Volunteer of the Year Senate District 17 includes voters in Harris, Ft Bend, Brazoria, Galveston and Jefferson counties. The Republican Party of Texas recognized a Volunteer of the Year from each SD at a dinner with Governor Perry in Austin on December 4. Felicia Cravens from Harris County was recognized as SD 17's Volunteer of the Year.
Bruce Campbell, Felicia Cravens, Terese Raia

Felicia Cravens says you could blame her mentor and long time activist Bill Borden for her political involvement.

In 1998, she attended a workshop in which Borden taught how to get pro-life people to influence the party platforms in the convention process. She hasn't missed a convention since, serving in SDs 7, 15 and now 17. "When my own precinct became vacant", says Ms. Cravens, "I decided to step in and get more deeply involved."

Last fall she worked with several other chairs in Katy to support Joan Huffman's campaign for state senate. That collaboration served to bring the various chairs closer together and enhance the working relationship which flourishes today.

After the 2008 presidential election, she was challenged to learn Facebook and Twitter to become more savvy about social media. This new knowledge and exposure led to her being on the initial national conference calls to plan the February Tea Parties after Rick Santelli's rant on CNBC. Since assuming the reins of the Houston Tea Party Society, she has helped plan three local rallies, one statewide rally, two protests of Speaker Pelosi, numerous rant nights, a health care town hall and many other activities designed to engage, energize and involve the public in the current political arena.

When she's not participating in conference calls, meetings, rallies, protests, answering e-mails or phone calls or interacting with others via Facebook and Twitter, she teaches drama in an after school program.

Sometimes she sleeps, too.