By:  Sibley                                            S.R. No. 791
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
    1-3  recognize Rena Michelle Stephens of Hamilton who has recently been
    1-4  named one of the nine recipients of the 1995 Governor's Award for
    1-5  Outstanding Volunteer Service; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, This is an annual award given in recognition of
    1-7  exceptional volunteer service; the honor is even greater because
    1-8  over 240 nominations were made from all over the state, and a blue
    1-9  ribbon panel of judges selected by the Governor made the final
   1-10  selection; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, Rena Michelle Stephens is an outstanding teenager
   1-12  who has organized several community groups into fund-raising
   1-13  activities; she has been recognized by her 4-H group for her
   1-14  volunteer achievements and has been the recipient of the group's
   1-15  highest local and state awards, including the Danforth, Citizenship,
   1-16  and Community Service awards; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, The Hamilton Child Welfare Board was penniless,
   1-18  ineffective, and unable to respond to the routine needs of the
   1-19  children in its care; this dynamic teenager organized a 1950s
   1-20  dance, antique car show, and hamburger cookout that raised over
   1-21  $1,500 in a single night; she increased the awareness in her
   1-22  community of the need for a more viable Child Welfare Board, and
   1-23  she inspired a number of unrelated groups to come together for a
    2-1  common cause; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, The 1994 valedictorian of her high school,
    2-3  Rena Michelle has positively affected numerous organizations with
    2-4  her contagious energy; she has devoted time to organizing blood
    2-5  drives, working with the Special Olympics, cleaning highway
    2-6  rights-of-way with her local chapter of the National Honor Society,
    2-7  and being an active and vocal member of Students Against Drunk
    2-8  Driving; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, When the Sherwood Myrtle Foster Home needed funds,
   2-10  she organized a Christmas beauty pageant for preschool-aged
   2-11  children, requiring that they be sponsored by local businesses;
   2-12  the pageant earned over $3,000 for the foster home; and
   2-13        WHEREAS, She has volunteered through her church and served
   2-14  her community as its Festival Queen, appearing on television and
   2-15  radio to promote Hamilton; she has given many public speeches
   2-16  advocating the needs of children and the elderly; and
   2-17        WHEREAS, Perhaps her most notable contribution has been her
   2-18  ability to motivate different groups into action and her talent
   2-19  for eliciting the kind of positive response that is available in
   2-20  a community and often goes untapped; through her efforts a large
   2-21  number of children and other citizens in the community have greatly
   2-22  benefitted; certainly her work is worthy of legislative recognition;
   2-23  now, therefore, be it
   2-24        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-25  74th Legislature, hereby commend Rena Michelle Stephens and
    3-1  congratulate her on winning her well-deserved award; and, be it
    3-2  further
    3-3        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for her
    3-4  as an expression of the highest esteem of the Texas Senate.
    3-5                               ______________________________________
    3-6                                       President of the Senate
    3-7                                    I hereby certify that the above
    3-8                               Resolution was adopted by the Senate
    3-9                               on April 25, 1995.
   3-10                               ______________________________________
   3-11                                       Secretary of the Senate
   3-12                               ______________________________________
   3-13                                        Member, Texas Senate