HR1108 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1108 LRB097 21721 KXB 70155 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the Illinois House of Representatives to acknowledge the significant achievements of Illinois' most distinguished citizens; and

WHEREAS, Family Focus is a non-profit organization that serves low-income families in the Chicago area, helping families give their children the best possible start in life and strengthening families by encouraging self-reliance, advocacy, and community participation; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd, a leading scholar, educator and practitioner in child development, working with a small group of colleagues in the 1970s, recognized that the first 3 years of life are critical to long-term success, and that support for families is key to building a healthy and nurturing environment for the developing child; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd led the founding of Family Focus in 1976 at Miller School in Evanston; and

WHEREAS, Family Focus works side-by-side with families and communities based upon the Principles of Family Support, which promote respect for families and their cultures, and today provide child development education and skills training for teen and adult parents, support for grandparents raising grandchildren, counseling for young children and families exposed to violence, developmental health screenings, early intervention services, early literacy, home visiting, after-school programming, health and fitness education for parents and children, ESL and GED courses, citizenship and computer literacy classes for adults, and help for families that need to connect with community services and health care providers; and

WHEREAS, Under Bernice Weissbourd's leadership and guidance, Family Focus has grown to serve over 37,000 children and parents each year at facilities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and Lake counties, with 8 community-based centers in Aurora, Cicero, Bensenville, Evanston, and Highland Park, and the Chicago neighborhoods of Englewood, Hermosa, and North Lawndale; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd is credited with focusing national attention on the critical importance of a child's first 3 years of life, and with leading the family support movement, including through being a founder of the Family Resource Coalition and Zero to Three; she is a member of the President's Commission on Children; a columnist for Parent magazine; an author of 2 highly regarded books, America's Family Support Programs: Perspectives and Prospects and Putting Families First: America's Family Support Movement and the Challenge of Change, as well as many academic articles; and a leader in numerous other national, State, and local organizations; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd is a life-long resident of Chicago and graduate of the University of Chicago, where she met her late husband, Bernard, who co-founded Family Focus and who was a prominent civic and business leader; they became the proud parents of Burt, Robert, Ruth (Grant), and Richard, and grandparents of Ben, Emily, Jenny, Joe, Laura, Anna, Cora, Brady, Jake, David, and Sophie; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd's insights and accomplishments with respect to families of young children flow from her passions for justice and progress, and she has been similarly active in civil rights, labor, and other progressive movements throughout her life; and

WHEREAS, Bernice Weissbourd is renowned for being nurturing, energetic, and good company; her home has always been a gathering place for friends and neighbors; she is an advisor and mentor to scores of people of all ages; and she was a concert pianist, trained at The Juilliard School, with a passion for music; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with her friends, colleagues, and the countless children and families she has helped, honor the marvelous achievements and leadership of Family Focus founder Bernice Weissbourd on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary Gala of Family Focus on May 31, 2012; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Bernice Weissbourd and Family Focus as a symbol of our utmost respect and great esteem.