| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The Association for Texas Advocates is celebrating |
|
|
40 years of exemplary service to adults with intellectual and |
|
|
developmental disabilities and their families in 2023; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Founded in 1983, Texas Advocates is a statewide |
|
|
self-advocacy organization run by and for people with intellectual |
|
|
and developmental disabilities; the nonprofit now has some 20 |
|
|
chapters and 500 members in towns and cities from the Rio Grande |
|
|
Valley to the Texas Panhandle and from El Paso to Texarkana; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas Advocates has steadfastly provided adult |
|
|
Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a |
|
|
range of programs to promote their well-being, connect them to |
|
|
their communities, and enrich their lives; the organization is |
|
|
currently offering peer mentoring services at residential |
|
|
institutions, operating 15 Next Chapter Book Clubs to help |
|
|
participants discover the joy of reading, and preparing to train 40 |
|
|
of its members to become leaders in Texas organizations and |
|
|
governmental entities by 2027; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Every year, Texas Advocates sponsors a |
|
|
well-attended annual conference for adults with intellectual and |
|
|
developmental disabilities, their families, and organizations and |
|
|
businesses that serve them, and this year, the conference will take |
|
|
place in the city of Denton; during each state legislative session, |
|
|
the association sends representatives to discuss the needs of its |
|
|
clients and the cause of disability rights with state lawmakers, |
|
|
and it collaborates with like-minded organizations to provide |
|
|
current data and cogent information to elected officials in the |
|
|
interim as well; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas Advocates is one of the few organizations of |
|
|
its kind whose leadership structure includes an individual with an |
|
|
intellectual disability as its co-executive director, who works in |
|
|
tandem with an experienced nonprofit executive; its current |
|
|
co-executive directors are Brooke Hohfeld and Deborah Wallace, who |
|
|
are doing an exemplary job of leading the organization with the |
|
|
support of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, the |
|
|
Tocker Foundation, and other donors; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, For four decades, the Association for Texas |
|
|
Advocates has supported and empowered countless clients across the |
|
|
state through its initiatives and advocacy efforts, and it is a |
|
|
pleasure to join in recognizing the organization on this special |
|
|
milestone in its history; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor the Association for Texas Advocates on its |
|
|
40th anniversary and commend the organization's leadership team, |
|
|
support staff, contractors, volunteers, and members for their |
|
|
outstanding contributions to its success; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Texas Advocates as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |