Worldwide electronics leader Samsung endowed a scholarship fund of 5 million to be administered by The American Legion in 1996. Meant to show appreciation for U. S. Livability refers to the subset of sustainability issues that directly affect community residents. Community livability directly benefits people who live in, work in. Fall Program Guide by City of Coquitlam. Governors Volunteer Awards One. Star Foundation. Please click here to view the press release from the Office of the Governor. To view photos from the 2. Award Ceremony please click here. Please click here to download the printable version of this page. Congratulations to our 2. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Honorary Chair of the 3. Governors Volunteer Awards, today announced the 2. The Governors Volunteer Awards, administered by One. Congratulations to our 2017 winners Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Honorary Chair of the 34th annual Governors Volunteer Awards, today announced the 2017. Betsy DeVos is chairman of the American Federation for Children, she is a national leader in the fight to boldly reform Americas broken education system. Star Foundation, honor the contributions of individuals, businesses and organizations in Texas that have made a positive impact in their communities or across the state through service and volunteering. Through her Texanthropy Initiative, Mrs. Abbott has made promoting volunteerism and service to others her primary focus as First Lady of Texas. It is no secret that Texas is filled with generous individuals and organizations, but these eleven awardees are truly extraordinary, Mrs. Abbott said. I am touched by all of the amazing things they are each doing to help their fellow Texans. Their example is truly inspiring. The awardees will be honored at an evening reception in the Fall at the Texas Governors Mansion. The recipients of the 2. Governors Volunteer Awards are. Governors Lone Star Achievement Award. David Godwin, Houston. This award recognizes the exemplary service of an individual who has volunteered for a minimum of 1. Lone Star Achievers are those rare individuals who recognize a community need and create new systems, programs, andor processes to achieve positive change. Nominees inspire others to serve their cause through volunteering and philanthropy, often engaging cross sector partners for greater impact. Houstonian David Godwin is a 6. Davids longest running charitable endeavor is the Literacy Initiative for Today LIFT, at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, which has just celebrated 2. LIFT classes are offered at no cost during the spring and fall semesters on Saturdays, and are taught by volunteers. Thanks to Davids creative input and hard work, more than 1. English through the LIFT program and have gone on to better jobs and brighter futures. David has also served as coordinator for the Center for Cultural Interchange CCI since 2. The CCI locates host families for high school exchange students. David works with students who are scholarship recipients of the U. S. State Department for study in the U. S. Two such programs are Future Leaders Exchange FLEX, which provides the opportunity for students from the former Soviet Union to come to our country and experience a democratic society and Youth Exchange and Study YES, which provides opportunities for students from predominantly Muslim countries to come to the U. S. and attend local high schools. David and his wife Lucy have hosted more than 7. U. S. attending intensive language schools in Houston. After David and Lucy adopted two children from China nearly two decades ago, they became involved in volunteer activities in Houstons Chinese community. Since 1. 99. 9, David has served as a board member of Families with Children from China. For nine years he coordinated a silent auction to raise funds for the organization. He has taught ESL at Houstons Chinese Consulate and coordinated holiday events and Chinese New Year to help the families bond with each other. David Godwin has performed decades of volunteer service in the Houston area and his legacy of service will continue to inspire others to serve. First Ladys Rising Star Award. Micah Pinson 1. 2 Years Old, Shady Shores. This award recognizes the extraordinary contributions of an individual 1. Nominees should demonstrate leadership, commitment to service and the ability to inspire others to serve. Rising Stars mobilize others to achieve measurable impact on critical issues within their communities. Nominees understand the importance of collaboration and cross generational partnerships. Twelve year old Micah Pinson is a 7th grader at Corinth Classical Academy. In 2. 01. 1, at the age of seven, Micah decided he wanted to make a difference in the lives of other children. With the help of his father, he conceived a community service project that today stands as the largest single toy donation for the Dallas Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Each year, through Micahs efforts, the toy drive attracts more businesses and participants to the cause. In 2. 01. 6, over 1. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in an 1. Motivated by the care he received as a child with a hand deformity, Micah wanted to give back to the hospital that had helped him, not only through physical changes but emotional ones, as well. The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital provided Micah the opportunity to attend Hand Camp. While attending the camp, he realized that he was not alone and that there were other children like him. So, wherever he goes, Micah encourages others to celebrate their differences and anything that makes them unique. Micah demonstrates creativity, leadership, perseverance and commitment through his volunteer efforts. Since the toy drive began, each year Micah seeks ways to involve more community and business leaders in this project. He speaks before the city council, Masonic lodges, schools or any other groups he might persuade to get on board. Over the years, his perseverance and commitment to this project are without a doubt his biggest strengths. In total, more than 2. Micah is already planning how to increase and sustain the toy drive for future years. His hope is to involve younger patients so the project continues, and there is clearly support for the sustainability of Micahs work. He sees this project not only as a way of giving back to the hospital that helped him so much, but also as a blessing in his life. Micah Pinson has already performed several years of volunteer service and is giving back to the community that provided help to him in a way that will inspire others to serve in the years to come. Partners in Education Award. Fort Bend Education Foundation, Sugar Land. This award recognizes an individual or group that demonstrates measurable impact on a recognized need within a public, charter or parochial schools. The Partner has implemented innovative andor informed or evidence based solutions to further educational goals for students. Nominees are committed to long term results and employ an evaluation component for continual learning and improvement of the program or intervention. In 1. 99. 2, Fort Bend County business and community leaders came together to form the Fort Bend Education Foundation FBEF to support Fort Bend ISD teachers and schools. Throughout its twenty five year history, FBEF has awarded 3. Fort Bend ISD. FBEF works collaboratively with the school district to provide an exceptional learning experience at all 7. In 2. 01. 3, FBEF partnered to assist Computer Science II students in STEM Labs. Included in the agreement were 2. Petrel Software to support the study of petroleum, earth science and technology, as well as 2. Ocean Kit Software geared toward STEM learning. Fort Bend ISD is one of only two K 1. The 4. 4 member FBEF board includes local business, industry and community leaders who volunteer their time and resources to help Fort Bend ISD achieve its mission to inspire and equip all students to pursue futures beyond what they can imagine. Through this dynamic partnership, more than 8. FBEF volunteers work on a variety of projects to allow the FBEF to serve as a powerful catalyst for extraordinary student achievement.