Bill Text: TX HR1564 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring Big Thought on its receipt of a 2013 Texas Medal of Arts Award in the category of Art Education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-04-25 - Reported enrolled [HR1564 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR1564-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1564 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Big Thought has been named a 2013 Texas Medal of Arts | ||
| honoree for Art Education for 25 years of providing creative ideas | ||
| to young people that are proven to foster and sustain social, | ||
| academic, and cognitive growth; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Medal of Arts program includes among its | ||
| honorees institutions that have made important contributions to | ||
| enhancing artistic opportunities for citizens of the Lone Star | ||
| State, and Big Thought is indeed one such organization; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Part of a nationwide network, Young Audiences of | ||
| North Texas was founded in 1987 by Mitch Jericho and Edith O'Donnell | ||
| to recruit artists to work in public school classrooms; inspired by | ||
| that program's success, area civic leaders expanded their original | ||
| arts-in-education mission, starting Creative Solutions with the | ||
| Dallas County Juvenile Department to help at-risk teens with job | ||
| skills and college readiness and establishing Library Live!, a | ||
| family literacy program that is conducted monthly at every public | ||
| library in Dallas; today, these programs, as well as Thriving Minds | ||
| and SLANT, operate under the auspices of Big Thought; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In each of these endeavors, Big Thought strives to | ||
| better equip all children for the future by providing equal access | ||
| to enrichment programs and championing the idea that creative | ||
| learning boosts school attendance, leads to higher test scores, and | ||
| improves graduation rates; through public and private partnerships | ||
| with numerous other entities, the group coordinates collective | ||
| resources and administers a network of support for the benefit of | ||
| young people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Through the years, Big Thought has offered | ||
| educational activities to students and teachers alike, and it has | ||
| sponsored numerous performances and workshops; in collaboration | ||
| with its partners, its initiatives address academic achievement, | ||
| family services, life skills, and workforce development, and its | ||
| programs reach more than 100,000 children each year in the | ||
| classroom and in neighborhood and after-school settings; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For the past quarter-century, Big Thought has played | ||
| a pivotal role in arts education in North Texas, and in so doing it | ||
| has enriched the lives of countless young Texans; now, therefore, | ||
| be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby congratulate Big Thought on receiving a 2013 | ||
| Texas Medal of Arts Award and commend the group's staff, sponsors, | ||
| and volunteers for its vital educational endeavors; and, be it | ||
| further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the | ||
| Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| Branch | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1564 was adopted by the House on April | ||
| 24, 2013, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
