TITLE: Congratulating the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center on the opening of its new facility.

SUMMARY: Congratulating the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center on the opening of its new facility.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Dallas Children's Advocacy Center began an exciting new chapter in its history when it moved into the Rees-Jones Center for Child Protection in January 2013; and WHEREAS, Established in 1991, DCAC is committed to improving the lives of abused children in Dallas County and to providing national leadership on child abuse issues; the center served more than 2,400 children and their non-offending family members in 2012; and WHEREAS, DCAC coordinates the investigation and prosecution of the most severe cases of abuse in the community, and it offers a warm, child-friendly haven for the victims who have been referred by law enforcement or Child Protective Services; facilitating collaboration and communication in the coordination of these highly sensitive cases, DCAC also houses the Child Abuse Unit of the Dallas Police Department, five CPS units, and an assistant district attorney; and WHEREAS, Through the years, DCAC has gained national recognition as a leader in educating professionals about crimes against children; its education specialists conduct free training on recognizing and reporting abuse for teachers and others in child-serving organizations, and the center hosts one of the world's largest annual professional training conferences in the field for prosecutors, therapists, law enforcement personnel, and others; and WHEREAS, The 56,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Rees-Jones Center will allow DCAC to deliver training to more professionals on a year-round basis; moreover, the building is designed to enhance the healing process by providing an especially comforting, safe, and serene environment; the building is named in honor of benefactors Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones; and WHEREAS, Since its inception, the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center has made a positive difference in the lives of more than 30,000 young victims of abuse, and its new facility will enable the caring and dedicated staff to make even greater contributions to the well-being of this vulnerable population; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center on the opening of the Rees-Jones Center for Child Protection and extend to all those associated with DCAC sincere best wishes for continued success with their important work; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the center as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Johnson Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1191 was adopted by the House on April 17, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House