83R25085 STE-D
By: Guerra H.R. No. 1923
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Ann Williams Cass has dedicated herself to assisting
economically disadvantaged residents of the Rio Grande Valley for
more than three decades, and her steadfast commitment has made a
positive difference in many lives; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Cass completed her undergraduate studies in
biochemistry at Marycrest/St. Ambrose College and holds a master's
degree in parish administration and liturgy from Loyola University;
after moving to South Texas in 1981, she helped establish Holy
Spirit Parish in McAllen and then worked as an administrator for the
United Farm Workers from 1984 to 1988 before returning to her work
in the parish; and
WHEREAS, In 1989, Ms. Cass was appointed as the pastoral
administrator at Holy Spirit; during her tenure, she was involved
in refugee assistance and the sanctuary movement and served on the
National Advisory Council to the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops; on the local level, she campaigned for higher wages for
school district employees and the creation of single-member
districts for the city of McAllen; and
WHEREAS, She helped organize the employees of six parishes to
join the United Farm Workers Union in 2000 and later worked with the
South Texas Civil Rights Project to successfully win reinstatement
for those workers who had been wrongfully terminated for their
participation; that endeavor ultimately helped to establish new
union membership policies for all employees in the diocese; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Ms. Cass became the executive director of
Proyecto Azteca, a housing organization that had been founded in
1991 with the help of the United Farm Workers, Texas Rural Legal
Aid, and the Texas Low-Income Housing Information Service; under
her guidance, the group has enabled more than 700 families in
Hidalgo County colonias to become homeowners by providing them with
financing and construction assistance so that they could build
their own houses; moreover, since 2011, she and her colleagues have
been overseeing the development of one of the first environmentally
sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods in the region; and
WHEREAS, Active in a broad range of other organizations and
initiatives as well, Ms. Cass is a cofounder of Hope Family Health
Center and Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley, and she is a member of
the Hidalgo County Drainage Advisory Committee as well as
committees focused on bioethics, housing, and health care; her
impressive record in the field of social justice is being honored in
May 2013 with her receipt of the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Human Rights
Award from the South Texas Civil Rights Project; and
WHEREAS, Through her leadership and dedication, Ann Cass has
been a source of encouragement and empowerment for colonia
residents and for other vulnerable individuals in South Texas, and
her work is indeed deserving of special recognition; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby commend Ann Williams Cass for her many
accomplishments in behalf of the greater good and extend to her
sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Cass as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.