Events & Activities - STUDENT LOBBY DAY - March 15, 2004

SENATOR HOFFMANN WELCOMES STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ON STUDENT LOBBY DAY Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffmann was pleased with the number of students from her district that came to Albany for Student Lobby Day, Tuesday, February 10, 2004. "It's incredibly satisfying to see so many young people interested in learning about how their state government works," said Senator Hoffmann. "I am so happy to be in a position to support all of these wonderful programs. There is no other investment so important as investing in our children. They really are our future," Senator Hoffmann said. While the Senate was in session, Senator Hoffmann proudly looked up into the gallery and saw students from Martin Luther King Elementary School, Dr. Edwin Weeks Elementary School and James A. Shea Middle School. Afterwards Senator Hoffmann joined the students on the Million Dollar Staircase for a question and answer session. "I'm so happy that you were all able to come here to the state Capitol today. It's important for you to see your representatives at work. Civic responsibility begins on the local level, and you boys and girls will be running your communities in a few years," Senator Hoffmann said. Later that day, Senator Hoffmann speaks to the students in her conference room about the importance of understanding their state government. Senator Hoffmann also met with students from the Exceptional Family Resources Advantage After School Program and the Spanish Action League Advantage After School Program. Advantage After School Programs provide working parents with a supervised, safe and educational environment for their children after school. Senator Hoffmann was instrumental in securing funding for both of these programs. "It's so important that parents are able to work, provide for their families, knowing that their children are being cared for properly. That peace of mind makes them more productive," said Senator Hoffmann. Students from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, all participants in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and their advisors met with Senator Hoffmann in her conference room and told her their plans for the future, a future that exists because of programs that help them recieve a quality education. Kofi Addai, a student from Ghana, laughed when the Senator said he could go on to be president of his country and said that he was considering something like that. Later Kofi pressed the Senator for tips on how to become an intern in her office. Return to Events Listing