By:  Hilderbran                                        H.R. No. 737
       73R11205 BNL-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, With the arrival of another summer camping season,
    1-2  more than 600,000 young Texans will experience the outdoor fun and
    1-3  adventure offered by 538 organized Texas youth camps, and the
    1-4  lessons and values they learn during this time will shape their
    1-5  lives long after summer ends; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, The summer youth camp is an American tradition that
    1-7  originated nearly a century ago, when the Boy Scouts founded a
    1-8  wilderness survival camp in New England; throughout the 1920s,
    1-9  other youth organizations, community groups, and churches also
   1-10  established camps all over the country in order to give urban
   1-11  children a chance to enjoy nature; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, After World War II, this concept spread to Europe
   1-13  and Japan, and summer camp is now an essential part of childhood
   1-14  for millions of young people worldwide; a former president of Yale
   1-15  University once summed up this remarkable innovation by referring
   1-16  to youth camp programs as "America's greatest educational
   1-17  contribution to the world"; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, Summer youth camps give children the opportunity to
   1-19  enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature, and because of the vast
   1-20  scope and diversity of the landscape, Texas camps offer a wide
   1-21  variety of scenic environments for young people to enjoy; four of
   1-22  the 50 most highly regarded camps in the nation are located in the
   1-23  Lone Star State, and their programs rival those of the more
   1-24  established and acclaimed camps in New England; and
    2-1        WHEREAS, Furthermore, youth camp programs instill a sense of
    2-2  adventure and independence in young people by challenging them
    2-3  physically, mentally, and emotionally, and camp counselors serve an
    2-4  important function in this regard by acting as role models for
    2-5  youngsters, encouraging them in their personal growth, and helping
    2-6  them to develop confidence, self-respect, responsibility, moral and
    2-7  spiritual values, and a strong sense of personal identity; and
    2-8        WHEREAS, These lessons, once learned, provide the framework
    2-9  for a happy and fulfilling life, and the impact of a positive
   2-10  summer camp experience can influence an individual well into
   2-11  adulthood; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, By offering children the challenge and excitement of
   2-13  the great outdoors in a warm and nurturing atmosphere, the
   2-14  administrators and counselors of summer youth camps are ensuring
   2-15  that young Texans will grow up physically healthy and emotionally
   2-16  secure, and their outstanding work in this area is truly deserving
   2-17  of special praise and recognition; now, therefore, be it
   2-18        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
   2-19  Legislature hereby commend Texas summer youth camps for their
   2-20  contributions to child and youth development and extend to camp
   2-21  administrators, staff, and counselors warmest best wishes for many
   2-22  more years of continued success; and, be it further
   2-23        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-24  prepared for the Camping Association for Mutual Progress as an
   2-25  expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.