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2006 SESSION

068539744
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 34
Offered March 10, 2006
Commending Bill and Janie Strauss.
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Patrons-- Howell, Cuccinelli, Devolites Davis, Herring, O'Brien, Puller, Reynolds, Saslaw, Ticer and Whipple
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WHEREAS, Bill and Janie Strauss, longtime residents and supporters of the McLean community, are recognized for their outstanding service to Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, Bill Strauss graduated from the Harvard School of Law and the Kennedy School of Government in 1973, but he decided after working in a firm in San Francisco and on Capitol Hill that his life was suited for more artistic pursuits; and

WHEREAS, an immensely talented author, playwright, historian, and theater director, as well as an admired community benefactor, Bill Strauss’ brainchild was the creation of the Critics Awards Program for High School Theater (Cappies); and

WHEREAS, since its inception, Bill Strauss’ Cappies has grown into a nationally acclaimed organization, which promotes and awards the talents and theatrical accomplishments of young people, as well as encourages area newspapers to take notice of and review school artistic productions; and

WHEREAS, Bill Strauss has always been a great believer in young people and a supporter of their dreams, and the birth of Cappies was Bill Strauss’ personal response to the Columbine tragedy, literally establishing a stage on which to celebrate the “positive side of kids”; and

WHEREAS, Bill Strauss is also the founder of the Capitol Steps, the popular Washington political satire troupe; and 

WHEREAS, Janie Strauss is likewise a respected community supporter, whose spirited volunteerism is equal to that of her husband Bill; and

WHEREAS, a former elementary and preschool teacher, who has been actively involved in education for over 30 years, Janie Strauss received a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and

WHEREAS, Janie Strauss is a member of and has served as the chair and vice chair of the Fairfax County School Board and as the chair of the board’s budget committee; and

WHEREAS, over the years, Janie Strauss has served as the president of the Fairfax County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations and chair of its education and budget committees, as well as served on numerous key education and youth-related committees, including the Fairfax County Public Schools Career and Technical Preparation Task Force, the Division Planning Committee, the Citizens Bond Committee, and the Fairfax Framework for Student Success; and

WHEREAS, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Bill and Janie Strauss also were invaluable in establishing Fairfax Families Care, which has worked diligently to enable the local residents to help Katrina victims relocate to Fairfax County temporarily, or permanently if necessary; and 

WHEREAS, Fairfax Families Care has been highly successful in raising funds, which have gone directly to evacuee families to be used for rent, food, supplies, medicine, and household goods and to meet other critical needs; and

WHEREAS, Fairfax Families Care’s public-private partnerships have provided an essential second phase of relief efforts by helping well over a thousand Gulf Coast evacuees reestablish their lives in Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, Bill and Janie Strauss' ongoing role as compassionate civic leaders and community benefactors is manifest in their latest efforts to provide a means for Fairfax County residents to help their fellow citizens in need in Mississippi and Louisiana; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Bill and Janie Strauss hereby be commended for their longtime and outstanding community service; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Bill and Janie Strauss as an expression of the members’ gratitude for their uncommon commitment to the citizens of McLean and Fairfax County.