Speech #1000116178

You can sit in that rocking chair till you die. or you can get out and work on this." Then after they start working. hell remind them how good they feel about it. He gets people motivated and he keeps them motivated. The Storefornt officers and volunteers work with refugees. mainly from the Far East and Central America. in health matters. crime prevention. citizenship classes and a variety of other programs. in addition to providing food and clothing. And Walt Collins manages to get involved in most of it. Officers at the Storefront recall the day Collins brought in 500 pounds of rice and boasted that he had paid only $100 for it. "We told him he shouldnt be spending his own money that way. and he told us to mind our own business." one officer reported. In addition to recruiting volunteers to work at the Storefront. Collins uses other ploys to keep things moving smoothly. For example. he raises money through the Sunday School department at Casa View Baptist Church. then hits garage sales around town to pick up bargains that are needed by refugees. The Asians in Dallas comprise a large segment of the Storefronts clientele. and that link has led to several firsts being rung up in the area. The Storefront has formed the first Cambodian and Laotian Lions Clubs in the United States. the first Laotian Chamber of Commerce in the country. and the first allAsian Boy and Girl Scout troops. Cowart says the storefront has distributed 40 tons of food. In addition to helping newly arrived refugees find food. clothing and jobs. the Storefront works with the East Dallas Health Coalition and the Dallas MultiCultural Alliance to provide other assistance. Officers also fingerprint about 100 people a week under the amnesty program and are now in the midst of the first citizenship classes. The 2 classes include 35 Laotians studying for United States citizenship in 1 class and 35 Polish. Romanian. Ethiopian. Vietnamese. and Cambodian immigrants in the other. In the meantime. Walt Collins is out and about in his pickup truck recruiting future American citizens for the classes that will follow.