Press Room
On The Issues
Photo Gallery
Multimedia
Committees
eNewsletter Sign-up
Just For Kids!

Contact Stephanie
Flag Requests
Visit DC
Casework
Internships
Academy Nominations

Sponsored 110th
Co-Sponsored 110th
Sponsored 109th
Co-Sponsored 109th
Sponsored 108th
Co-Sponsored 108th

About Stephanie
About South Dakota
Useful Links
Thomas
Veterans History
   Project

For Immediate Release Contact: Betsy Hart
September 18, 2008 (202) 226-8555

HERSETH SANDLIN CONGRATULATES WINNER SCHOOL DISTRICT

MEETS WITH RECIPIENTS OF 2008 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYER SUPPORT FREEDOM AWARD

Washington, DC, September 18, 2008-Today, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin met with representatives of the Winner School District, recipient of the 2008 Department of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Winner School District will receive the award at a ceremony in Washington along with 14 other employers in recognition of their exceptional support for employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

“As chair of the Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, I’ve heard first hand the many difficulties members of the Guard and Reserve face reentering their jobs after serving our country honorably,” Herseth Sandlin said. “By supporting Guardsmen and Reservists throughout their deployments and upon their return, Winner School District has established patriotic employment practices that not only support our men and women in uniform and their families but strengthen our overall national defense. I congratulate them on this well-deserved award and am hopeful that other employers will follow their example.”

Pictured from L to R: Winner School District Superintendant Mike Hanson and his wife Sarah Hanson, Rep. Herseth Sandlin, Gail Buus and 2nd Lt. Derris Buus who nominated Winner School District.

Of the many actions taken by Winner School District in support of employees who are Guardsmen and women and Reservists, some examples include paying a supplement during the entire length of an employee’s deployment, sending care packages, providing the middle school library as a teleconference location and tending to families of deployed employees by mowing lawns and taking children to athletic events.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. Previous honorees include American Express, General Motors, Sears, The Home Depot, the State of Tennessee and the family owned Augustine & Sons farm in Rose Hill, IA.

###

Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was one of only 15 members appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.