--- title: HR 371. 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Award finalists, "Overcomer Founder" Award, "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, and Historian Award recipients for their achievements; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr371 cite_as: HR 371, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr371 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr371.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr371/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70753 date: 2025-02-24 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr370.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr372.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr371.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 371 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-24 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kim Schofield - Regina Lewis-Ward - Sandra Scott - Imani Barnes - Mike Cameron text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR371/2025 upstream_id: 1982074 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - single parents - legislative recognition - community awards - Georgia House resolution --- # HR 371. 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Award finalists, "Overcomer Founder" Award, "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, and Historian Award recipients for their achievements; commend ## Text House Resolution 371 By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Lewis-Ward of the 115th, Scott of the 76th, Barnes of the 86th, and Cameron of the 1st A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards finalists, "Overcomer Founder" Award, "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, and Historian Award recipients for their achievements; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, in recognition of the valuable contributions of single parents in Georgia, House Resolution 279 was enacted, designating March 21 of each year as Georgia Single Parent Day; and WHEREAS, The National Leadership Group Inc., in partnership with former State Representative Valencia Stovall, identified the need for an annual event, launching the Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards in 2019 to honor the dedication and accomplishments of single parents, regardless of gender, cultural background, or economic status; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Single Parent "Overcomer Founder" Award, established by former State Representative Valencia Stovall in 2022, recognizes single parents who have triumphed over significant challenges to provide their children with the opportunity to thrive and succeed; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Single Parent "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, established by Mother Ruth Brewster in 2023, honors single parents who persevere through adversity to create a nurturing, supportive environment for their children's success; and WHEREAS, the Historian Award, introduced in 2025, celebrates extraordinary single parents whose remarkable achievements and resilience have defied the odds, broken barriers, and left a lasting impact, inspiring future generations; and WHEREAS, 38 outstanding single parents have been nominated for recognition at the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards event, with the following awardees: Shayla Lawrence (Education) of Atlanta, April Baylis (Medical & Health) of Atlanta, Dr. Eddie Gordon (Community Service) of Ellenwood, Shalondra Gurley (Business Owner) of Hiram, Latasha Frazier (Public Service) of Jonesboro, Tiffanie Bacon (Faith-Based) of Morrow, and Jyshon Harrell Sr. (Arts & Entertainment) of Loganville; and WHEREAS, the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Overcomer Founder" Award recipients are Dr. Hazel Jay of Riverdale and Christopher Walls of Lithia Springs; and WHEREAS, the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award recipient is Rhema Davis of Marietta; and WHEREAS, the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Historian" Award recipient is Dr. Melody Kelley of Sandy Springs; and WHEREAS, parents devote immeasurable time, energy, and care to raising their children, ensuring they grow into responsible, productive, and successful adults; and WHEREAS, the challenges of raising children as a single parent in today's society are particularly daunting; and WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper to honor the outstanding accomplishments of these remarkable individuals for their exemplary contributions and unwavering dedication. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the recipients of the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards for their exceptional role as single-parent leaders and extend best wishes for continued success. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to each of the recipients named herein. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors the finalists and award recipients of the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards, an annual event celebrating single parents statewide. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial honor from the Georgia House of Representatives. It recognizes 38 single parents nominated for the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards, an annual event started in 2019 by The National Leadership Group Inc. and former State Representative Valencia Stovall to celebrate single parents' achievements. The resolution names specific award winners, including recipients of the "Overcomer Founder" Award, the "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, and a new Historian Award introduced in 2025. It directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the named recipients. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it simply expresses the House's recognition and good wishes for the honorees. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends 38 finalists nominated for the 2025 Georgia Single Parent "Legacy Builders" Recognition and Awards. - Names specific recipients of the "Overcomer Founder" Award, the "Ruth Brewster Endurance" Award, and the new Historian Award. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to each named recipient. - Does not create any new law, funding, or program; it is a ceremonial statement of recognition by the House. ### Who it affects The resolution directly affects the named single parents being honored, including award recipients from cities such as Atlanta, Marietta, Sandy Springs, and Riverdale, as well as The National Leadership Group Inc., which organizes the annual awards event. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or financial effect, it gives official state recognition to single parents who have overcome hardship, which can bring public attention and honor to their personal and community achievements. ### Key provisions - Recites the history of the awards, noting House Resolution 279 established Georgia Single Parent Day on March 21 each year. - Lists the 2025 'Legacy Builders' finalists by name, award category, and city, covering categories like Education, Business Owner, and Faith-Based. - Names the 'Overcomer Founder' Award recipients (Dr. Hazel Jay and Christopher Walls) and the 'Ruth Brewster Endurance' Award recipient (Rhema Davis). - Names the first-ever Historian Award recipient, Dr. Melody Kelley of Sandy Springs. - Resolves that the House recognizes and commends the recipients and directs the Clerk to distribute copies of the resolution to them. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-24) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-24) - Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Regina Lewis-Ward, Sandra Scott, Imani Barnes, Mike Cameron - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70753 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr371.md?full=1