in uniform who are continuing to carry the torch and keeping the flame of liberty burning bright.

May God bless the men and women who serve the cause of freedom so cherished by our nation.

I want to thank the American Humane for supporting my School Choice for Foster Kids Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation I introduced to help foster children gain access to quality, stable educations early in life. 

Not only does my bill allow foster children to attend the school best equipped to serve them, but it would also give these children, often for the first time in their lives, a chance at some stability even if when they change homes. As a foster mother of 23 children, I have experienced first-hand the need for stability in a foster child’s life.  Children in foster care face a number of challenges that other adolescents don’t face.  Many of them have endured abuse or neglect and often their first foster home placement isn’t their last.  Instead of separating foster children from trusted friends and teachers, we should give them the opportunity to stay at a school if it is fulfilling their needs.  At a time when they need stability the most, we should strive to meet that need

The School Choice for Foster Kids Act ensures the school voucher section of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program—currently reserved only for older kids — includes foster children of all ages and allows foster parents to receive appropriate funds to transport their child to their original school or choose a school that can best meet their child’s needs.  This will allow foster children to remain at their original school, regardless of any foster home placement changes, and receive quality, uninterrupted educations.

The American Humane expressed support for this bill because they believe it will “allow foster families to choose what school is in the best interest of the child and allow them to provide the child with the stability they need.” I am thrilled to have the support of American Humane and appreciate their partnership on this issue near and dear to my heart.

For those who may be reading from outside the district, more than 120 people were displaced from their homes Saturday when a fire destroyed the 60-unit Lions Park Apartments in Elk River, Minnesota. Luckily, no one was injured in the blaze, but so many people lost their homes and their belongings.

Here is a link to the Elk River City website for folks affected by the incident and for those citizens who are looking to help. Information about giving and receiving donations is provided below.

Donations:

Alliance Church, 829 School Street, will be open every day through Sunday, September 28, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., to allow fire victims to receive household items. They will also be accepting donations from citizens.

The following items, in particular, are needed:

Household items - there is no need for clothing at this time but household items are still needed.

Monetary donations- The Bank of Elk River is accepting monetary donations. Please make checks payable to "ER Fire Victims." You may also mail your donations to Hope Filled Hands, PO Box 150, Elk River, MN 55330. The Red Cross is also accepting donations.

Food donations - CAER is in high need for food donations. You may drop them off at 19279 Watson Street NW, Elk River. You may also drop off food donations at Alliance Church, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. The church is located at 829 School Street, Elk River.

Yesterday, Congress finally got around to dealing with H.Res. 923, my resolution recognizing the State of Minnesota's 150th Anniversary. Minnesota celebrated its Sesquicentennial on May 11, and the fact that Congressional Leadership finally got around to working it into its schedule almost a month later should be a stark reminder of how do-nothing this Do-Nothing Leadership has been.

This delay is even more surprising considering Congress wasn't tackling an important issue like our rising energy costs. But nevertheless, here are some facts about Minnesota you might find interesting:

* In 1889, the St. Mary hospital now known as the Mayo Clinic opened its doors to patients in Rochester, Minnesota.

* Minnesota houses over 30 institutions of higher education including the University of Minnesota - where the first open heart surgery and first bone marrow transplant were performed in the United States.

* Minnesota is currently home to more than 35 Fortune 500 Companies.

* Farmland spans over half of Minnnesota's 54 million acres and the agriculture industry is Minnesota's second largest job market employing nearly 80,000 farmers.

For 150 years, Minnesota has attracted a special caliber of people. They are people of faith and charity, hope and dedication, love and compassion. And that compassion was recently exemplified best through the outpouring of assistance and support to the victims of the tornado that hit the town of Hugo, Minnesota a couple weeks back.

Over a thousand volunteers have helped with the clean up effort. Hugo Mayor Fran Miron mentioned one story of a Forest Lake man and some young teens bringing an SUV by city hall and unloading a batch of canned goods to be donated for tornado victims. As the vehicle left the hall, Miron said one of the youngsters yelled: "Mayor, we love you." This is just one example of the many generous acts of kindness displayed by Minnesota residents these past couple of weeks.

"Minnesota Nice" is more than a saying; it's a way of life.