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2011 SESSION

11104103D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 790
Offered February 2, 2011
Celebrating the life of Cynthia Alice Martin.
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Patron-- Ware, O.
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WHEREAS, Cynthia Alice Martin of Vinton, a pivotal figure in the development of the Commonwealth’s prerelease and postrelease program for inmates, Virginia CARES, died on July 17, 2010; and

WHEREAS, a hard-working student, Cynthia “Cindy” Martin graduated from William Byrd High School in Vinton; and

WHEREAS, Cindy Martin began working with Total Action Against Poverty (TAP), a Roanoke-based Community Action Agency, where she realized the need for services to help inmates transition from correctional institutions back into their communities; and

WHEREAS, while at TAP, Cindy Martin developed an innovative pilot program that would support individuals in a positive way as they left prison; and

WHEREAS, as the TAP ex-offender program became successful and recidivism rates dropped, Cindy Martin came to Richmond to lobby General Assembly members for the creation of a statewide program; and

WHEREAS, Cindy Martin’s relentless efforts paid off in 1979 when Virginia CARES Inc., an independent statewide agency devoted to preventing recidivism by assisting offenders and ex-offenders, was formed; and

WHEREAS, Virginia CARES Inc. provides food, clothing, housing, transportation, employment assistance, and counseling and peer support to aid offenders in establishing themselves in society; and

WHEREAS, a respected and able administrator, Cindy Martin served as the exemplary executive director of Virginia CARES Inc. from 1993 to 2003 and worked diligently to expand vital partnerships and secure and protect essential funding for the program; and

WHEREAS, since its inception, Virginia CARES Inc. has worked with over 70,000 former inmates with a successful reduction of recidivism, providing individuals with the skills and hope to improve their lives; and

WHEREAS, Cindy Martin leaves behind a remarkable legacy of service that has profoundly influenced the lives of tens of thousands of individuals and has had a tremendous and positive impact on the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by her parents and brothers, Cindy Martin will be greatly missed by her devoted nieces and nephews and numerous friends and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of an esteemed citizen of the Commonwealth, Cynthia Alice Martin; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Cynthia Alice Martin as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.