HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 784 Offered January 19, 2007 Commending the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. ---------- Patrons-- Nutter and Shuler ----------

WHEREAS, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is consistently and deservingly acclaimed for its service to others and extraordinary educational leadership development of young men and women; and

WHEREAS, the voluntary participation by the members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) embodies the university motto "Ut Prosim," That I May Serve; and

WHEREAS, the benevolent commitment of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets was recognized in November 2006 at the National Philanthropy Day dinner in Lynchburg, during which time cadets were presented the Outstanding Youth Philanthropist Award for Central and Southwest Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has been highly regarded for its tremendous fund-raising efforts on behalf of the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford; and

WHEREAS, the National D-Day Memorial fund-raising initiative is considered to be the largest and most visible service project of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets; and

WHEREAS, the idea of the service project began in the fall of 2001 when a former student, Anthony Madeira, an alumnus of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, visited the National D-Day Memorial and spoke with a D-Day veteran, who told him that the memorial was $5 million in debt; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Madeira was concerned with the debt and asked if a fund-raising event could be sponsored by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets; and

WHEREAS, the VTCC's Bravo and Golf Companies began collecting funds for the memorial on the university campus and at home football games in 2001 and 2002; and

WHEREAS, the VTCC War Memorial Fund was officially designated as a new organization in the fall of 2003 to continuing accepting donations on behalf of the National D-Day Memorial; and

WHEREAS, in an exemplary effort, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has raised over $145,000   in combined collections for the National D-Day Memorial, making the group the largest noncorporate supporter of the memorial; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets for its service to others and its extraordinary educational leadership development of young men and women; and be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Major General Jerry Allen, Commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and Dr. Charles Steger, President of Virginia Tech, as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude for the Corps of Cadets' commitment to the citizens of the Commonwealth.