By: Moreno H.R. No. 207
73R2662 BNL-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) has
1-2 selected Hector Enriquez to receive its most prestigious honor in
1-3 recognition of his selfless work on behalf of El Paso's youth; and
1-4 WHEREAS, Mr. Enriquez will receive the 1993 NCLC Lewis Hine
1-5 Award Special Citation for Volunteer Service on January 26, 1993,
1-6 at a special ceremony in New York City; 10 other honorees, as well
1-7 as First Lady Hillary Clinton, will receive awards for exemplary
1-8 work benefiting young people; and
1-9 WHEREAS, Mr. Enriquez, who has served as El Paso county clerk
1-10 for the past 12 years, has dedicated more than two decades to
1-11 improving the quality of life for countless underprivileged,
1-12 neglected, and abused children in the El Paso community; and
1-13 WHEREAS, This compassionate public servant has been active at
1-14 every level of community service and has established numerous
1-15 innovative programs in the El Paso area; some of the projects and
1-16 organizations he has founded include the Ysleta Boys Club, the Miss
1-17 Texas Charity Volleyball Tournament, the Miss El Paso Annual
1-18 Charity Bowling Tournament, and Child Abuse Prevention Sunday, a
1-19 project that designates one day for all community churches to
1-20 devote their sermons to the topic of child abuse; and
1-21 WHEREAS, Widely respected for his tremendous dedication and
1-22 expertise, Mr. Enriquez has been elected to serve in leadership
1-23 positions with many youth-oriented charitable and social service
1-24 organizations; he has served as chairman of the El Paso Child
2-1 Welfare Board, the Advisory Council to the El Paso Juvenile Board,
2-2 the Christmas Breakfast with Santa, and the Optimist Club Youth
2-3 Appreciation Week and was a member of the executive committees of
2-4 Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Project S.E.L.F.
2-5 (Service Education Labor Force), El Paso Boys Club, and United Way
2-6 of El Paso; and
2-7 WHEREAS, This tireless children's advocate has given further
2-8 of his time and talent to the Council of Judges Policy Advisory
2-9 Board for Child Foster Care and the Texas Task Force on Permanency
2-10 Planning for Foster Children, both of which examine the special
2-11 needs of children who have been placed in the care of the state; he
2-12 also participates in the Youth Leadership Conference and the
2-13 Roosevelt Elementary VIP Reading Program; and
2-14 WHEREAS, In addition to the important work he does for each
2-15 of these organizations, Mr. Enriquez has challenged himself with
2-16 remaining personally involved with the children in these programs,
2-17 thus ensuring that he never forgets the faces behind the
2-18 statistics; he serves as a mentor to an at-risk child in the Super
2-19 Stars program and serves as scout master for a Boy Scout/Cub Scout
2-20 troop that he founded for Hispanic youths in a local housing
2-21 project; and
2-22 WHEREAS, Perhaps the most remarkable project with which he
2-23 remains personally involved is the annual summer vacation that he
2-24 sponsors for 43 foster children; the children travel by chartered
2-25 bus to places such as Carlsbad Caverns or Lincoln National Forest
2-26 and enjoy four days of new sights, friends, and experiences, all
2-27 courtesy of Mr. Enriquez, who arranges the funding for the project
3-1 as well as the itinerary; and
3-2 WHEREAS, Throughout the 22 years that Mr. Enriquez has
3-3 pursued this admirable work, he has been honored by many
3-4 civic-minded organizations; he has received prestigious awards from
3-5 the Black El Paso Community, the Foster Parent Association, and the
3-6 Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards, and the El Paso Boys Club
3-7 has honored him with its Outstanding Director Award for an
3-8 unprecedented five years in a row; and
3-9 WHEREAS, In a society where our weakest, most vulnerable
3-10 citizens are suffering from abuse, neglect, hunger, and poverty,
3-11 Hector Enriquez has made his voice heard on behalf of all young
3-12 people; he has shown the people of his community, and indeed all
3-13 Texans, that one person can make a tremendous difference in the
3-14 lives of thousands of children and that with a little help, all
3-15 children can be healthy, educated, and emotionally prepared to meet
3-16 the challenges of our future; now, therefore, be it
3-17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
3-18 Legislature hereby commend Hector Enriquez on receiving the NCLC
3-19 Lewis Hine Award for his outstanding and heroic work on behalf of
3-20 the children of his community and extend warmest best wishes for
3-21 many more years of continued success; and, be it further
3-22 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-23 prepared for Mr. Enriquez as an expression of high regard by the
3-24 Texas House of Representatives.