The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Ann Harris and her memory.

The Harris family, who I have known for over 20 years, recently suffered the loss of their 17-year-old daughter, Ann. She was the innocent victim of a drive-by shooting.

It is a gross understatement to say that that moment changed their lives forever, but it certainly did exactly that. Confronted with such an atrocity, many people would have used the occasion to question the existence of evil in our society and to ask why such a horrible event could have happened to such an innocent person, and to simply ask the question of `Why? Why? Why? Why has our society become so crime-ridden? Why was such an innocent girl's life taken? Why Ann's life?'

Members have a picture of Ann at their desk. This is Ann's Campaign which they have launched.

When their daughter was shot, the Harris family had an occasion to ask just those same questions that I asked, but they did not ask just those questions. They went further and asked the deeper questions.

They realized that by turning this extraordinary incident, extraordinarily terrible incident--and also by us changing our ordinary incidents--events in our lives into true occasions of loving and of serving God, our communities, and one another, that we begin to change society, not to mention ourselves, for the better. And more importantly, we change them in a way that mitigates against the evil influences that have come to dominate many aspects of this culture.

The Harris family could have used the horrors of this world as an excuse to turn away from God, but, you know, they didn't. Instead, they turned to God and asked quietly, asked humbly, not why--but what? `What do you want us to do? What can we do to make the world a better place? What can we do to keep the memory of our daughter alive?'

Out of that question came a wonderful foundation dedicated to preserving the memory of the daughter the Harris family lost and to fighting the spread of violent crime in our society.

Ann's Campaign for a Safer America--that is what this card is--was established by Jean and Coleman Harris following the brutal death of their daughter. Ann's Campaign for a Safer America seeks to encourage, motivate, educate, and help youth and adults alike to live the life radiated like their daughter did--a life that said every day and in every way: smile more, care more, love more and be more understanding.

The Harris family is combating violence by combating the problems that often lead to violence. And I believe Ann's Campaign is a unique opportunity to help contribute to the restoration of our culture by directly combating the influences that denigrate and ultimately compromise our moral worth as a nation.

The Harris family has turned a horrible event into an occasion of enriching the community and the country. We too can turn the events of our lives, the extraordinary, the terrible, and the good, along with the ordinary, into occasions of remembering to help others, to serve and to love, and to ask the question: Not why, but what? What? What should I be doing? How should I serve?

So I am joined by my colleague, Senator Kempthorne, and several others, in this privilege of highlighting Ann's Campaign that we note here today.

I have a tie on as well that has smiling faces of children from around the world. That was the Ann Harris who I knew. I even knew her while her mother was pregnant with her. She had just a delightful smile and was a joy of life that was taken brutally.

I applaud what the Harris family has done, taking that incident and turning it into something of: What can we say to our culture? How can we change? Not `Why?' But `What?' I applaud what they are doing. I ask and hope and encourage my colleagues to look at this as a campaign that they can help in as well as other people from around this Nation.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.