Recognizing Bill Stevens
Floor Speech
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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy and contributions of dedicated volunteers at the CHEER Community Center in Sussex County, Delaware.
Recently, CHEER hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Awards Ceremony in Georgetown to recognize neighbors who have tirelessly given their time to supporting older adults across the county.
CHEER's volunteer base is critical to their ability to provide meals, transportation, activities, companionship, and support services to the thousands of older adults who they serve. Last year alone, over 750 volunteers provided a combined 40,000 vital services that made CHEER's work possible.
CHEER's work and services are absolutely critical to the entire State, and especially Sussex County, where one-third of the population is 65 or older.
Maggie Smith, who volunteers daily at the Long Neck Center, where she assists with meals and running a weekly nickel poker game, among other responsibilities, was awarded the 2026 CHEER Volunteer of the Year award.
Maggie greets each new member by name and ensures those with mobility concerns are able to get their meals.
This honor, rightfully earned, represents something that we could all use more of: selfless dedication to the well-being of our neighbors.
I congratulate Maggie and all the nominees for the award, and I thank them for all that they do to keep Delaware's communities running and to deliver critical services to our neighbors. Commemorating Separation Day
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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the liberation of Delaware from the corrupt and tyrannical yoke of the British Crown and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Speaker, 250 years ago, Delawareans stared fate and history in the eyes, picked up the quill, and began to write a new chapter.
Our Delawarean forebearers said plainly and with outsized ambition and determination: We can govern ourselves, and our future is ours to make.
No tyrant, whether they are in Pennsylvania or England, will have authority over the first and greatest State in the Union.
Separation Day is celebrated with overwhelming pride in my State, with my neighbors coming together annually each June in Old New Castle, one of the most historic towns in America, to honor our legacy and mark another year free from the despotism of the past.
Of course, Separation Day is about more than the past. It serves as a reminder that democracy is not guaranteed or inherited. It calls on each generation to face challenges with resolve and to take action to secure our liberties.
Just as Delawareans have always reminded our fellow Americans, the real heroes of democracy are the ordinary people who believe that a better future is worth fighting for.
More importantly, 250 years ago, those patriots understood something that we should all remember today: There are no kings in a democracy.
This year, as we mark the semiquincentennial of both the greatest State in the Union and our country, may we recommit ourselves to the unequivocal rejection of tyranny in all of its forms.
To my friends from Pennsylvania: You wish you were us.
To all of my friends and constituents in Delaware: Happy Separation Day.
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