Resolution Honoring the 2021 Heroes for Children Award Recipients

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS volunteers provide invaluable support to our Texas public schools through selfless giving of their time, talent, and financial resources; and

WHEREAS the State Board of Education has honored outstanding school volunteers with the Heroes for Children award since 1994; and

WHEREAS Stephen Hambric has been a loyal volunteer over the last 38 years for Socorro Independent School District (ISD) where he served on multiple steering committees, including as committee chairman of the Excellence in Education Scholarship Foundation that awarded over $508,000 to 40 deserving students; and

WHEREAS Mayra Lozano is an inspiration to the La Joya ISD community for creating a social media forum that provided parents and others with much needed resources during the pandemic, she also volunteered on various advisory committees and served as a liaison between the local school and community; and

WHEREAS Isaiah Riebeling is a firefighter who made a special connection with students served by the Dewitt-Lavaca Special Education Cooperative, whose thoughtfulness showed when he built a picnic table though he had never built one before, to have more space to lunch outside during the pandemic; and whose in-kind and cash donations benefited the children and staff; and

WHEREAS Terence Narcisse is a hero who founded the East Harris County Empowerment Council, a non-profit organization that has grown over the years and has benefitted thousands of school children in Galena Park ISD and surrounding districts by providing scholarships, resources, and opportunities for youth and families to succeed; and

WHEREAS Derrick Townsend is a dedicated mentor who has served elementary to high school students for over 30 years in Austin ISD, and who serves as a leader and role model to his mentees in local groups such as Dad’s Club and Men in Education; and

WHEREAS Beki Perkins works tirelessly to share, encourage, educate, and inspire others to support the staff and students of Klein ISD whose motto is, “every student enters with a promise and exits with a purpose”. Their motto became her driving force to get involved in various advisory boards and the Klein Education Foundation; and

WHEREAS Eileen Crues launched the Friendswood ISD Special Education Parent-Teacher Organization in 2013 with a focus on providing resources and supporting parents of children with disabilities, that has, to date, raised $20,000 by hosting an annual art show that benefited specialized classes for the students; and 

WHEREAS Harvey Oyler found fulfillment after his retirement by joining Partners in Education with the Kiwanis Club of Baytown and as chairman, his leadership benefited the students and staff of Alamo Elementary in Goose Creek Consolidated ISD with unparalleled generosity in the form of cash and in-kind donations; and

WHEREAS Anna Marie Hornsby is a visionary leader who, as a founding member and president of the Pleasant Grove ISD Education Foundation, oversaw the foundation’s highest fundraising campaign that directly benefited the students and staff with over 150 grants and over $500,000; and

WHEREAS Terri Romere was instrumental in the creation of the Raise ‘Em Up Foundation with the mission to provide grants for livestock projects and agriculture programs that promote life skills, personal responsibility, fair play, good sportsmanship, hard work, integrity, leadership, and community service in districts across Travis and Williamson Counties; and

WHEREAS Randy Cutshall volunteers his time and photography talent on Friday nights and weekends as an exceptional photographer for Weatherford ISD capturing special moments for students, families, and staff to enjoy and, most importantly, for the Weatherford parents to download at no cost; and

WHEREAS Jon Boyd is a true leader in promoting civil service and community education in support of Allen ISD students and staff, and through his leadership, the Allen Fire Department was able to efficiently deploy the distribution of vaccines which brought tremendous calm in the community amid the height of the pandemic; and

WHEREAS Opal Lee championed social justice and education for six decades that lead to her tremendous work and success to make Juneteenth a national holiday, and she is often described as the “grandmother of Juneteenth” whose name is in the Fort Worth ISD Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS Mary Ann Jack is instrumental in securing sponsorship and keeping the finances of the Five Hills Scholarship Program viable, and under her guidance in 2021, the program awarded more than $110,000 in scholarships and prizes, and nearly $500,000 has been awarded to deserving students since 2014; and

WHEREAS Amy Punchard believes in the mission of Lubbock-Cooper ISD where every child deserves every opportunity, and in the time she has served as president of the Education Foundation, approximately $900,000 has been contributed to the district’s classrooms; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education recognizes these outstanding individuals as Heroes for Children and thanks them for their combined 210 years of volunteer service in their local public schools and communities.

WITNESS our signatures this third day of September, two thousand and twenty-one in Austin, Texas.

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Keven Ellis, Chair     
                                       
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Georgina C. Pérez, Secretary