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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to recognize Juan M. Calderon for his | ||||||
| 4 | transformative and visionary work in the City of Chicago; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, At a young age, Juan Calderon became the Chief | ||||||
| 6 | Operating Officer of the Puerto Rican Culture Center, and in a | ||||||
| 7 | few short years, tripled the agency's size and scope, which | ||||||
| 8 | contributed to the provision of crucial services to the people | ||||||
| 9 | of Humboldt Park/West Town; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Juan Calderon currently serves as Chief Operating | ||||||
| 11 | Officer of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, where he employs | ||||||
| 12 | best practices and new models of care for youth, LGBTQ, and | ||||||
| 13 | seniors living with HIV, sexually transmitted infections | ||||||
| 14 | (STIs), and mental illness; his recent accomplishments include | ||||||
| 15 | the establishment of a transnational partnership with Cuba's | ||||||
| 16 | National Center of Sex Education and TransCuba; his efforts | ||||||
| 17 | have been recognized by La Voz del Paseo Boricua's "Top 10 | ||||||
| 18 | Under 30", Windy City Times's "30 Under 30", DOFFA Chicago, and | ||||||
| 19 | IVI-IPO Gay & Lesbian Caucus-Glynn Sudberry; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Juan Calderon, who has experienced homelessness | ||||||
| 21 | himself, took the lead on the issue of LGBTQ homelessness in | ||||||
| 22 | Chicago and created the Midwest's first permanent housing | ||||||
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| 1 | shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Juan Calderon sits on the Board of Directors and | ||||||
| 3 | serves as the treasurer of the National Museum of Puerto Rican | ||||||
| 4 | Arts and Culture; he is also a board member at the Low Income | ||||||
| 5 | Housing Trust Fund, secretary of the Richard Yates Local School | ||||||
| 6 | Council, a member of the Stowe Elementary Local School Council, | ||||||
| 7 | a member of the Board of Directors for the Advocate Bethany | ||||||
| 8 | Community Health Fund, a governor-appointed member of the | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois Human Services Commission and the Illinois Advisory | ||||||
| 10 | Council on Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention, and chairperson of the | ||||||
| 11 | TransChicago non-profit initiative; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Juan Calderon is recognized and celebrated for his | ||||||
| 13 | tireless pursuit of the elimination of health disparities in | ||||||
| 14 | his community, and thus was the first openly gay man to be | ||||||
| 15 | appointed to and serve on the Chicago Board of Health; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Juan Calderon has demonstrated through his work, | ||||||
| 17 | his integrity, and his courage an unyielding determination to | ||||||
| 18 | improve the lives of the most marginalized individuals in his | ||||||
| 19 | community; therefore, be it
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| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 21 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that, on | ||||||
| 22 | behalf of his beloved community and our great State, we | ||||||
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| 1 | recognize the critical work and advocacy of Juan M. Calderon, | ||||||
| 2 | and we wish him continued success; and be it further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 4 | presented to Juan Calderon as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
| 5 | respect.
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