Bill Text: VA HR101 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Powhatan Christmas Mother program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-03-02 - Bill text as passed House (HR101ER) [HR101 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HR101-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the practice of sacrificial giving arises naturally from the message of the Nativity; and
WHEREAS, the people of Powhatan County—most especially the women of Powhatan County—have responded in an exemplary manner to the summons to share the blessings of life at Christmas; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, Sadie Johnson, then director of the county's Department of Public Welfare, suggested to Helen (Mrs. Leslie) Mason that people in need would benefit from a community-wide "Christmas Mother" program during the holiday season; and
WHEREAS, thus was established the Christmas Mother program in Powhatan, which with the 2017 Christmas season marked a half-century of voluntary labors, involving hundreds of county citizens, to bring sustenance, gifts, and joy to those in need; and
WHEREAS, Christmas Mothers of Powhatan, across the 50 years since its founding in 1967, have included Helen Mason, Kate Dobbins, Cora "Shep" Ashworth, Addie Weisiger, Deanna Coffey Lipscomb, Florence King, Elise Yount, Mary Ellen Hall, Hilda Lent, Shirley Bradbury, Frances Sharp, Edna McFall, Paulette McWaters, Lillie Walthall (thrice), Linda Perry, Kitty Bloxton, Dot Nichols (twice), Mirianna Hobson, Margaret Mills, Rachel and Carlton Elam, Novella and Sam Hatcher, Margaret and Omar Ball, Marie Brown, Marie and Bob Hertzler, Anna Boelt, Janie and Elwood Clements, Nancy L. Barden, Elizabeth R. Lewis, Janice S. Worsham, Jean Walton, Audrey Missimer, Sandy Shelton, Frances Morris, Dorothy Baily, Karen Norsworthy, Ginny Broughton, Mary Frances Adair, Connie Moslow, Nancy Alexander, Mary Midget Harrison, Vernell Straughter, Gail Timberlake, Kay and Tommy Mann, Frances and George Crutchfield, Carol and Bob Baltimore, Nancy Ayers, Pinckey Sowers, Fran Carleton, Gayle Walter, Teresa Whitaker, and, in 2017, Josephine Goodman; and
WHEREAS, the goal of the Powhatan Christmas Mother program is "to provide gifts and food to families in need, especially children and the elderly," and the organization "consists of volunteers who are committed to making this possible"; and
WHEREAS, it is the objective of every Christmas Mother "to try to ensure that no family in our community goes without food, no child is without toys and clothing, and no elderly person is forgotten as we celebrate the Christmas season"; and
WHEREAS, the Christmas Mothers of Powhatan in the faithful pursuit of their objectives have contributed meaningfully to the community-wide experience of the spirit of Christmas for a half-century; and
WHEREAS, the initiative, goodwill, and effectiveness of the Christmas Mother program are alike typical of the finest traditions of the citizens of Powhatan; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Powhatan Christmas Mother program hereby be commended for 50 years of devoted and inspiring service to its community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Josephine Goodman, Powhatan's Christmas Mother of 2017, and to the program's officers for placement in a site of their choosing.
