--- title: HR 976. McKnight, Ciara; 2025 Heart of the Community Heart Award recipient; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr976 cite_as: HR 976, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr976 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr976.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr976/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72105 date: 2025-04-04 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr975.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr977.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr976.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 976 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Matt Barton - Katie Dempsey - Eddie Lumsden text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR976/2025 upstream_id: 2021308 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - community service recognition - Rome Georgia - youth mentorship --- # HR 976. McKnight, Ciara; 2025 Heart of the Community Heart Award recipient; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0487 House Resolution 976 By: Representatives Barton of the 5th, Dempsey of the 13th, and Lumsden of the 12th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the 2025 Heart of the Community Youn g Heart Award1 recipient, Ciara McKnight; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Ciara McKnight is a Rome, Georgia, native, the youngest of seven siblings, and3 combines her passion for family, community, and personal growth in all she does; and 4 WHEREAS, Ciara began her career in 2013, working with adolescents and later transitioning5 to roles supporting adults in the Georgia Department of Corrections; and 6 WHEREAS, Ciara serves as a Field Coordinator and Adjunct Teache r at Kennesaw State7 University and supports local nonprofits by sharing her expertise as a certified trainer; and 8 WHEREAS, her heart for youth empowerment has lead her to found A Teen's Choice, Inc.,9 A Dream Ball Gala, and The CASH Program; and 10 WHEREAS, Ciara is an Open Gym Coordinator, Trainer for Teen Communication, Senior11 Program Leader, Substance Abuse Group Facilitator, Mental Health Advocate, and Youth12 Mentor; and 13 H. R. 976 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0487 WHEREAS, Ciara serves as the Board Chair for Chattooga Family C onnection and the14 Family Well-being Workshop Host to strengthen family and commun ity support systems;15 and 16 WHEREAS, Ciara is the organizer of Home for the Holidays and the Back-to-School Drive17 as well as a Prevention Group Facilitator, leading wellness and self-care programs and a18 Community Service Collaborator, working with agencies to support local needs; and 19 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstandi ng achievements of this20 exemplary Georgian be appropriately recognized. 21 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that22 the members of this body recognize Ciara McKnight for her outst anding dedication to the23 community, commend her as a recipient of the 2025 Heart of the Community Young Heart24 Award, and extend the most sincere best wishes for continued success.25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized26 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Ciara27 McKnight.28 H. R. 976 - 2 - ## 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 Ciara McKnight of Rome, Georgia, as the recipient of the 2025 Heart of the Community Young Heart Award for her youth and family support work. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes Ciara McKnight, a Rome, Georgia native, for her community service and work with youth, families, and formerly incarcerated adults. It details her career history, including work with the Georgia Department of Corrections and her role as a Field Coordinator and Adjunct Teacher at Kennesaw State University. The resolution commends her for founding several community programs, including A Teen's Choice, Inc., A Dream Ball Gala, and The CASH Program, and for her roles supporting mental health, substance abuse recovery, and family well-being in her community. The House formally commends her as the 2025 Heart of the Community Young Heart Award recipient and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes Ciara McKnight as the recipient of the 2025 Heart of the Community Young Heart Award. - Commends her for her work with youth, families, and adults through the Georgia Department of Corrections and various community programs. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to McKnight. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors one individual, Ciara McKnight, and references organizations she is involved with, including Kennesaw State University, the Georgia Department of Corrections, and Chattooga Family Connection. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect; it is a ceremonial gesture by the Georgia House of Representatives to publicly recognize an individual's community service and provide her with an official record of that recognition. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe McKnight's career and community involvement, including her founding of A Teen's Choice, Inc. and The CASH Program. - The resolved clause formally commends McKnight as the 2025 award recipient and extends the House's best wishes. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to McKnight. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Matt Barton, Katie Dempsey, Eddie Lumsden - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72105 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr976.md?full=1