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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate John Voit on the occasion
4of his retirement as President and CEO of UCP Seguin on
5November 11, 2021; and
 
6    WHEREAS, John Voit has been a leader in the field of
7intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Illinois
8for over 50 years; he began his career as a Direct Support
9Professional (DSP) after leaving St. Procopius College
10(Benedictine University) in 1970 and a brief stint in the U.S.
11Army; his first job was on the front lines of providing support
12to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and
 
13    WHEREAS, John Voit spent 22 years at the Ray Graham
14Association, starting in 1972 as a floor supervisor and
15eventually serving as executive director, furthering his
16commitment for those with IDD to live integrated into their
17community and have the supports they need to realize their
18dreams of work, a place to call home, inclusion in their
19neighborhood, and opportunities to be productive, valued
20members of society; and
 
21    WHEREAS, In 1998, John Voit became President and CEO of
22Seguin Services Inc. (UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago), an

 

 

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1organization that started in 1949 and incorporated in 1976
2when a group of parents in the western suburbs of Chicago
3responded to a lack of public education and other models of
4care for persons with disabilities; he helped Seguin Services
5develop into one the largest and most respected community
6services providers to persons with IDD in Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Under John Voit's leadership over the past 23
8years, UCP Seguin's annual budget, now nearly $50 million, has
9tripled as he has championed expansion and increased quality
10of services to individuals with IDD; and
 
11    WHEREAS, For his entire career and especially at UCP
12Seguin, John Voit has been successful in developing community
13integrated housing options for people with IDD, including
14those individuals transitioning from state-operated facilities
15"going home" to settings fully included in their communities,
16and has presided over the growth of residential services to
17now serve nearly 300 individuals in more than 75 homes
18scattered over 33 communities, such that UCP Seguin has become
19one of the largest and most successful providers of
20residential services in Illinois, all the while ensuring that
21each home is fully accessible and fitted with fire safety
22equipment; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Under John Voit's command, UCP Seguin has nearly

 

 

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1doubled its Children's Foster Care services to children and
2adolescents with specialized medical and behavioral
3challenges, providing permanent, safe, and loving homes for
4abused and neglected children with disabilities and other
5special needs from birth to college age, while emphasizing
6community inclusion and effective transition into adult
7services; and
 
8    WHEREAS, John Voit led UCP Seguin's efforts in the
9formation of a variety of social enterprises collectively
10entitled Seguin Enterprises, which for the past two decades
11have provided gainful employment for people with IDD while
12securing discretionary earned income to support services
13through two core businesses, Seguin Auto Center and Seguin
14Gardens & Gifts; and
 
15    WHEREAS, With John Voit at the helm, UCP Seguin has
16responded to the growing population of seniors with IDD
17through the establishment of the innovative SeniorCares group
18home initiative and the founding of the Betty Scheck Senior
19Center Day Services program; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Drawing from his experience with his daughter
21with IDD, John Voit led efforts to establish the Building
22Bridges to the Future transition to adulthood initiative,
23which now annually supports more than 380 special education

 

 

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1students and their families in accessing post-secondary
2community-inclusive service and education options; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In 2013, John Voit presided over the merger of
4two major and widely respected nonprofits, Seguin Services and
5United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago, which have since
6become UCP Seguin, constituting a momentous step to share
7competencies, expertise, and resources while achieving greater
8operational efficiencies and reduced costs and becoming
9well-positioned to provide more and better programs and
10services to help persons with disabilities; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Under John Voit's leadership, the newly merged
12UCP Seguin organization has grown its pioneering multi-state
13Infinitec assistive technology and training services program,
14expanding to promote opportunities for inclusion and
15independence for children and adults with disabilities through
16assistive technology, information and training, and access to
17equipment and specialists; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Due to his belief that collaboration with peer
19organizations and respective stakeholders strengthens
20collective advocacy and offers greater opportunities for the
21services that people with IDD deserve, John Voit led the
22effort in 2017 to establish the They Deserve More (TDM)
23Coalition, which is comprised of community providers across

 

 

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1Illinois, statewide associations, and individual stakeholders
2and has since been successful, for the first time in over a
3decade, in improving and expanding services to people with IDD
4and stabilizing the community service system through provision
5of a living wage for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs); and
 
6    WHEREAS, While there have been many challenges throughout
7John Voit's many years in a leadership role, he has led UCP
8Seguin through its greatest challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic,
9successfully working to keep people with disabilities,
10employees, foster parents, and the public safe and healthy,
11taking the lead on providing testing, vaccinations, and other
12safety measures while also collaborating with peer
13organizations and public health providers; and
 
14    WHEREAS, John Voit's vision for UCP Seguin is to forge
15boldly ahead with its mission, enabling all individuals served
16to achieve their potential, advance their independence, and
17act as full members of the community, as UCP Seguin stops at
18nothing to provide life skills training, assistive technology,
19meaningful employment, and a place to call home for people
20with disabilities, as well as specialized foster care for
21children, and helps them reach the ultimate goal of life
22without limits for people with disabilities; therefore, be it
 
23    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

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1HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we congratulate John Voit on his retirement as President and
3CEO of UCP Seguin and on his transition into a new role as
4Relationship Manager and commend his commitment to the
5thousands of individuals that have benefited from his
6leadership in the IDD community provider system throughout
7Illinois and for those cared for by UCP Seguin; and be it
8further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we thank John Voit for his lifelong
10commitment to those with disabilities, thank the staff that
11work every day to help each and every person live their best
12life with the greatest level of independence, and thank UCP
13Seguin for continuing to design and deliver quality
14outcome-based, person-centered services and supports for
15individuals who have developmental disabilities; and be it
16further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18presented to John Voit, former President and CEO of UCP Seguin
19of Greater Chicago.