HR0222 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0222 LRB099 11188 MST 31707 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the deaths of Abigail Adelia Liefer, 19, and Hannah Marie Porter, 20, who were killed in a car accident on January 10, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Both Abby Liefer and Hannah Porter were active members of their community, working together at the YMCA in Red Bud, and both were renowned by members of their community for their generous spirits and for often going out of their way to help those in need; and

WHEREAS, In an attempt to deal with her grief, Alison Schubert, older sister of Abby Liefer, turned to Facebook, creating an event calling on family, friends, and neighbors to commit random acts of kindness in memory of Abby Liefer and Hannah Porter on February 10, 2015, to help the families of both girls on the one-month anniversary of their deaths; and

WHEREAS, The event quickly spread beyond the community in which both girls lived, with people joining the Facebook event from across the country and even outside of the United States, including participants from locations as far away as the Philippines, Wyoming, Florida, Colorado, and California; and

WHEREAS, Over ten thousand participants spread random acts of kindness throughout the day and even in the days leading up to and following the anniversary, handing out business cards as the random acts were performed to explain that the kindness was done in honor of Abby Liefer and Hannah Porter; and

WHEREAS, Community members who had random acts of kindness bestowed upon them often passed the act of kindness along, creating a chain of acts of kindness that extended far beyond the families mourning the loss of Abby Liefer and Hannah Porter; and

WHEREAS, Alison Schubert stated, "My biggest fear is that everyone will move on. There will be another accident, another loss, and people won't think about Abby and Hannah anymore. I just want everyone to remember them. I don't want people to ever forget"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the lives of Abigail Adelia Liefer and Hannah Marie Porter, who touched so many in such a short amount of time; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we declare February 10, 2015 as "Abby & Hannah's Random Act of Kindness Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the families of Abby Liefer and Hannah Porter as an expression of our deepest sympathy.