TITLE: Honoring Alice Torres of Houston for her service to the community.

SUMMARY: Honoring Alice Torres of Houston for her service to the community.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Alice Torres of Houston has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to helping area residents in times of crisis and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, A cofounder of the Harvey Forgotten Survivors Caucus, Ms. Torres has worked tenaciously to improve the lives of others while enduring her own travails; flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey badly damaged the home she shared with her mother, Dolores Torres, and not only did insurance fail to cover all the repairs, but the women were defrauded by unscrupulous contractors; they joined in the formation of the Survivors Caucus to seek justice, and tragically, Dolores Torres died of COVID-19 before receiving redress; Alice Torres spent weeks in the hospital with the disease, and even though she has continued to deal with health concerns, she has given generously of her time and talents to assist others; and WHEREAS, Ms. Torres has been a point person for Queen of Peace Senior Center, and in that capacity, she was contacted about a vaccination pilot program being launched by the staff of State Representative Christina Morales; knowing that her zip code was suffering disproportionately during the pandemic, Ms. Torres leapt into action, gathering the names of those qualified to receive the vaccine; even after her home lost power in the Winter Storm Uri blackout, she continued to take calls from people seeking vaccination and add them to her list; moreover, as readjustments were made in the wake of the storm, she provided further support and advocacy to the project, which served as an impetus for other community partnerships; and WHEREAS, Through her tireless dedication and resilience in the face of adversity, Alice Torres has made a positive difference in the lives of many area residents, and she has set an example of compassion and civic engagement to which all may aspire; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas Legislature hereby honor Alice Torres for her outstanding service to the Houston community and extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Ms. Torres as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.