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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Lone Star Court Appointed Special Advocates |
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| 8 | 9 | | celebrated the 20th anniversary of its expansion into Kaufman |
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| 9 | 10 | | County in 2024; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The organization is part of a national volunteer |
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| 11 | 12 | | movement that began in 1977 and enlists local community volunteers |
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| 12 | 13 | | to support children and families involved in the foster care |
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| 13 | 14 | | system; beginning in 1979 with the first CASA program in Dallas, and |
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| 14 | 15 | | followed by the formation of Texas CASA in 1989, judges and |
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| 15 | 16 | | communities across the state have worked to grow CASA's reach; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Lone Star CASA was founded in 1992 under the name |
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| 17 | 18 | | CASA of Rockwall County; prior to its introduction to the |
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| 18 | 19 | | community, Kaufman County lacked a dedicated child advocacy network |
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| 19 | 20 | | and often relied solely on the appointment of an attorney ad litem |
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| 20 | 21 | | in child abuse cases; recognizing this critical resource gap, the |
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| 21 | 22 | | organization worked with Texas CASA to initiate the approval |
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| 22 | 23 | | process for the extension of its service area; in 2004, the |
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| 23 | 24 | | organization formally launched in Kaufman County, and it was |
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| 24 | 25 | | renamed Lone Star CASA in reflection of its broadened mission; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Under the guidance of former executive director |
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| 26 | 27 | | Lucille Bell, the Lone Star CASA board worked tirelessly to build a |
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| 27 | 28 | | local presence, engaging with judges and community members, |
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| 28 | 29 | | recruiting volunteers, and opening a physical office space; as the |
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| 29 | 30 | | area has grown, the organization has since seen a substantial |
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| 30 | 31 | | increase in the number of cases it receives, and in 2024, its |
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| 31 | 32 | | volunteers served in 90 cases and assisted nearly 170 children in |
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| 32 | 33 | | Kaufman County; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Today, Lone Star CASA benefits from the able |
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| 34 | 35 | | guidance of its executive director, Lauren Rowe; its efforts are |
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| 35 | 36 | | also aided by its board of directors, which includes president |
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| 36 | 37 | | Sandra Ownby, vice president Donald Prentiss, secretary Kim |
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| 37 | 38 | | Campbell, treasurer Bryan Decker, and members Brenda Avenetti, |
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| 38 | 39 | | Jason LeBoeuf, Toni Gibbs, Robbie Pitts, and Natalie Read; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Over the past two decades, volunteers with Lone Star |
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| 40 | 41 | | CASA have made an immeasurable difference in the lives of numerous |
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| 41 | 42 | | young Texans in Kaufman County, and this noteworthy milestone |
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| 42 | 43 | | offers a fitting opportunity to recognize the organization for its |
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| 43 | 44 | | commendable work; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 20th anniversary of Lone Star |
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| 46 | 47 | | Court Appointed Special Advocates establishing services in Kaufman |
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| 47 | 48 | | County and extend to all those associated with the organization |
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| 48 | 49 | | sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 49 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 50 | 51 | | prepared for Lone Star CASA as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 51 | 52 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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