HR0011 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0011 LRB098 03947 MST 33966 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Good Shepherd Center on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, The Good Shepherd Center was founded in 1963, at a time when children with developmental disabilities were not provided with needed educational opportunities until the age of 7; Louise Schweinfurth, a graduate of the first class at the prodigious Erickson Institute, founded the Good Shepherd Center to give children with developmental disabilities the extra support they needed early in life to insure better academic success in their future; the first location was a vacant classroom at Good Shepherd Church in Park Forest; and

WHEREAS, The Good Shepherd Center continued to take on more children and added services throughout the years; in 1968, the school received a grant from the State of Illinois to increase the number of children served and needed to move to find more space; it settled in the second floor of Flossmoor Community Church; in the 1970's, the school evolved into an Early Intervention Program that serves children aged birth to 3; programs such as the In-Home Respite Care program, to help give families time to themselves, and Lekotek, to aid in child development through play, were added; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, the Good Shepherd Center expanded its mission to include serving children without development disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Since 2002, the Good Shepherd Center has added resources for families with Autism, training opportunities and support for day care center and home providers in south suburban Cook County, a Parent Institute Day event to provide information that targets topical issues regarding children with and without developmental disabilities, and pre-school classes; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, the Good Shepherd Center will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding and will initiate a new program to provide support for those who need help accomplishing daily tasks, such as bed making, dusting, and vacuuming; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Good Shepherd Center on the 50th anniversary of its founding and honor the Center's commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of those who have developmental disabilities and their families; and be it further

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