First Lady Blog
2018 Report to the People of Texas
Last month Greg released his second “Report to the People of Texas,” which offers a look back at the triumphs and challenges of 2017, and provides Texans greater insight into important programs and policies being implemented and other actions taken by the Governor’s Office to move Texas forward.
Texanthropy Spotlight: Tony Smith – 2017 Governor’s Volunteer Award Winner
Another week, another 2017 GVA winner! Today’s Texanthropy Spotlight is Tony Smith, the Service to Veteran’s Award winner. This award recognizes an individual or organization that focuses on providing needed programs or services to meet the needs of military-connected families or individuals.
Art Therapy
On Monday I had the pleasure of joining Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence, in Killeen for the Texas Creative Forces Arts and Military Conference, hosted by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Following the conference, we visited Fort Hood to learn more about their Art Therapy program.
Become a Mentor for a Foster Youth
Today marks the last day of January, which Greg declared as Mentoring Month in Texas. Many of you may have had a mentor growing up – a trusted adult who provided a caring, consistent presence and helped you discover personal strength and achieve your potential. The positive effects that a mentor can have on a young person’s life cannot be overstated, and particularly when it comes to the youth in our state’s child welfare system. Many of these young Texans don’t have a family member to turn to, a void that can be filled by a mentor who can offer advice, encourage positive choices, promote self-esteem, and support academic achievement.
Southeast Texas Nonprofit Summit
Earlier this week I traveled to Beaumont to attend the Southeast Texas Nonprofit Summit. Hosted by OneStar Foundation and the Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center, the Summit brought together industry leaders, business executives, government officials, nonprofit organizations, volunteers and other interested Southeast Texans for a full day of networking, professional and personal growth, and seminars all in an effort to find ways to work together to solve problems and strengthen communities.
Need to Know: The Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team
Please take a moment to read today's guest post from Andrea Sparks, the Director of the Child Sex Trafficking Team in the Governor’s Office. Andrea and her team are doing tremendous work to prevent victimization of children into child sex trafficking, partner with stakeholders to identify and recover survivors, provide coordinated services to help them heal and thrive, and bring them justice. This is information that every Texan needs to know.
Texanthropy Spotlight: Fort Bend Education Foundation – 2017 Governor’s Volunteer Award Winner
The Fort Bend Education Foundation was the 2017 winner of the Governor’s Volunteer Award for Partners in Education, and the Foundation is also the subject of this week’s Texanthropy Spotlight! The Partners in Education Award recognizes an individual or group that demonstrates measurable impact on a recognized need within a public, charter or parochial school by implementing ideas and solutions to further educational goals for students.
Texanthropy Spotlight: David Godwin – 2017 Governor’s Volunteer Award Winner
This week we’ll continue to highlight the winners of the 2017 Governor’s Volunteer Awards by spotlighting David Godwin, the Governor’s Lone Star Achievement Award winner. This award recognizes the exemplary service of an individual who has volunteered for a minimum of 15 years. Houstonian David Godwin is a retired volunteer and humanitarian, but David’s service doesn’t appear to match that of someone who considers themselves retired.