TITLE: Congratulating Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a 2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

SUMMARY: Congratulating Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a 2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Ivy L. Walls of Houston is being honored with a 2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus; and WHEREAS, The owner of Ivy Leaf Farms, Ms. Walls is dedicated to improving the health of her fellow Sunnyside residents; she became a third-generation farmer after earning her bachelor's degree in biology from Prairie View A&M University and beginning a career in the medical field; during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was employed as an infection preventionist by the Memorial Hermann Health System; she understood the importance of good nutrition in battling illness and recognized a serious need in Sunnyside, a USDA-designated food desert in which few residents had ready access to a grocery store with fresh produce; and WHEREAS, Ms. Walls started growing vegetables in her parents' backyard to give to neighbors; finding great satisfaction in that endeavor, she began cultivating five acres owned by her parents and quit her job to establish Ivy Leaf Farms in 2020; using her entrepreneurial skills, she launched a GoFundMe on social media; she also received a $10,000 grant from a joint initiative by Beyonc  Knowles-Carter and the NAACP; building community connections, the farm hosts events and offers opportunities for neighbors to get in touch with nature and learn about sustainable growing practices and nutrient-dense foods; in addition, staff members visit schools to help set up community gardens that will encourage interest in agriculture among the next generation; Ms. Walls cofounded Black Farmer Box, which provides locally sourced produce to food desert residents, and then Fresh Houwse Grocery, a bodega-style business that features the products of local farmers and serves as a neighborhood gathering place; and WHEREAS, Through her vision and commitment to improving the well-being of her fellow Houstonians, Ivy Walls has set an inspiring example of civic-minded entrepreneurship, and she is indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a 2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus 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. Walls as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Simmons Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 621 was adopted by the House on April 17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 130, Nays 10, 2 present, not voting. Chief Clerk of the House