The Fort Worth Chamberletter

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus paid a surprise visit during breakfast as Tarrant County Day at the Capitol in Austin.

More than 200 local leaders from the private and public sectors converged on Austin last month for Tarrant County Day at the Capitol – an annual gathering with the legislative delegation and legislators from across Texas and an event that carried added urgency this year.

Lockheed Martin’s Eric Fox, chair of the Fort Worth Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded the turnout and its impact.

“This was my fifth Tarrant County Day and by far the most well-attended,” he said, which was essential in light of a reconfigured House of Representatives with a new speaker, Joe Straus (R-District 121), new players and new appointments on committees.

With everyone “focused like a laser beam on transportation” issues, Tarrant County made it clear to legislators that “people here want their voice heard in Austin, which is vitally important to our future. I think they understood what our needs are.”

Participants gathered Wednesday evening, Feb. 25, at the Omni Austin Hotel for a reception honoring members of the 81st Legislature.

The following morning, members of the Fort Worth and Tarrant County legislative delegation were honored at a breakfast at the Austin Club that drew a surprise visit, Fox said, from Speaker Straus – a significant compliment to Tarrant County.

“That was a great tip of the hat,” Fox said.

Following the breakfast, attendees went to the capitol for photo opportunities and office visits with legislators to discuss priorities on Tarrant County’s legislative agenda.

Tarrant County Day at the Capitol is organized by the Fort Worth Chamber in conjunction with chambers of commerce in Arlington, Grapevine and Southlake and the Northeast Chamber of Commerce.

The event was presented by AT&T. Gold sponsors were Chesapeake Energy, Inc., Encana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc., Fidelity Investments and The T.

More Links:

• Star-Telegram profiles of the Tarrant County legislative delegation
• Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce legislative agenda, position statements
• Fort Worth Chamber Photo Gallery – Tarrant Co. Day at Capitol 2009
• Arlington Chamber of Commerce
• Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
• Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce
• Southlake Chamber of Commerce

The Fort Worth Independent School District’s Project Prevail is the recipient of a four year, $400,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation. The first allotment in the grant was presented January 22 at a news conference at FWISD’s Trimble Tech High School (shown above.)

Project Prevail is a comprehensive effort to increase the number of students graduating from Fort Worth high schools fully prepared for post-secondary education or gainful employment. To this end, the FWISD is proud of the partnership it has established with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce to operate GO Centers throughout the District.

GO Centers are computer equipped locations overseen by school staff and volunteer mentors from higher education or business. Students can visit GO Centers for computer access to college, financial aid and career information. First established in 2004, GO Centers are now operating in all FWISD high schools and two faith-based organizations.

“For more than two years now, the Fort Worth ISD and the Fort Worth Chambers have been encouraging the entire community to be proactive in find ways to support students to stay in school until they graduate. Project Prevail is the umbrella under which the Fort Worth ISD sponsors a comprehensive stay-in-school initiative”, said Superintendent Melody Johnson. “It’s one thing to talk about keeping kids in school. It’s quite another thing to do something about it. And, today, AT&T is helping us take a spectacular giant step toward school completion for thousands of Fort Worth kids.”

“We are passionate about supporting programs like Project Prevail that addresses key factors in high school retention and creates that extra support with students,” said AT&T External Affairs Director David Parker. “As a major corporation, we are concerned about our workforce competing in the global economy. By helping students graduate from high school and encouraging them to continue their education and start building their careers, we can help students succeed – not just in school, but in life.”

This grant is part of AT&T’s signature initiative, AT&T Aspire, which helps address high school success and workforce readiness. AT&T has committed $100 million in philanthropy through 2011 to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on high school retention and better preparing students for college and the workforce.