HR0370LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to recognize milestone events in
4the lives of the citizens of the State of Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that Valeri DeCastris
6has been inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame by the
7Greater Rockford Italian American Association (GRIAA) in
8recognition of her dedication and service to Rockford's
9Italian-American community and her efforts at promoting and
10preserving the Italian cultural significance of South
11Rockford, the area where most early Italian immigrants settled;
12this is the organization's highest honor; and
 
13    WHEREAS, GRIAA is a non-profit, volunteer educational
14organization that has existed for over 40 years, and its
15mission is to promote the Italian culture, sponsor social
16events and activities, and perform works of charity and
17philanthropy; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was born in Rockford to Valentino
19and Patricia Macaluso DeCastris in 1956; her father was a
20full-time professional musician, and her mother taught dance at
21Arthur Murray Studios; her paternal grandparents immigrated
22from Rockford's sister city of Ferentino, Italy; they lived in

 

 

HR0370- 2 -LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r

1South Rockford next to the childhood home of the late
2Representative E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi, Rockford's longtime State
3Representative with whom she had family ties; her maternal
4grandparents were of Sicilian origin and part of the great U.S.
5migration northward from the south, leaving New Orleans,
6Louisiana for Chicago and then South Rockford; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris and her husband, David Beccue,
8received master's degrees from Southern Illinois University at
9Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Springfield
10respectively; she served as a research associate for a support
11services agency of the Illinois General Assembly, as an adjunct
12professor of physical sciences, and as an environmental
13scientist for the State and private sectors; David is an
14assistant site superintendent at Rock Cut State Park; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, restored her
16paternal grandparents' home in South Rockford, which was built
17in 1923, and relocated there from Springfield, becoming active
18participants in the revitalization of the area they have named
19the Ethnic Village; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has a distinguished record of
21volunteer service throughout Illinois, serving in leadership
22positions on several boards of local and statewide non-profit
23organizations and helping to improve communities, including

 

 

HR0370- 3 -LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r

1her hometown of Rockford; she has been an active contributor to
2land use planning and business development in Rockford and has
3volunteered her time for numerous civic projects; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is the recipient of a National
5Make A Difference Day Award, the Spirit of Caring Award from
6the Crusader Clinic of Rockford, and local awards from civic
7and non-profit organizations for her community service to our
8State; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, established
10the Ethnic Village Neighborhood Organization that has
11beautified and improved South Rockford with grants and private
12donations, creating Immigrants Park and installing flower
13planters, hanging banners, flower baskets, and signage at the
14neighborhood's gateway to downtown Rockford; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has helped to keep the ethnic
16traditions and contributions of Rockford's Italian-American
17community alive; she initiated discussions that culminated in
18Speaker Michael Madigan's inception of the Zeke Giorgi Memorial
19Internship Program at the University of Illinois at
20Springfield; she has written several articles on Rockford's
21Italian-American community in local publications and the
22press; and
 

 

 

HR0370- 4 -LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r

1    WHEREAS, In 2006, Valeri DeCastris spearheaded the
2creation of an Italian Sister City partnership between Rockford
3and Ferentino, Italy, made possible by the DeCastris/Giorgi
4family connections in America and Italy; she established a
5committee that sponsors adult and youth exchanges, educational
6programs, and cultural exhibits; and
 
7    WHEREAS, For over two decades, Valeri DeCastris and David
8have worked as ticket booth attendants at Festa Italiana, which
9is sponsored by GRIAA and is Rockford's second-largest
10festival; she has served on GRIAA's Board of Directors for
11several years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was instrumental in the
13inclusion of the Italian American immigrant experience in
14Rockford's Midway Village Museum and Conference Center's
15largest exhibition, "Many Voices, One Community," and is
16featured in the museum; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is an active volunteer in the
18Rockford Catholic Diocese's designated Italian parish of St.
19Anthony of Padua in South Rockford, where her family has been
20members since the early 1900s; she assisted the City of
21Rockford in securing a grant from the Illinois First Program
22for decorative street lamps around the church, which evolved
23into an award-winning bronze statuary "memory garden," where

 

 

HR0370- 5 -LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r

1its school and gymnasium once stood; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we congratulate Valeri DeCastris on her induction into the
5Italian American Hall of Fame by the Greater Rockford Italian
6American Association and commend her efforts at preserving the
7Italian heritage of Rockford; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to Valeri DeCastris as an expression of our esteem
10and respect.