WHEREAS, Ms. Leslie DeDora has demonstrated a keen interest in the well-being of the disabled youths of California through her industrious role in facilitating the program A Touch of Understanding, and I am delighted to honor and congratulate her for her remarkable efforts; and
WHEREAS, A Touch of Understanding is a nonprofit organization that promotes the acceptance of people with disabilities and encourages respect and empathy for all individuals; and Ms. DeDora remains very active in supporting the mission of this program to help children better understand the disabled; and
WHEREAS, A Touch of Understanding focuses on the interaction between children and disabled adults; and as Executive Director, Ms. DeDora supplies crutches, wheelchairs, prostheses and leg braces and lets children experiment to get a sense of what it feels like to be disabled so that they may come away seeing these implements as tools used by people, instead of as badges of abnormality; and
WHEREAS, today, A Touch of Understanding has spread its valuable message to elementary schools and high school districts across Northern California, as well as to adults at churches, colleges, universities and businesses; and
WHEREAS, despite the considerable time that Ms. DeDora devotes to the program, she also manages to serve as the Director of Johnny & Friends, a Christian outreach program for children with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, in commemoration of her tireless efforts, Ms. DeDora received the 1998 Community Service Award from the Health Communication Research Institute, Inc.; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that I, Cruz M. Bustamante, Acting Governor of the State of California, de herby honor the many achievements of Ms. Leslie DeDora and her program, and I urge all Californians to join me in recognizing this dedicated public servant who has given so much to California's youths.