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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the
4occasion of her retirement from the Community Crisis Center
5after 44 years of service; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for people in crisis
7since 1975; she assisted in the establishment of both the
8Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault in 1977 and the
9Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 1978; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar served as a children's worker and
11Assistant Director of the Community Crisis Center (CCC) before
12being named Executive Director in 1980; during her service at
13the CCC, she successfully managed the growth of the Center's
14shelter from a house for 14 to a historic school building,
15serving 40 women and children each night; she increased the CCC
16staff from five to 68 full-time and part-time employees; she
17increased the budget of $40,000, which was used as down payment
18on the house and for salaries and programs, to $2.9 million in
192019; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 1982, Gretchen Vapnar established Illinois'
21first abuser treatment program for men, one of the first
22domestic violence programs to recognize the need to change the

 

 

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1behavior of the abusers; she created new protocols and training
2for staffs of hospitals, police departments, fire departments,
3and the courts to benefit the victims of violence; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Gretchen Vapnar responded to the
5community's need and request for "one-stop-service" by housing
6the community's Food Pantry and Clothing Center and, later, a
7Health Center and Dental Clinic, all under CCC's roof; she
8ensured that the Center prioritized "availability" when
9serving the community and made staff available at the shelter
10and on the hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365
11days a year for 44 years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar aggressively worked to raise
13funds to "keep the doors open" during two recessions, a
14two-year State budget shutdown, and other economic challenges
15by conducting three successful capital campaigns to renovate
16the shelter, presenting an annual gala and auction, operating
17Reruns Resale Shop, appealing regularly to donors, applying for
18grants, and creating the Legacy of Caring; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has earned recognition and
20resources for the CCC by receiving the Beatrice Award for
21Excellence in Management in 1989 and the Impact 100 Chicago
22Award in 2016; she has received recognition from local
23organizations, including the YWCA, Club Guadalupano, the Ecker

 

 

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1Center, and the City of Elgin; she has received awards from
2many statewide groups, including the Wendell Jones Award from
3the Northwest Alliance on Domestic Violence and the Human
4Dignity Award from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic
5Violence; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has cultivated and supported
7employee recruitment and retention by providing training and
8staff development opportunities, opportunities for promotion,
9and annual staff awards and recognition; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar is leaving her legacy of
11leadership and innovation with the staff and board of the
12Community Crisis Center, which is now a nationally-recognized,
13multi-service agency that provides domestic violence and
14sexual assault programs, a crisis hotline, an economic
15assistance program, abuser intervention, a children's program,
16a shelter, and a source for community and professional
17training; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for her belief that
19domestic violence is "a human problem, not just a woman's
20problem" and promoted the philosophy that "A time of crisis is
21a time of opportunity" for those seeking help and has provided
22the support to effect change; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the occasion of her
4retirement from the Community Crisis Center after 44 years of
5service, and we commend her dedication to educating the public
6about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, economic
7crisis, and homelessness; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to Gretchen Vapnar as an expression of our esteem and
10respect.