HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 768 Offered January 18, 2007 Commending Mark Gunderman.  ---------- Patron-- Rust ----------

WHEREAS, Mark Gunderman of Loudoun County is recognized as the outstanding recipient of the Loudoun Times-Mirror 2006 Citizen of the Year award; and

WHEREAS, Mark Gunderman is a full-time employee for Lockheed Martin in Manassas, where he works on defense contracts; and

WHEREAS, Mark Gunderman felt compelled to help his fellow citizens after visiting a Good Shepherd Alliance (GSA) homeless shelter in 2000, realizing that he personally could make a big difference in the lives of people in need; and

WHEREAS, since that time, Mark Gunderman has given 10 hours of his time every week advocating for the Good Shepherd Alliance, a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to supporting Loudoun County's homeless population; and

WHEREAS, founded in 1983, the GSA has assisted more than 3,700 men, women, and children in need by operating four homeless shelters in Loudoun County, a warming center in Leesburg, and a thrift store in Cascades; and a new GSA home for women who are pregnant or have newborns will open in the spring of 2007 in Purcellville; and

WHEREAS, in 2002, Mark Gunderman became the vice chairman of the board of directors of the GSA, focusing his extraordinary efforts on public relations and fundraising, as well as representing the nonprofit before the Leesburg Town Council and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors; and

WHEREAS, Mark Gunderman also volunteers with LINK, a group of 15 churches in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, and serves on the advisory board of Loudoun County's Community Action Agency; and

WHEREAS, Mark Gunderman has also served as president of both LEAP, the Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents, and the Parent Teacher Association of Sterling Middle School; and

WHEREAS, a remarkable man with endless energy, Mark Gunderman knows that he is only able to give of himself in such a rewarding way because of the love and support of his family—his devoted wife, Nancy, a 14-year veteran school-bus driver for Fairfax County Public Schools, and his 21-year-old daughter, Lisa, who is attending Virginia Tech; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Mark Gunderman on his well-deserved recognition as the Loudoun Times-Mirror 2006 Citizen of the Year; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark Gunderman as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his commitment to people in need in Loudoun County and the Commonwealth.