TITLE: Commending Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas.

SUMMARY: Commending Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to join Texans across the state in celebrating Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas Day at the State Capitol; and WHEREAS, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the largest volunteer supported mentoring network, began its service to the children of Texas in Dallas in 1927 and has subsequently expanded those services to 9 regional offices and 35 field offices throughout Texas; and WHEREAS, The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever; and WHEREAS, Over 16,000 students throughout Texas have Big Brother and Big Sister mentors, and national research has shown that students mentored by a Big Brother or a Big Sister are less likely to start using drugs, are less likely to begin using alcohol, are less likely to skip school, and are even less likely to skip a class during the school day; and WHEREAS, Additional national research also shows that children mentored by a Big Brother or Big Sister have increased performance in science, math, and oral language, and further research done in Central Texas revealed that 87 percent of children mentored by a Big Brother or Big Sister graduated from high school or received a GED; and WHEREAS, Big Brothers Big Sisters is successful because of the efforts of thousands of volunteers and especially Texas Big Brother of the Year Tri Dang of Travis County and Big Sister of the Year C. J. Legare of Hays County, both of whom are present in the chamber this morning; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby commend Big Brothers Big Sisters on their efforts to help children in Texas, many who have the odds stacked against them, achieve success in their lives and extend best wishes for a memorable day at the State Capitol; 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. Howard Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr Alonzo Gooden Otto Alvarado Guerra Paddie Anchia Guillen Parker Anderson Gutierrez Patrick Ashby Harless Perez Aycock Harper-Brown Perry Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips Bohac Herrero Pickett Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price Branch Huberty Raney Burkett Hughes Ratliff Burnam Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Callegari Johnson Riddle Canales Kacal Ritter Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis Clardy King of Parker Rose Coleman King of Taylor Sanford Collier King of Zavala Schaefer Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell Creighton Krause Simmons Crownover Kuempel Simpson Dale Larson Smith Darby Laubenberg Smithee Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland Deshotel Longoria Strama Dukes Lozano Taylor Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris Elkins Martinez Toth Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin Farias McClendon Turner of Harris Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles Villalba Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman Giddings Murphy Wu Goldman Naishtat Zedler Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 813 was adopted by the House on March 14, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House