Washington, D.C.– Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated Terry Galligan, the housing director for Old Pueblo Community Services in Tucson, for winning one of only 11 “Champions for Change” awards given nationwide to housing agencies and dedicated individuals by the White House. Galligan has more than 20 years of experience working for non-profit organizations and helping people in need, and was selected from a large pool of nominees from across the country.

The “Champions for Change” award is part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for their work serving their communities. You can learn more about the winners and the program at http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions.

Galligan manages housing counseling for home owners facing foreclosure; developing new single-family housing; acquisition and rehabilitation of existing homes; owner-occupied rehabilitation; and down payment grant assistance programs. He has worked with hundreds of families and helped more than 2,000 first-time home buyers purchase a house, and has overseen the construction of 300 new homes and 318 new apartments in Tucson and southern Arizona.

“Mr. Galligan’s work reminds all of us that being part of a community means building something that makes our neighbors’ lives better as well as our own,” Grijalva said. “I congratulate him wholeheartedly on his award and thank him for his decades of commitment. He is a true champion and an example of how much a life of public service can mean to all of us.”