| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
| |
|
|
WHEREAS, Established to empower people with special needs, |
|
|
Hugs Café in McKinney is rendering a significant service to its |
|
|
community; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The café's founder, Ruth Thompson, moved to McKinney |
|
|
in 2004 and soon began to teach cooking to adults with special |
|
|
needs; holding classes twice a week for 10 years, she helped these |
|
|
individuals develop new skills and become more independent; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Inspired by the success of her classes, Ms. Thompson |
|
|
decided to open a restaurant that would provide employment for |
|
|
people like her students; with the support of many in the community, |
|
|
she embarked on a successful fund-raising campaign, and the |
|
|
nonprofit Hugs Café welcomed its first customers in 2015; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The café serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday and |
|
|
features an inviting menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and |
|
|
desserts; more than 70 percent of the café's teammates are people |
|
|
with intellectual or developmental disabilities, many of whom work |
|
|
part-time and all of whom earn at least minimum wage; Ms. Thompson |
|
|
herself puts in up to 60 hours at the café every week to help ensure |
|
|
its success; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Hugs Café is offering its employees a chance to |
|
|
build the confidence and self-respect that will help them to live |
|
|
meaningful, rewarding lives, and equally important, the business is |
|
|
encouraging public appreciation for the capabilities and dignity of |
|
|
adults with special needs; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor Hugs Café for valuing the strengths of |
|
|
individuals with special needs and extend to Ms. Thompson and her |
|
|
staff sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Hugs Café as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Sanford |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 1528 was adopted by the House on May |
|
|
4, 2017, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |