By Hirschi                                             H.R. No. 807
       74R12377 PFG-D
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, The Child Advocates program of the Wichita
    1-2  Foundation for Children's Services, Inc., has been selected as one
    1-3  of the Best of Texas programs for 1995 by the Corporate Fund for
    1-4  Children, and this special recognition is indeed well deserved; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, The Corporate Fund for Children was founded in 1979
    1-6  by Levi Strauss Corporation, the Texas Department of Human
    1-7  Services, and the Meadows Foundation of Dallas and searches
    1-8  communities throughout the state for innovative programs that are
    1-9  improving the lives of children and their families; to qualify for
   1-10  this prestigious honor, programs must offer unique solutions to
   1-11  persistent social problems, assist traditionally underserved
   1-12  populations, respect cultural diversity, and be model programs that
   1-13  other communities can emulate; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, Child Advocates are volunteers who represent the
   1-15  interests of abused and neglected children in the court system,
   1-16  providing a helpful and supportive presence to their young charges
   1-17  in what can often be a confusing, exhausting, and anxious ordeal
   1-18  for a minor; the program is unique in that it recruits minority
   1-19  volunteers to match the ethnic background of the children being
   1-20  served in an effort to make the process more familiar and less
   1-21  frightening to the child; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, This exceptional program was the second
   1-23  court-appointed special advocate program in the state and is now in
   1-24  its 12th year of service to the Wichita Falls community, having
    2-1  grown from one volunteer in 1983 to the more than 100 dedicated
    2-2  volunteers who lend their time to the Wichita Foundation for
    2-3  Children's Services, Inc., today; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, To achieve its mission, the foundation collaborates
    2-5  with numerous other organizations in Wichita Falls that are
    2-6  striving to improve the lives of children and their efforts in this
    2-7  regard clearly demonstrate the enormous progress that can be
    2-8  achieved when interested individuals work together toward a common
    2-9  goal; and
   2-10        WHEREAS, With its receipt of this outstanding accolade, the
   2-11  Wichita Foundation for Children's Services, Inc., joins another
   2-12  United Way agency in the city that has been designated a Best of
   2-13  Texas program this year, the Wichita Falls Metropolitan YMCA Child
   2-14  Care program, a distinct achievement that is truly a source of
   2-15  great pride for the residents of Wichita Falls and that can be
   2-16  directly attributed to local citizens' sincere concern for others;
   2-17  and
   2-18        WHEREAS, The foundation and its committed Child Advocates
   2-19  have made an immeasurable difference in the lives of many children
   2-20  in our state and they indeed merit our highest praise and
   2-21  recognition on the occasion of their recent achievement; now,
   2-22  therefore, be it
   2-23        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-24  Legislature hereby congratulate the staff of the Wichita Foundation
   2-25  for Children's Services, Inc., its director, Terri Oswald, and the
   2-26  program's compassionate volunteers on their receipt of a Best of
   2-27  Texas designation for their valuable work in helping abused and
    3-1  neglected children in Wichita Falls; and, be it further
    3-2        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
    3-3  prepared for the Wichita Foundation for Children's Services, Inc.,
    3-4  as an expression of highest regard by the Texas House of
    3-5  Representatives.