By Isett, Jones of Lubbock                            H.C.R. No. 90
         76R5101 BE-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, From the "Great Society" to the "1,000 Points of
 1-2     Light," individual service has been the hallmark of American civic
 1-3     improvement initiatives; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, In an age of dwindling resources and exponentially
 1-5     increasing need, it is imperative that more Texans do what they can
 1-6     to help their fellow Lone Star residents; many elementary schools
 1-7     now sponsor community service projects, and numerous services and
 1-8     organizations can regularly count on support from the over-40 age
 1-9     bracket, but the college students of Texas are an often overlooked
1-10     segment of potential volunteers; and
1-11           WHEREAS, If even a fraction of the state's college and
1-12     university students used just a small portion of their spring break
1-13     to participate in community service projects, the differences  seen
1-14     between March and May could be astonishing; and
1-15           WHEREAS, None of these service projects would need to involve
1-16     huge time investments, large sums of money, or even major changes
1-17     of plans; devoting just a day or two, or perhaps a couple of hours
1-18     over three or four days, to a group or association that needs some
1-19     help would have a profound effect; and
1-20           WHEREAS, Groups and associations needing volunteers are not
1-21     hard to find; the United Way is a significant contact source, as
1-22     would be a local church or HIV wellness center; schools with
1-23     students who need mentors or tutors, soup kitchens and homeless
1-24     shelters who need servers or laundry help, and women's centers or
 2-1     children's crisis intervention facilities could all use short-term
 2-2     and part-time volunteers; and
 2-3           WHEREAS, The actions of a few individuals could make mighty
 2-4     changes in the lives of many, and encouraging college and
 2-5     university students to devote some time from their spring break
 2-6     toward community service projects would indeed contribute greatly
 2-7     to a better Texas; now, therefore, be it
 2-8           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
 2-9     hereby declare the month of March as Collegiate Service Month in
2-10     Texas and encourage all college students to devote some time to
2-11     helping their fellow Texans.