HR1077 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1077 LRB093 22620 KEF 52217 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the Pioneer Center of McHenry County on the occasion of its 45th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, In 1957, a small group of parents organized the Pioneer Center of McHenry County; their founding vision entailed addressing the needs of under-served adults and children in McHenry County; specifically, they wished to provide unique and much-needed services for individuals with cognitive, developmental, physical, emotional, or other related disabilities; in 1967, Robert Lambourn, was appointed the first executive director; and

WHEREAS, True to its name, Pioneer Center has always been a trailblazer, continually placing itself on the cutting edge of breakthroughs in the arenas of health and human services to better serve their clients; they offer a wide array of services including Early Intervention, Vocational and Rehabilitation Training, Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling, a continuum of Assisted Living Services, and Community Linkage; and

WHEREAS, Many additions to the center have been made to help expand services since 1959, such as adding the Community Living Facility, the Transitional Living Facility in Woodstock, and the addition of the Dayton Street facility; the center added a group home in McHenry, the Community Residential Alternative group home, the Ponca Street group, the Johnsburg group home, and the Manke group; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, Jeff Epstein was hired on as the Executive Director; and

WHEREAS, What began over 40 years ago as a single day school program now helps over 1,000 people to achieve their life goals; although its service area is typically limited to McHenry County, the Pioneer Center assists clients from peripheral counties such as Cook, Kane, Kendall, Lake, and DuPage; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the McHenry County Pioneer Center on the occasion of its 45th anniversary and applaud its efforts to better the lives of citizens of this State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Board of Directors of the Pioneer Center of McHenry County as a token of our admiration.