HR0901 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0901 LRB097 20949 KXB 68073 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor the Mother's Trust Foundation for its value to the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Mother's Trust Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting social service providers by offering assistance to children in need in Lake County; and

WHEREAS, Since being founded in 1998, the Mother's Trust Foundation has provided more than $1,200,000 to assist over 14,000 children; some of the grants provided by Mother's Trust this year have been for basic clothing needs, trip funding for a student to attend a college tour as a senior, auto repairs, and fees to obtain vital records such as birth certificates and other legal documents; and

WHEREAS, Clients come to Mother's Trust through requests made by social service professionals, school counselors, social workers, court workers, and other such trained individuals; it is through these relationships that clients can be vetted as to the extent and legitimacy of their needs, a function that is critical for Mother's Trust Foundation to operate responsibly; and

WHEREAS, Every week throughout the year, the volunteer Mothers Trust Service Committee and staff meet to review grant applications; the criteria for receiving help are simple: the request must come from a qualified professional; the child (age 21 and under) must reside in Lake County and clearly benefit from the assistance; the needs cannot be met in full anywhere else; and the benefit request must be time-limited; in 2011, $205,682 in grants were made to 3,117 Lake County children and their families; and

WHEREAS, Mother's Trust is a unique and valuable resource in Illinois because it is often able to make benefits and opportunities available which cannot be obtained from other sources; the Foundation's goal is to assist children in trouble or crisis, raise awareness of children's needs, link needs with community resources, and provide opportunities for volunteers to be involved; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank the Mother's Trust Foundation for its dedication to the children of the State of Illinois and wish the Foundation continued success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Mother's Trust Foundation as a symbol of our respect and esteem.