29-kevin-saundersPROCLAMATION 2004-29
WHEREAS Kevin Saunders battled a severed spinal cord injury to become a world champion and Olympic athlete, and he was named “the Greatest Wheelchair Athlete in the World;” and
WHEREAS he was the first person with a disability to be appointed to President George W. Bush’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
WHEREAS he has also been welcomed and endorsed in the states by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Governor Gary Locke of Washington, Governor Frank H. Murkowski of Alaska,
Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii, Governor Joseph Kernan of Indiana, Governor Bob Holden of Missouri, Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Governor
Taft of Ohio, and our own Governor Rick Perry of Texas; and
WHEREAS Kevin firmly believes that the battle against obesity and unhealthy lifestyles will be won in local communities around the nation; and
WHEREAS he is pushing his wheelchair from Canada to Mexico to draw attention to the need for communities to focus on lifelong health and fitness; and
WHEREAS all profits from the tour will be donated to the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the YMCA; and
WHEREAS The City of Huntsville is proud to welcome Kevin Saunders here on his amazing journey;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY PROCLAIMED, by the power vested in me as Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Huntsville that:
August 19, 2004
be proclaimed
“KEVIN SAUNDERS DAY”
in the City of Huntsville.
PROCLAIMED AND SIGNED on this the 19th day of August 2004.
THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS
__________________________
Steed Smith, Mayor Pro Tem