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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The West Suburban Special Recreation Association
3exists to provide recreation and leisure services for the
4residents of the WSSRA partners who have a disability; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur has contributed 28 years of service to
6its participants, families, staff, and board members; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur has been an integral part of the
8growth of WSSRA since its inception in 1976; during her tenure,
9the association has grown from two districts, the River Forest
10Park District and the Park District of Oak Park, to include the
11Park Districts of North Berwyn, Berwyn, Elmwood Park, Franklin
12Park, Norridge, Clyde, Hawthorne, and Harwood Heights; during
13this time, the association's participation in programs grew and
14support staff were recruited, trained, and hired by Gbur to
15provide direct support to the participants in the Association's
16year-round programs; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In 1989, Sandra Gbur returned to WSSRA to replace
18John McGovern as the association's Executive Director; she
19brought with her a historical record of the beginnings of WSSRA
20and was motivated to assist the Board and staff in providing
21quality therapeutic recreation to individuals of all ages and
22ability levels; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur assisted in the growth of Lekotek, a
2play intervention program and toy-lending library that sets
3WSSRA apart from its peers; she received the National Lekotek
4Foundation Founder's Award in 2004 in recognition of her work
5to promote this wonderful play-based program; she remains an
6advocate of Lekotek, especially this last year, as the State of
7Illinois has reduced funding for the program; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur assisted in the development of many
9cooperative events that connected the WSSRA communities,
10participants, and families to be a part of the WSSRA family,
11including the eight-year run of the Fairy Tale trail-accessible
12Halloween house, where she could be found announcing,
13directing, or dressing as one of the 16 costume characters; the
1413-year run of the Wacky Quacky Duck Splash, where she could be
15found recruiting at local parades with the duck mascot at her
16side; and the Derby Gala, one of WSSRA's most successful
17fundraising events, where Sandy could be found donning the
18latest fashionable Derby hat while raising over $300,000 in the
1910-year history of the event; and
 
20    WHEREAS, When Sandra Gbur's parents passed away, she
21created and made the first contribution to an endowment
22administered by the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation
23in her parents' memory; the Flo and Jo Murray Endowment

 

 

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1provides funding to the West Suburban Special Recreation
2Foundation on an ongoing basis; the funds assist WSSRA in
3serving persons with disabilities of all ages in recreation
4programs; and
 
5    WHEREAS, During her 35 years in the field of therapeutic
6recreation, which includes her 28 years of service to WSSRA,
7Sandra Gbur promoted the profession and advocated for its
8growth through her work with the Illinois Therapeutic
9Recreation Section of the Illinois Parks and Recreation
10Association (IPRA); in 1992, she received the "IPRA President's
11Award"; she was the recipient of the ITRS "Distinguished
12Service Award" in 2002 and the ITRS Director's Award in 2006;
13she has also served as president of the Special Recreation
14Association of Northern Illinois; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 2003, Sandra Gbur and her colleagues became a
16driving force in the passage of Senate Bill 1881, which affords
17every Special Recreation Association in Illinois the ability to
18increase their taxing power and provide more recreation
19services for persons with disabilities across the State;
20therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23we honor Sandra Gbur for her 28 years of service to the WSSRA

 

 

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1Board of Directors, congratulate her for her 22 years of
2dedicated service as the board's Executive Director, and thank
3her for her ongoing commitment to the recreational interests of
4those with special needs in Forest Park, Berwyn, Cicero,
5Elmwood Park, Harwood Heights, Franklin Park, Norridge, Oak
6Park, and River Forest; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Sandra Gbur as a symbol of our esteem and respect.