By Coleman H.R. No. 425 76R8705 MDM-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The lives of thousands of Texans are enriched every 1-2 day by the Senior Service Corps and it is appropriate that the 1-3 members of this chamber recognize this worthy program at this time; 1-4 and 1-5 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps is a network of 35,000 1-6 active volunteers who bring a wealth of invaluable experience, 1-7 skills, talents, interests, and creativity to bear on problems 1-8 facing the Lone Star State; older citizens provide positive 1-9 solutions to community challenges in such vital areas as education, 1-10 public safety, health and human services, and the environment; and 1-11 WHEREAS, In 1998 alone, senior volunteers donated more than 1-12 seven million hours of service to assist 1.8 million Texans through 1-13 the three components of the Senior Service Corps--the Retired and 1-14 Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparents Program, 1-15 and the Senior Companion Program; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program members provide 1-17 assistance to nearly 4,000 public and nonprofit agencies by 1-18 identifying the most pressing community needs, recruiting and 1-19 training volunteers, and documenting the impact of their services; 1-20 during the past three years, one of the major focus areas of the 1-21 program has been tutoring children to help them read independently 1-22 by the third grade; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Seniors working with the Foster Grandparent Program 1-24 provide strong guidance to young people with special needs in 2-1 substance abuse recovery facilities, centers for battered women and 2-2 children, nonprofit day care facilities, and schools for 2-3 individuals with mental, hearing, visual, and other physical 2-4 challenges; "grandparents" serve four hours a day in these and 2-5 other settings, and a recent analysis conducted in Head Start 2-6 classrooms shows that a volunteer grandparent helps increase a 2-7 child's self-esteem as well as mastery of skills; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Senior Companions provide one-on-one help to ill, 2-9 disabled, or frail elders who need in-home care to remain 2-10 independent; volunteers assist with daily living activities, 2-11 provide respite assistance to caregivers, and give comfort and 2-12 consolation to the terminally ill and their caregivers, and their 2-13 efforts help to reduce the costs of elder care to communities and 2-14 the state; and 2-15 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps represents one of our 2-16 state's most precious natural resources--the collective wisdom and 2-17 ability of our older citizens--and it is most appropriate that the 2-18 members of this exemplary organization be recognized; now, 2-19 therefore, be it 2-20 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-21 Legislature hereby commend the members of the Senior Service Corps 2-22 for their dedication to bettering the quality of life for citizens 2-23 of all ages in the Lone Star State and extend to them sincere best 2-24 wishes for continued success; and, be it further 2-25 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-26 prepared for the Senior Service Corps as an expression of high 2-27 regard by the Texas House of Representatives.