H.R. No. 1130 R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, Bert Pfeister of San Antonio is rendering outstanding humanitarian service in his role as president and CEO of Respite Care; and WHEREAS, A nonprofit agency, Respite Care was founded in 1987 to fill a gap in services provided to children with special needs; its programs include a child daycare along with Mother's Day Out, Family Day Out, and Parents Night Out; the organization also operates the Davidson Respite House Emergency Shelter, which provides temporary and emergency housing for children with developmental disabilities or complex medical diagnoses who are taken into state custody from all over Texas; and WHEREAS, Under Mr. Pfeister's direction, Respite Care has been licensed as a foster care placement agency for children with special and habilitative needs; the agency also provides training and support for prospective foster parents, to help them cope with the challenges they will face and to assist them in enabling their children to reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, In order to define community services that best support families with special needs children, Respite Care served as the lead agency in a five-year research initiative, a study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and completed in 2008; and WHEREAS, About six years ago, Mr. Pfeister became the foster parent of three siblings, aged three, four, and five, who were in the care of Davidson Respite House; several years ago he completed the adoption process, and today, his sons and daughter are thriving; and WHEREAS, Formerly an executive with AT&T, Bert Pfeister has brought deeply caring, committed, and energetic leadership to his work at Respite Care, and together with that agency's skilled and dedicated staff, he is providing programs of immeasurable value to many young Texans; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby honor Bert Pfeister for his sterling work as president and CEO of Respite Care and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success in all his endeavors; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Pfeister as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Martinez Fischer ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1130 was adopted by the House on April 9, 2009, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House