By Wilson H.R. No. 63 74R4060 PAN-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Childhood is a special time of life; the character 1-2 and attitudes that lay the foundation for a person's future are 1-3 often formed in these first years; and 1-4 WHEREAS, To nurture children and encourage their growth 1-5 toward a healthy, productive adulthood must be one of the primary 1-6 goals of any society; to achieve this goal, children need a home in 1-7 which they can receive the love, warmth, and security they deserve, 1-8 yet parents in crisis aren't always able to provide their children 1-9 with such an environment; and 1-10 WHEREAS, During such times, children often must be placed 1-11 temporarily outside the home and, when relatives are unable to 1-12 house and care for the children, volunteer foster families step in 1-13 to fill this critical need; and 1-14 WHEREAS, These compassionate individuals open their homes and 1-15 their hearts to children in crisis, providing stability and support 1-16 to children and their parents in times of trouble; through the 1-17 foster families' love and generosity, children have a safe place to 1-18 call their own, where they will be treated with kindness and 1-19 understanding while their parents work on overcoming the challenges 1-20 at hand to get their lives back on track; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Despite the strong bonds that are formed between a 1-22 foster family and the child in their care, the families must one 1-23 day say goodbye to the child they have grown to love; though this 1-24 difficult task must be repeated by foster families time and again, 2-1 these special people may take comfort in the fact that they have 2-2 played a vital role in shaping a child's future; and 2-3 WHEREAS, The State of Texas currently has 3,600 foster 2-4 families who are certified by the Department of Protective and 2-5 Regulatory Services and an additional 2,100 foster families that 2-6 are certified by private child placing agencies; together, these 2-7 remarkable individuals provide quality family care to approximately 2-8 10,000 abused and neglected children and from 15,000 to 20,000 2-9 other children in need of temporary care each year, and their 2-10 selfless service is indeed deserving of our highest praise and 2-11 recognition; now, therefore, be it 2-12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-13 Legislature hereby commend the foster families of Texas for their 2-14 exceptional compassion and generosity in helping to secure a 2-15 brighter future for our state's youngest citizens.