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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to those individuals whose
4lives have made a difference in their community and in
5Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Kelli Joy O'Laughlin was born on April 2, 1997,
7the beloved daughter of Brenda (Pankow) and John O'Laughlin;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Kelli Joy O'Laughlin grew up in Indian Head Park
10and attended Highlands Grade School and Middle School before
11going to Lyons Township High School in the fall of 2011; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Kelli Joy O'Laughlin was an extremely kind
13individual and was loved by everyone she encountered; and
 
14    WHEREAS, On October 27, 2011, Kelli Joy O'Laughlin's life
15was tragically taken by a burglar in her own home after school
16that day; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Kelli Joy O'Laughlin was the adored sister of Ryan
18(Melissa), Bridgette, and Daniel Douglas; the loving aunt of
19Norah; the cherished granddaughter of Al and Carole Pankow and
20the late James and late Joy O'Laughlin; the fond niece of Terry

 

 

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1(Kathy), Tom, Sandy, and Tim Pankow, James Jr. (Fran)
2O'Laughlin, and Marianne (Lowell) Richardson; the cousin of
3Dustin and Christopher Pankow, Giana and Alexis Gutierrez,
4Michael O'Laughlin, and Grant and Warren Richardson; and friend
5of many; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial Fund was
7established by Kelli's family to keep her memory alive through
8future educational opportunities for young people; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial Fund has held
10numerous events to raise funds and be an active part of the
11community; these events include golf outings, car washes, the
12Kelli O'Laughlin Benefit Concert, and the 1st annual Run for
13Kelli 5k with a course that winds its way around Lyons Township
14High School's South Campus, following their cross country
15course, where Kelli attended school as a freshman in 2011; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial Foundation has
17continued her legacy of "joy", by providing scholarships to
18graduating high school seniors who attended high schools in the
19Chicagoland area; it has given out over 75 scholarships with a
20total value of $537,500; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The community has not forgotten Kelli Joy
22O'Laughlin's life and have used cups to create signs of

 

 

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1remembrance on the overpass on Interstate 294; and
 
2    WHEREAS, It is fitting that we provide a lasting honor to
3the memory of Kelli Joy O'Laughlin; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
6SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the Plainfield Road
7Bridge over Interstate 294 as the "Kelli Joy O'Laughlin
8Memorial Bridge"; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Toll Highway Authority is
10requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State
11and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving
12notice of the name of the "Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial
13Bridge"; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Kelli Joy O'Laughlin, the Illinois
16Toll Highway Authority, and the Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Memorial
17Fund.