Texas First Lady Announces 40th Annual Volunteer Awards Recipient

Texas' First Lady Cecilia Abbott is the Honorary Chair of the Governor's Volunteer Awards, and on Wednesday, February 14, the announcement was made of who the recipients of the 40th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards would be.

The awards, presented in conjunction with OneStar Foundation, are given to honor the service of nominated individuals, groups, and organizations who have made a significant contribution to Texas communities through their service and volunteering in the past year.

“It is with great excitement that I recognize 15 exceptional awardees of this year’s Governor’s Volunteer Awards, commemorating 40 years of honoring outstanding volunteers,” said First Lady Abbott. “These awardees—and those honored over the past four decades—are a testament to the true strength and selfless leadership embedded in the spirit of Texas."

Awardees will be officially honored at a reception in April during National Volunteer Month, hosted at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

Governors Volunteer Awards - Office of the Governor

The recipients of the 40th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards are:

Ann Hammond (Houston): Governor’s Lifetime Achievement
Kent and Priscilla Pate (Midway): Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Wayne Rhoden (Georgetown): Posthumous Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Rizwan Khan (Plano): First Lady’s Rising Star Award
Rahul Vijayan (Pearland): First Lady’s Rising Star Award
Jana Anderson (San Angelo): Volunteer of the Year Award
Joan Ulsher (Helotes): Volunteer of the Year Award
Cheng Family (Allen): Volunteer Family of the Year Award
McCoy’s Building Supply (San Marcos): Corporate Champion Award
Academy 4 (Fort Worth): Community Champion Award
City of Longview Partners in Prevention (Longview): Community Champion Award
Arlington Classics Academy (Arlington): Education Champion Award
Orange County Disaster Rebuild (Orange): Rebuild Texas Disaster Impact Award
Joe Carreon (Dallas): AmeriCorps Legacy of Service Award
Katrina Huffman (Brady): AmeriCorps Legacy of Service Award

To find out more about the Governors Service Awards and individual Bio information on each of the 2023 winners, click on OneStarFoundation.org.

What Is A Day Like In Texas Prisons? A View From Both Sides Of The Bars

Have you ever wondered what life inside a Texas prison is really like? I asked friends who are correction officers and folks who have volunteered at jails. I also asked former inmates, and browsed forums and articles with current and former inmates. Put all together, it paints what I hope is a fairly accurate picture of daily prison life in Texas.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven