79R17092 BJM-D

By:  Eiland                                                       H.R. No. 1629



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives takes great 
pleasure in recognizing May 12, 2005, as the Texas Retired Teachers 
Association "Texas Retired School Personnel Day"; and
	WHEREAS, Founded in 1953, the Texas Retired Teachers 
Association (TRTA) is a nonprofit organization of more than 55,000 
retired public school and higher education personnel; in 2004, 
members of this respected group donated to their communities more 
than 4.4 million hours of volunteer work, which, if translated into 
professional wages, would equal $77.2 million; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to promoting the professional, 
economic, intellectual, and social well-being of retired school 
personnel, TRTA encourages its members to give voluntarily of their 
time, talents, training, and experience to a host of civic 
endeavors across the state and nation; schools, hospitals, 
churches, and numerous other community entities have benefited 
immeasurably from the contributions of these dedicated volunteers; 
and
	WHEREAS, Through the "Children's Book Project," which was 
established in 1998, TRTA members donated more than 50,000 books to 
individual Texas children in 2004; these books were given to 
children who might otherwise never have had a book to call their 
own; and
	WHEREAS, Participants in the TRTA "Walks-A-Million" program 
walked more than 17 billion steps to promote health awareness and 
help lower the cost of health insurance; and
	WHEREAS, With 260 units statewide, TRTA has demonstrated an 
impressive commitment to supporting and encouraging the thousands 
of retired public school and higher education personnel in the Lone 
Star State, and it is indeed appropriate to take this opportunity to 
commend this noteworthy organization and its civic-minded 
volunteers for their outstanding work; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby recognize May 12, 2005, as the Texas Retired 
Teachers Association "Texas Retired School Personnel Day" at the 
State Capitol and extend to all those associated with this fine 
organization best wishes for a memorable event.