House Bill 9023

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HR 9023

        By Representative Arnall






  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution commending the Florida Big

  3         Brothers Big Sisters State Association.

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  5         WHEREAS, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida has served

  6  the children of Florida for more than 80 years and is the

  7  recognized leader in screening, training, and monitoring child

  8  mentoring activities, and

  9         WHEREAS, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida is

10  comprised of 22 local agencies located around the state, with

11  its member agencies working to help children and families deal

12  with the difficult circumstances of life that challenge them,

13  and

14         WHEREAS, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida provides

15  caring adult volunteer mentors for at-risk children of

16  single-parent families and currently serves over 5,000

17  children annually throughout the state, with over 4,000

18  children on waiting lists to receive a Big Brother or Big

19  Sister, and

20         WHEREAS, in 1992, Congress reauthorized the Juvenile

21  Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, adding Part

22  G - Mentoring, "in recognition of mentoring's potential as a

23  tool for addressing two critical concerns in regard to

24  America's children--poor school performance and delinquent

25  activity," and

26         WHEREAS, an 18-month study of the Big Brothers Big

27  Sisters' traditional One-To-One mentoring program by

28  Public/Private Ventures of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, found

29  that children with a mentor in the program were more confident

30  in the performance of their school work and less likely to cut

31  school or a class, less likely to start using illegal drugs or

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HR 9023

    54-354A-99






  1  alcohol, less likely to strike someone, and got along better

  2  with their families, NOW, THEREFORE,

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  4  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

  5  Florida:

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  7         That Big Brothers Big Sisters of Florida be honored and

  8  congratulated for its efforts to create a brighter future for

  9  Florida's children.

10         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution

11  be presented to Mr. Tom McKenna, National Executive Director,

12  Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and to United States

13  Senator Dan Coats, National President of the Board, Big

14  Brothers Big Sisters of America, as a tangible token of the

15  sentiments expressed herein.

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