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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Good Shepherd
4Center on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Good Shepherd Center was founded in 1963, at a
7time when children with developmental disabilities were not
8provided with needed educational opportunities until the age of
97; Louise Schweinfurth, a graduate of the first class at the
10prodigious Erickson Institute, founded the Good Shepherd
11Center to give children with developmental disabilities the
12extra support they needed early in life to insure better
13academic success in their future; the first location was a
14vacant classroom at Good Shepherd Church in Park Forest; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Good Shepherd Center continued to take on more
16children and added services throughout the years; in 1968, the
17school received a grant from the State of Illinois to increase
18the number of children served and needed to move to find more
19space; it settled in the second floor of Flossmoor Community
20Church; in the 1970's, the school evolved into an Early
21Intervention Program that serves children aged birth to 3;
22programs such as the In-Home Respite Care program, to help give
23families time to themselves, and Lekotek, to aid in child

 

 

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1development through play, were added; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 2001, the Good Shepherd Center expanded its
3mission to include serving children without development
4disabilities; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Since 2002, the Good Shepherd Center has added
6resources for families with Autism, training opportunities and
7support for day care center and home providers in south
8suburban Cook County, a Parent Institute Day event to provide
9information that targets topical issues regarding children
10with and without developmental disabilities, and pre-school
11classes; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 2013, the Good Shepherd Center will celebrate
13the 50th anniversary of its founding and will initiate a new
14program to provide support for those who need help
15accomplishing daily tasks, such as bed making, dusting, and
16vacuuming; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we congratulate the Good Shepherd Center on the 50th
20anniversary of its founding and honor the Center's commitment
21to making a positive difference in the lives of those who have
22developmental disabilities and their families; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the Good Shepherd Center as an expression of our
4esteem and respect.