1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 642 1-3 WHEREAS, The lives of thousands of Texans are enriched 1-4 every day by the Senior Service Corps and it is appropriate that 1-5 the members of the Texas Senate recognize this worthy program at 1-6 this time; and 1-7 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps is a network of 35,000 1-8 active volunteers who bring a wealth of invaluable experience, 1-9 skills, talents, interests, and creativity to bear on problems 1-10 facing the Lone Star State; older citizens provide positive 1-11 solutions to community challenges in such vital areas as education, 1-12 public safety, health and human services, and the environment; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1998 alone, senior volunteers donated more than 1-14 seven million hours of service to assist 1.8 million Texans through 1-15 the three components of the Senior Service Corps--the Retired and 1-16 Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent Program, 1-17 and the Senior Companion Program; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program members 1-19 provide assistance to nearly 4,000 public and nonprofit agencies 1-20 by identifying the most pressing community needs, recruiting and 1-21 training volunteers, and documenting the impact of their services; 1-22 during the past three years, one of the major focus areas of the 2-1 program has been tutoring children to help them read independently 2-2 by the third grade; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Seniors working with the Foster Grandparent Program 2-4 provide strong guidance to young people with special needs in 2-5 substance abuse recovery facilities, centers for battered women 2-6 and children, nonprofit day care facilities, and schools for 2-7 individuals with mental, hearing, visual, and other physical 2-8 challenges; "grandparents" serve four hours a day in these and 2-9 other settings, and a recent analysis conducted in Head Start 2-10 classrooms shows that a volunteer grandparent helps increase 2-11 a child's self-esteem as well as mastery of skills; and 2-12 WHEREAS, Senior Companions provide one-on-one help to 2-13 ill, disabled, or frail elders who need in-home care to remain 2-14 independent; volunteers assist with daily living activities, 2-15 provide respite assistance to caregivers, and give comfort and 2-16 consolation to the terminally ill and their caregivers, and their 2-17 efforts help to reduce the costs of elder care to communities and 2-18 the state; and 2-19 WHEREAS, The Senior Service Corps represents one of our 2-20 state's most precious natural resources--the collective wisdom 2-21 and ability of our older citizens--and it is most appropriate 2-22 that the members of this exemplary organization be recognized; 2-23 now, therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-1 77th Legislature, hereby commend the members of the Senior 3-2 Service Corps for their dedication to bettering the quality 3-3 of life for citizens of all ages in the Lone Star State and 3-4 extend to them sincere best wishes for continued success; and, 3-5 be it further 3-6 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared 3-7 for the Senior Service Corps as an expression of high regard from 3-8 the Texas Senate. 3-9 Lucio 3-10 ______________________________________ 3-11 President of the Senate 3-12 I hereby certify that the above 3-13 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 3-14 on April 3, 2001. 3-15 ______________________________________ 3-16 Secretary of the Senate 3-17 ______________________________________ 3-18 Member, Texas Senate