Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero Krissy Sarine-Van Brunt, who founded the non-profit organization Just Because, which is dedicated to giving back to under- resourced communities in North Texas. Krissy founded Just Because after she and her daughter observed the hardship of homelessness in the scorching Texas heat. She compiled a list of several necessities that the homeless desire and went to Facebook to seek help. Through that act, Just Because was started after she received overwhelming support online.

Krissy has also partnered with Bombas to donate over 8,000 pairs of socks to the homeless in our community. In addition to providing Blessing Bags to the homeless, Krissy also volunteers at nursing homes and animal shelters in her spare time. I'd like to thank Krissy for going above and beyond for our community. Her selflessness and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Grapevine Police Officer Patrick O'Neal. In 2017, Officer O'Neal stalled working on a project to help law enforcement find any area or room on a school campus in an emergency, within seconds. After realizing this could be lifesaving for officers who are responding to an emergency at a school campus they may not be familiar with, Officer O'Neal embarked on his mission of numbering every door and hallway in Grapevine ISD, then creating digital maps of the floor plans to share across departments.

It took years to gather the information for all the schools in the district. The maps include detailed information about all doors, their accessibility to police, the most efficient points of entry and directions to specific classrooms, and even indicate which doors require keys to open. As a result of Officer O'Neal's work, Grapevine Police now have detailed maps of each campus in Grapevine ISD which the police department can access via a digital system on their phone.

Earlier this year, Officer O'Neal was honored with the 2023 State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award for Public Services at the State Capitol. I'd like to thank Officer O'Neal for his tireless efforts and profound dedication to keeping North Texas students and staff safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Brenda and David Hughes, creators of the ``Stay in the Light'' Christmas light exhibit. Their award-winning ``Stay in the Light'' spectacle was started in memory of their son, Nathaniel, who struggled with depression. Nathaniel passed away in April of 2019, and the festivities that the Hughes' host are in honor of his memory. The Hughes family accepts donations of blankets and socks that are donated to Meals on Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County for the elderly.

Food items and toys are also accepted for donation. Brenda and David commit over 100 hours and hang 60,000 lights to honor Nathaniel and give back to those in need within their community. I thank Brenda and David Hughes for bringing extra light to our North Texas community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Heroes, Addison Police Department Officers Daniel Gutierrez, and Mark Meraz. On June 15, 2023, Addison Police Department Officers Daniel Gutierrez and Mark Meraz responded to a call regarding an injured person. When they arrived on scene, they found a man bleeding excessively from his arm after getting cut with glass. Officers Gutierrez and Meraz quickly placed a tourniquet on his arm while they waited for paramedics to arrive. The wounds were severe, and the man lost an extensive amount of blood due to his injuries. The tourniquet application by Officers Gutierrez and Meraz saved his life while waiting for paramedics to arrive on scene.

The Addison Police Department recently honored them both with the Preservation of Life Award. I thank Officer Gutierrez and Officer Meraz for going above and beyond to protect and serve North Texans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Akshat Athale, who is not only a student at Coppell High School, but also the founder of Saksham, a non-profit organization that works to improve financial literacy among underserved youth communities. Saksham has worked with underserved and neurodivergent communities. on both the local and global scale, to Provide them with workshops on a variety of financial literacy topics.

These workshops provide life-changing skills to communities in need and will have a lasting benefit. I was glad to have Akshat as a member of my Congressional Youth Advisory Council and I congratulate him on recently receiving the Congressional Award. Our North Texas community is made better by people like Akshat, who are dedicated to making a positive impact.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Eddy Ketchersid, who retired earlier this year as a Senior Minister at the Branch Church in Farmers Branch. Eddy has been a positive impact on the city of Farmers Branch and the North Texas community at large for 60+ years.

Eddy is an alumnus of Abilene Christian University and a true Texan at heart. He has served his community in various respects throughout his life. Eddy has served the city of Farmers Branch as a Community Minister, advocate and member of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International, and head of the Metrocrest Mayor's Prayer Breakfast. He has led many bible studies and prayer groups for the ministry for over half a century.

I thank Eddy for going above and beyond for our community. His selflessness and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Captain Taylor Baze, who is retiring from the Coppell Fire Department.

Over the last 30 years, Captain Baze has demonstrated excellent fire service to the residents of Coppell, Texas. Captain Baze's influence over the City of Coppell Fire Department will still be felt in his absence. He was an excellent leader and considered a brother by many. His legacy will not be forgotten as he leaves the fire department better off for having him as a captain.

I thank Captain Baze for his leadership and service to our community and wish him a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Martha Day, co- founder and president of The Vitamin Bridge in Coppell.

The Vitamin Bridge is a nonprofit organization that provides expecting mothers of low socioeconomic status with prenatal vitamins and nutritional information. Martha started the Vitamin Bridge following her experiences volunteering at a pregnancy crisis center. She realized there was a need for someone to give access to prenatal vitamins for moms-to-be that could not afford them or were unaware of their importance. If women were given the resources that The Vitamin Bridge offers, then they would be more likely to have a successful pregnancy.

To date, The Vitamin Bridge has helped nearly 50,000 women receive prenatal vitamins and nutrition education at no cost. I thank Martha for providing expecting mothers in our community with an equal opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy. Her selflessness and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Maddy Sexton of Southlake Carroll. Earlier this year, Maddy was in a car heading to school with a friend when her friend began to experience a medical emergency. Maddy demonstrated maturity beyond her years and handled the situation perfectly--she immediately pulled over, called Southlake Fire, and helped take care of her friend before Southlake Fire quickly arrived.

I thank Maddy for going above and beyond to look out for her friend through her vigilance, quick thinking, and maturity. It is an honor to join Southlake DPS in recognizing Maddy for her contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Anne Pottinger, who is highly involved in our North Texas community and always finds a way to help others. She is a leader in numerous non-profit organizations, including the Freedom Mobility Foundation in Southlake and Holidays & Heroes in Fort Worth. Through her work with the Freedom Mobility Foundation, Anne helps to provide mobility equipment like track chairs to those in need.

I want to thank Anne for going above and beyond for our North Texas veterans and military families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our TX-24 Hometown Hero, retired police chief Jimmy Perdue. Chief Perdue spent over 40 years in public service, 18 of them serving as the North Richland Hills Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety. Under his leadership, the North Richland Hills Police Department earned ``Recognized Status'' from the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation Best Practices Recognition Program in 2011, a status which the department continues to maintain year after year. He also served as a past President of the North Texas Police Chiefs Association and as the President of the Texas Police Chiefs Association from 2022-2023.

Chief Perdue continually displayed his dedication to public service by developing the Women of Law Enforcement Conference, leading the city's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, overseeing the design and construction of the North Richland Hills Animal Adoption and Rescue Center, and bringing the SHIELD program to life, a 3-day training course for NRH police officers. I commend Chief Perdue for going above and beyond for our community and congratulate him on his retirement. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Oliver Burke. Oliver, a rising junior at Greenhill School, recently led his fellow Boy Scouts in a wildflower seed building service project to help preserve the endangered Backland Prairie. He brought together 50 of his fellow Scouts from rural and urban communities across North Texas--most of whom did not previously know each other--and they made more than 3,800 native wildflower seed balls.

In addition to his leadership in the Boy Scouts, Oliver spent the last year serving on my Congressional Youth Advisory Council and recently participated in our annual Congressional Art Competition. I thank Oliver for his dedication to service, bringing people together, and bettering our North Texas community for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 2nd Lieutenant Logan J. Doyle. A native of Carrollton, Texas, Logan recently graduated from West Point Academy and has been commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. On July 2nd Lieutenant Doyle began his career as an aviation officer in Alabama, at Fort Novosel. Prior to his graduation from West Point, 2nd Lieutenant Doyle served as an intern in my Washington D.C. office and was an excellent member of our team. He was a very hard worker, and I enjoyed my time getting to know him. Lieutenant Doyle is a recipient of the General William E. Read Pentathlete Award which is rewarded to the cadets who achieve a Term Quality Point Average of 4.00 or greater and a letter grade of A- or better in all academic, physical, military science, and military development courses. He was also awarded the Superintendent's Award for Achievement for being in the top 6-20 percent of his class across all programs and the Sewell Tappan Tyng Memorial Award for having the highest rating in nuclear Engineering. I would like to congratulate Lieutenant Doyle on his graduation and thank him for his heart of service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, the late Irving Police Department Chief, Benny Newman. Chief Newman passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2023 at the age of 91. He served as Irving's police chief from 1978 to 1994. Prior to joining Irving Police Department, Chief Newman served in the National Guard Reserves and spent 23 years serving in the Dallas Police Department (DPD). During his career with DPD, Chief Newman received 16 commendations, was awarded the Certificate of Merit, and rose to the rank of Captain. Chief Newman went above and beyond for our community outside of his time in uniform. He played an instrumental role in creating the Irving Police Athletic League (PAL), which provides classes and camps to hundreds of youths each year in Irving and surrounding communities. As a leader in our community and a dedicated public servant, Chief Newman has left a lasting impact in North Texas, for which we are forever grateful. I am grateful for all Chief Newman has done for our community, and I'm praying for his friends and family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, 9-year-old philanthropist and Grapevine resident, Paisley Elliott. At just 6 years old, Paisley founded Paisley's Pals, a global non-profit that partners with organizations around the world to offer support and education to refugees. Her work has helped build a school at the Moria refugee camp in Greece, which is one of the most overwhelmed refugee camps in Europe, and she is now working to build a school in Uganda. Paisley spent the summer of 2019 organizing lemonade stands, handing out flyers in her community, distributing ``CHANGE'' jars to local businesses to collect loose change, and setting up a crowdfunding website to raise money for the school. She also hosted a ``Helping Heroes'' event at the Islamic Foundation of Lewisville and Flower Mound where children came together to decorate superhero capes for the children stuck in the Moria Refugee Camp in Greece. Paisley was the youngest person in the world to be nominated for the Nansen Award, given annually to one person who champions the cause

of refugees. I'd like to thank Paisley for all the work she does to educate and inspire not only her peers, but North Texans of all ages, and for bringing the community together to help empower the next generation.