83R19734 LB-D
By: Patrick H.R. No. 1482
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Members of the Rotary Club of Arlington are
celebrating their club's 90th anniversary on June 13, 2013, and
this occasion offers a welcome opportunity to honor the
organization and its many charitable endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1923, the Rotary Club of Arlington was
the first service group to be established in the city, and over the
years, the organization has benefited from the talented leadership
of many prominent individuals, including past club president and
former mayor Tom Vandergriff; and
WHEREAS, From the beginning, the club has contributed to the
betterment of its community; one of its initial projects was the
sponsorship of Arlington's first public park, Meadowbrook, which
opened in 1924, and it later also contributed to the development of
Senter Park; today, the club offers adult literacy programs to
Arlington residents and works with John Webb Elementary School,
where more than 94 percent of the students live at or below the
poverty level; most notably, the club provides college assistance
to every child graduating from Webb Elementary if that student also
graduates from high school; through this program, some 150 Webb
students have gone on to postsecondary education, reflecting a
college attendance rate 55 percent higher than the national rate
for a matching demographic; the group also provides books to the
Webb Elementary library as well as to each student, funds camping
trips for every sixth grader, and organizes cleanup days for the
grounds; in recognition of its outstanding work, the organization
received the 2012 Champions of Change Award from the White House,
making it one of only 10 Rotary Clubs nationwide to be granted this
honor; and
WHEREAS, The club is additionally engaged in service projects
in other countries; it has initiated a program to supply clean
drinking water to remote villages in Honduras, and it supports
Rotary International in its efforts to help eradicate polio around
the world; and
WHEREAS, For nine decades, members of the Rotary Club of
Arlington have epitomized the ideal of service that stands at the
heart of the Rotary mission, and they have enriched the lives of
countless individuals both at home and abroad; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Rotary
Club of Arlington and extend to its members sincere best wishes for
continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the club as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.