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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Friends of the
4 Parks on the occasion of the organization's 34th Annual Meeting
5 and Awards Ceremony; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks is a non-profit park advocacy
7 organization that works to protect, preserve and improve parks
8 and forest preserves in Chicago; it builds stronger communities
9 by empowering Chicagoans to take ownership of their
10 neighborhood parks through volunteer activities and civic
11 engagement; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks was formed in 1975 as a
13 response to a culture of patronage and the inequitable
14 distribution of tax dollars in the Chicago Park District; it
15 now undertakes policy studies on public trust issues, develops
16 new pilot programs such as the after-school program, and
17 organizes and sponsors workshops, forums, tours, and symposia;
18 and
 
19     WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks provides educational and
20 technical assistance to park advisory councils and assists in
21 their efforts to improve their neighborhood park operations; it
22 attends community meetings to lend its assistance to advisory

 

 

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1 councils; it serves as the fiscal agent for advisory councils
2 lacking tax-exempt status; and it provides grants to advisory
3 councils to encourage local enhancement projects; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks organizes 10,000 volunteers
5 annually in park cleanups, beautification and greening
6 projects; it offers an Adopt-A-Park program; each year it
7 organizes and sponsors the Midwest's largest Earth Day Parks
8 Clean-Up event; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The 34th Annual Meeting will feature a
10 presentation by Ed Uhlir, Executive Director of Millennium
11 Park, Inc., discussing Daniel Burnham's park legacy in Chicago;
12 former Alderman Leon Despres of the Fifth Ward will present the
13 Leon Despres Lifetime Commitment to Parks Award to Cindy
14 Mitchell, former Chicago Park District Commissioner and Board
15 Chair of Friends of the Parks; eight individuals and
16 organizations will also be honored for their outstanding work
17 to improve and protect parks and forest preserves: State
18 Representative Barbara Flynn Currie and Alderman Pat Dowell win
19 Legislative Awards, Augie Lehmann of Abbott Park the Individual
20 Award, Willye B. White Park Advisory Council the Advocacy
21 Award, REI the Corporate Award, Don Nash Park Advisory Council
22 the Park Advisory Council Award, and Last 4 Miles Design Team
23 the Community Service Award; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Friends of the Parks leads the fight to preserve,
2 protect, improve and promote the use of Chicago parks, forest
3 preserves, recreational areas for the benefit of all
4 neighborhoods and citizens; therefore, be it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7 congratulate Friends of the Parks on the occasion of the
8 organization's 34th Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, wish
9 them success in the future, and thank them for their continued
10 efforts; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to Friends of the Parks as a symbol of our respect
13 and esteem.