HR621 - Congratulating Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a 2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

      H.R. No. 621       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Ivy L. Walls of Houston is being honored with a 2025   Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus;   and          WHEREAS, The owner of Ivy Leaf Farms, Ms. Walls is dedicated   to improving the health of her fellow Sunnyside residents; she   became a third-generation farmer after earning her bachelor's   degree in biology from Prairie View A&M University and beginning a   career in the medical field; during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was   employed as an infection preventionist by the Memorial Hermann   Health System; she understood the importance of good nutrition in   battling illness and recognized a serious need in Sunnyside, a   USDA-designated food desert in which few residents had ready access   to a grocery store with fresh produce; and          WHEREAS, Ms. Walls started growing vegetables in her   parents' backyard to give to neighbors; finding great satisfaction   in that endeavor, she began cultivating five acres owned by her   parents and quit her job to establish Ivy Leaf Farms in 2020; using   her entrepreneurial skills, she launched a GoFundMe on social   media; she also received a $10,000 grant from a joint initiative by   Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and the NAACP; building community   connections, the farm hosts events and offers opportunities for   neighbors to get in touch with nature and learn about sustainable   growing practices and nutrient-dense foods; in addition, staff   members visit schools to help set up community gardens that will   encourage interest in agriculture among the next generation;   Ms. Walls cofounded Black Farmer Box, which provides locally   sourced produce to food desert residents, and then Fresh Houwse   Grocery, a bodega-style business that features the products of   local farmers and serves as a neighborhood gathering place; and          WHEREAS, Through her vision and commitment to improving the   well-being of her fellow Houstonians, Ivy Walls has set an   inspiring example of civic-minded entrepreneurship, and she is   indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby congratulate Ivy L. Walls on her receipt of a   2025 Outstanding Texan Award from the Texas Legislative Black   Caucus and extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be   it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for Ms. Walls as an expression of high regard by the Texas   House of Representatives.     Simmons     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 621 was adopted by the House on April   17, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 133, Nays 7, 2 present, not   voting.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House