Full Text of HR0540 102nd General Assembly
HR0540 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of | 4 | | dedicated community activist Bettye Baker Houston; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Bettye Houston and her family moved to the | 6 | | Roseland-Rosemoor community in 1966, and for the next 55 | 7 | | years, she dedicated her efforts to the area residents, | 8 | | promoting community awareness and pride, while galvanizing the | 9 | | community to address unmet needs; she was married to Herbert | 10 | | Houston for over four decades and was the proud parent of | 11 | | Sebastian and Tasha Baker, who follow in her footsteps by | 12 | | serving as community activists; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Bettye Houston served as a director of the | 14 | | Calumet Center Community Board for Metropolitan Family | 15 | | Services Calumet Center for 38 years and as a Director | 16 | | Emeritus for the past two years; she also served on the | 17 | | Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NRC) National Advisory | 18 | | Council and the NRC National Resident Round Table; she | 19 | | participated in NRC's national focus group discussions on | 20 | | increasing resident participation in the planning and | 21 | | decision-making process for neighborhood development; she | 22 | | assisted in developing the Back to Basics Program, which | 23 | | provides grants for community organizers/coordinators; she |
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| 1 | | served on the Community Leadership Institute planning | 2 | | committee and conducted a workshop on mobilizing residents; in | 3 | | 1980, Governor Thompson appointed her to serve on the Illinois | 4 | | State Medicaid Advisory Board; during her tenure, she assisted | 5 | | in redesigning the Illinois State Medicaid Program and | 6 | | rewriting the Public Aid Code; she was appointed by three | 7 | | Chicago mayors to serve on the Chicago Community Development | 8 | | Advisory Committee (CDAC); and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Bettye Houston held several leadership positions | 10 | | with organizations such as the Frank I. Bennett Shedd PTA, the | 11 | | Rosemoor Community Association, the Metropolitan Family | 12 | | Services Calumet Center, Roseland Neighborhood Housing | 13 | | Services, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, the | 14 | | Chicago State University Community Council, the Roseland | 15 | | Redevelopment Planning Board, the Roseland Mental Health | 16 | | Advisory Board, the Cook County Advisory Council, and the | 17 | | Greater Roseland Area Planning Commission; she was | 18 | | instrumental in planning and facilitating a community-wide | 19 | | planning meeting that pulled all facets of the community | 20 | | together to develop a revitalization plan; this plan resulted | 21 | | in reinvestment in Roseland, including the development of | 22 | | major retail businesses; she recruited numerous volunteers to | 23 | | attend educational workshops; she personally provided | 24 | | leadership training to residents, community stakeholders, and | 25 | | students seeking degrees in Community Development; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Bettye Houston successfully lobbied for many | 2 | | causes, including for new educational institutions such as | 3 | | Corliss and Julian High Schools, new elementary schools, | 4 | | Chicago State University, and the Carter G. Woodson Regional | 5 | | Library, the elimination of shutting off utility services | 6 | | between November 1 and March 30, the construction of a new | 7 | | fully equipped Roseland Public and Mental Health Center, the | 8 | | improvement of public transportation, the equal distribution | 9 | | of the Chicago Community Development Block Grants to the | 10 | | neighborhoods, the establishment of an FHA reform program to | 11 | | reduce foreclosure rates in Roseland, an effort to end | 12 | | segregation in the Chicago Public Schools that included | 13 | | assisting in drafting the Chicago Public School desegregation | 14 | | plan, the million-dollar renovation of the Roseland YMCA, the | 15 | | funding for the Pullman Bank College Bound Youth Program, and | 16 | | a community NeighborWorks clean up project that attracted the | 17 | | attention of several retail vendors; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Bettye Houston received numerous awards and | 19 | | recognitions, including the Illinois State Parent Teachers | 20 | | Association (PTA)
Life Membership Award in 1977, the | 21 | | Neighborhood Housing Service of Chicago
Neighborhood | 22 | | Leadership Award in 1987, the Rosemoor Community Association
| 23 | | Dedicated Service Award 25 Years in 1992, being inducted into | 24 | | the 111th Street YMCA Wall of Honor for Outstanding Community |
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| 1 | | Service in 1993, the Roseland Business Development Council
| 2 | | Community Leadership Award in 1997, the State Farm Insurance | 3 | | Company and V103 Radio Station
Home Town Hero Award in 1999, | 4 | | the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
Dorothy Richardson | 5 | | National Resident Leadership Award in 2002,
the Human Resource | 6 | | Development Institute (HRDI)
Outstanding Community Service | 7 | | Award in 2006, the
Roseland Community Hospital Foundation
| 8 | | Community Service Award in 2010, the Metropolitan Family | 9 | | Services Calumet Center
Community Service Award in 2011, the | 10 | | Years of Service Award in 2021, the Each One Reach One
| 11 | | Neighborhood Leadership Award in 2013, the Illinois State | 12 | | Board of Education
Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015, the Pi | 13 | | Alpha Alpha Volunteer Service Award in 2017, and having the | 14 | | Community Impact Award named in her honor in 2019; in | 15 | | September of 2021, the Metropolitan Family Services Calumet | 16 | | Center recognized her at their annual meeting for her | 17 | | steadfast service and commitment to the Calumet Center, the | 18 | | Roseland community, and its residents; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 | | we mourn the passing of
Bettye Baker Houston and extend our | 22 | | sincere
condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | 23 | | and loved
her; and be it further
| 24 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| 1 | | presented to the family of Bettye Houston as an expression of
| 2 | | our deepest sympathy.
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