| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Endeavors, a faith-based nonprofit headquartered in |
|
|
San Antonio, has made a meaningful difference in the lives of |
|
|
countless people in need; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Founded as San Antonio Urban Ministries by |
|
|
inner-city churches in 1969, Endeavors has grown dramatically |
|
|
through the years and adopted its present name in 2018; the agency |
|
|
delivers an array of services to children, families, veterans, |
|
|
survivors of natural disasters, and people struggling with mental |
|
|
illness or other significant disabilities; it additionally |
|
|
partners and coordinates with government agencies and local and |
|
|
national organizations to increase its ability to meet the needs of |
|
|
vulnerable residents; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Endeavors has served nearly 30,000 clients in Texas, |
|
|
Florida, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico; its programs address such |
|
|
issues as homelessness, unemployment, and child abuse, and it |
|
|
offers families counseling, crisis intervention, and life skills |
|
|
and vocational training, among other initiatives; key programs |
|
|
include Safe Services, which furnishes crime victims with free |
|
|
professional counseling and case management, Operation Parent |
|
|
Strong, which holds group and individual parenting classes for |
|
|
military families, and the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic, |
|
|
which provides integrated mental health care to veterans and their |
|
|
families; moreover, Veteran Supportive Services offers |
|
|
homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing, and in 2021, the |
|
|
agency opened the Veteran Wellness Center in San Antonio, a |
|
|
first-of-its-kind, comprehensive care clinic that addresses all |
|
|
aspects of health; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, During the COVID-19 pandemic, Endeavors was able to |
|
|
adapt to the unprecedented situation by continuing 98 percent of |
|
|
its operations remotely; the agency partnered with other support |
|
|
organizations to establish two emergency centers in El Paso to |
|
|
serve as points of entry for a network of area shelters; in |
|
|
addition, Endeavors secured a more than 50 percent increase in |
|
|
funding for COVID-impacted veterans and provided housing |
|
|
assistance to 200 clients in Houston who became homeless as a result |
|
|
of the pandemic; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, For more than a half century, Endeavors has |
|
|
empowered countless people to improve their lives and build a |
|
|
brighter future for their families, and in so doing, it has helped |
|
|
to strengthen the entire community; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby commend Endeavors on its exceptional service to |
|
|
vulnerable people in crisis and extend to all those associated with |
|
|
this noteworthy organization sincere best wishes for continued |
|
|
success; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Endeavors as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives. |