86R29550 JGH-D
 
  By: Hinojosa H.R. No. 1545
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Proud members of Austin Junior Forum are celebrating
  the organization's 50th anniversary in 2019; and
         WHEREAS, One of nine Junior Forum chapters across the Lone
  Star State, Austin Junior Forum was founded by 18 young women on
  March 28, 1969, as a volunteer nonprofit service organization;
  today the group has approximately 170 members, including
  stay-at-home mothers as well as working women, business owners, and
  other professionals; and
         WHEREAS, In 1978 AJF purchased the Daniel H. Caswell House, a
  beautiful Victorian home in Austin, which serves as the
  organization's headquarters; the group restored the home and opened
  it to the public in 1983 as a center for community service and a
  venue for weddings and events; in one of AJF's earliest
  fund-raising success stories, members published a best-selling
  cookbook called Lone Star Legacy and used the proceeds to pay off
  the Caswell House's mortgage in only three years; since its initial
  printing, the cookbook has sold more than 200,000 copies; and
         WHEREAS, Each year AJF members contribute 11,000 hours of
  volunteer work, and they undertake a number of community service
  and philanthropic endeavors; among them are the Teddy Bear Program,
  which provides stuffed animals to first responders to give to
  children in crisis situations, and the Caswell House Etiquette
  Class, which not only teaches children dining skills but also
  appropriate interpersonal skills to help them deal with difficult
  people and situations; and
         WHEREAS, Every holiday season, AJF also hosts its annual
  Christmas at the Caswell House event, which has raised over $1.3
  million for charitable causes since 1983; local organizations
  supported by the initiative include Any Baby Can, AGE of Central
  Texas, the Central Texas Food Bank, Foster Angels of Central Texas,
  Hospice Austin, the Ronald McDonald House, and The Settlement Home
  for Children; and
         WHEREAS, For half a century, the women of Austin Junior Forum
  have contributed significantly to the quality of life in Austin and
  Central Texas, and they may indeed take pride in all that they have
  accomplished as they continue to serve their community; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
  Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of Austin
  Junior Forum and extend to its members sincere best wishes for
  continued success in their important work; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the
  Texas House of Representatives.