1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 209 1-3 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps is a network of 35,000 1-4 active Senior Volunteers who bring a wealth of invaluable 1-5 experience, skills, talents, interests, and creativity to 1-6 bear on community problems facing the Lone Star State; and 1-7 WHEREAS, These Senior Service Corps programs have mobilized 1-8 older Texans to provide positive solutions to community challenges 1-9 in such vital areas as education, public safety, health and human 1-10 services, and the environment; and 1-11 WHEREAS, In 2000 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 Grandparent Program, 1-15 and the Senior Companion Program; and 1-16 WHEREAS, The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program provides 1-17 opportunities for people 55 years and older to serve their 1-18 communities as volunteers, by offering opportunities to serve 1-19 32,000 children through tutoring, mentoring, and literacy programs; 1-20 over 33,000 RSVP volunteers serve from a few to over 40 hours a 1-21 week, providing over 13,000,000 hours of service in public and 1-22 nonprofit organizations that range from education centers to police 2-1 departments to hospitals; and 2-2 WHEREAS, The Foster Grandparent Program offers low-income 2-3 seniors age 60 and older opportunities to serve as mentors, tutors, 2-4 and caregivers for 17,000 Texas children and youth with special 2-5 needs; Foster Grandparents offer emotional support to children who 2-6 have been abused and neglected, mentor troubled teens and young 2-7 mothers, and care for premature infants and children with physical 2-8 disabilities; and 2-9 WHEREAS, The Senior Companion Program provides low-income 2-10 seniors age 60 and older meaningful opportunities to provide 2-11 caregiver support to frail and homebound elderly who need 2-12 person-to-person support because of loneliness, illness, and 2-13 disabilities; by taking care of simple chores, providing 2-14 transportation to medical appointments, and offering contact to 2-15 the outside world, Senior Companions provide the essential services 2-16 that enable 1,723 frail older Texans to continue to live in their 2-17 own homes; and 2-18 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps represents one of our 2-19 state's most precious natural resources--the collective wisdom 2-20 and the ability of older citizens to make a difference in our 2-21 communities; the combined value of the service provided by these 2-22 programs is $204,986,696 to the State of Texas; it is most 2-23 appropriate that the members of this exemplary organization be 2-24 recognized for their service to the citizens of the State of Texas; 3-1 now, therefore, be it 3-2 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-3 77th Legislature, hereby express its deepest gratitude to the 3-4 volunteers of the Senior Service Corps for their dedication to 3-5 bettering the quality of life for citizens of all ages in the 3-6 Lone Star State. 3-7 Truan 3-8 Armbrister Gallegos Ogden 3-9 Barrientos Harris Shapiro 3-10 Bernsen Haywood Shapleigh 3-11 Bivins Jackson Sibley 3-12 Brown Lindsay Staples 3-13 Cain Lucio Van de Putte 3-14 Carona Madla Wentworth 3-15 Duncan Moncrief West 3-16 Ellis Nelson Whitmire 3-17 Fraser Zaffirini 3-18 Ratliff, President of the Senate 3-19 ______________________________________ 3-20 President of the Senate 3-21 I hereby certify that the above 3-22 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 3-23 on February 8, 2001. 3-24 ______________________________________ 3-25 Secretary of the Senate 3-26 ______________________________________ 3-27 Dean of the Senate