093_HR0473

 
                                     LRB093 13190 HSS 18457 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members of the House of  Representatives  of
 3    the  State  of  Illinois  wish  to congratulate The Centralia
 4    Foundation on the occasion of the  celebration  of  its  60th
 5    anniversary on Thursday, September 25, 2003; and

 6        WHEREAS,  The Centralia Foundation was started in January
 7    of 1943 by Verne E. Joy; the foundation was established  with
 8    an  initial  donation of $9,000 for the purpose of building a
 9    place of natural beauty that could  benefit  both  young  and
10    young  at  heart;  through the benevolence of Mr. Joy and his
11    enthusiasm  for  this  dream,  others  were   encouraged   to
12    participate  in  what  was  to become a perpetual gift to the
13    community of Centralia; and

14        WHEREAS, In  January  of  1946,  Mr.  Joy  purchased  and
15    donated  a  parcel  of  land  amounting  to 73 acres that was
16    located 10 blocks east of downtown Centralia; a second  piece
17    of  ground  was attained in May when Caroline M. Robnett gave
18    her family farm, 40 acres that neighbored the Joy  ground  to
19    the  northwest;  in  June  of  the  same  year, Dr. Carl Hall
20    donated a 35 acre tract of land that lay  to  the  north  and
21    east of the 2 preceding land contributions; and

22        WHEREAS,  In  the year following, more land was acquired;
23    the lands merged and through contributed funds, the Centralia
24    Foundation Parks System was begun; a firm of park  architects
25    out  of St. Louis, Missouri, drew up a master plan that would
26    emphasize the natural aspects of the proposed park;  included
27    in  the  new  park  were  stone  entrance piers, bridges, and
28    numerous rustic shelters; and

29        WHEREAS, Through  the  years,  the  park  has  grown  and
30    flourished; its boundaries now contain 235 acres of preserved
31    park   grounds;   throughout   the   park,  the  emphasis  on
32    maintaining a natural appearance  is  evident;  the  park  is
 
                            -2-      LRB093 13190 HSS 18457 r
 1    privately  owned,  privately  funded, yet open to the public,
 2    free of charge; it includes a carillon park with a  160  foot
 3    tall  carillon  tower,  which  is  one  of the largest in the
 4    world;  a  $6,000,000  recreation  complex;   and   a   youth
 5    activities center; and

 6        WHEREAS,  The  Centralia  Foundation  is  governed  by  a
 7    7-member   trustee   board;   all   trustees   serve  without
 8    compensation; the board also provides  scholarships  of  well
 9    over  $100,000  annually; the mission of the Foundation is to
10    develop and guide philanthropy to meet the ongoing, changing,
11    and emerging needs of the people of Centralia and surrounding
12    communities, and to be a responsible steward  to  its  donors
13    and  of  its endowments; the vision of the Foundation is that
14    through  the  generosity  of  its  citizens,  Centralia   and
15    surrounding  communities  will  experience  an improved, even
16    exceptional, quality of life; therefore, be it

17        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
18    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19    we  congratulate  the  Centralia  Foundation  Board  on   the
20    occasion  of  its  60th  anniversary  celebration;  and be it
21    further

22        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
23    presented to the Centralia Foundation as an expression of our
24    respect and esteem and with many wishes for continued success
25    in its mission.