Legacy Award Recipients
2024 Texas Legacy Awardees
Marisol Resendez
For more than 18 years, Marisol Resendez has been a noteworthy leader in the health care space. As the executive director at El Milagro Clinic, Resendez is a key player in providing the Rio Grande Valley’s uninsured population with access to life-saving, comprehensive health care. The El Milagro Clinic offers onsite primary health care, mental health counseling, and health education to McAllen’s and the Rio Grande Valley’s most vulnerable populations. In 2021, Marisol was honored by the Rotary Club of Mission with the Outstanding Service Award for her commitment to quality health access for all vulnerable families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mercedes Bristol
As founder and executive director of Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Mercedes Bristol is a leading advocate for greater kingship resources and communication at the city, state, and federal levels. Born in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, Bristol’s grandparenting journey began in 2011 when she adopted five of her grandchildren and quickly realized there was a gap in information and resources for kinship caregivers. For the last 13 years, Mercedes has remained an active organizer and leader in the state, testifying in two legislative bills that passed in favor of Texas kinship caregivers. She’s a proud mother of 2, grandmother of 11, and great-grandmother to 4.
Ruben Garcia
Ruben Garcia is the director of Annunciation House, a nonprofit shelter system, Ruben Garcia has welcomed migrants and refugees arriving in El Paso, Texas with food, shelter, and social assistance for nearly 50 years. Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the volunteers of Annunciation House live simply and in community, in the same houses as the guests they serve, who are mostly from Mexico and Central America. Ruben is a national leader in advocacy and education for immigration policy and programs, with presidents, mayors, and government agencies seeking his expertise gained through a lifetime of service at Annunciation House, where his team has hosted 500,000 migrants, refugees, and immigrants from over 40 countries.
Congratulations to our past honorees!
For 24 years, the Legacy Award has uplifted extraordinary Texans who ensure our state is truly a place for every Texan.
2010: Jack Martin
2009: Ambassador Lyndon Olson
2008: Roy Spence
2007: Pete Laney
2006: Bernard Rapoport
2004: The Ratliff Brothers
2003: Catherine Clark Mosbacher
2002: William P. Hobby, Jr.
2000: Benedictine Sisters of Boerne & The Farabee Family
Texas Legacy Award
Future of Texas Award
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