H.R. No. 1528
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Established to empower people with special needs,
Hugs Café in McKinney is rendering a significant service to its
community; and
WHEREAS, The café's founder, Ruth Thompson, moved to McKinney
in 2004 and soon began to teach cooking to adults with special
needs; holding classes twice a week for 10 years, she helped these
individuals develop new skills and become more independent; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by the success of her classes, Ms. Thompson
decided to open a restaurant that would provide employment for
people like her students; with the support of many in the community,
she embarked on a successful fund-raising campaign, and the
nonprofit Hugs Café welcomed its first customers in 2015; and
WHEREAS, The café serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday and
features an inviting menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and
desserts; more than 70 percent of the café's teammates are people
with intellectual or developmental disabilities, many of whom work
part-time and all of whom earn at least minimum wage; Ms. Thompson
herself puts in up to 60 hours at the café every week to help ensure
its success; and
WHEREAS, Hugs Café is offering its employees a chance to
build the confidence and self-respect that will help them to live
meaningful, rewarding lives, and equally important, the business is
encouraging public appreciation for the capabilities and dignity of
adults with special needs; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Hugs Café for valuing the strengths of
individuals with special needs and extend to Ms. Thompson and her
staff sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Hugs Café as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Sanford
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1528 was adopted by the House on May
4, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House