| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | ||||||
3 | congratulate Ron Melka on the occasion of his retirement as | ||||||
4 | the executive director of the Lyons Township Mental Health | ||||||
5 | Commission (LTMHC); and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka began his career as an emergency room | ||||||
7 | worker in a hospital trauma center and then served as a | ||||||
8 | court-appointed youth advocate coordinator; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has provided leadership in advancing | ||||||
10 | the community-based behavioral health system as the executive | ||||||
11 | director of the LTMHC since 2013, representing the LTMHC to | ||||||
12 | many community groups and initiatives, at both the local and | ||||||
13 | State level; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka formed, supported, and now chairs the | ||||||
15 | Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Lyons Township, where he has | ||||||
16 | written and received a 10-year, $1.2 million Federal Drug Free | ||||||
17 | Coalition Grant to provide prevention programs for area youth; | ||||||
18 | and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has also led several nonprofit | ||||||
20 | organizations over his career; he served as a grant writer at | ||||||
21 | Aunt Martha's Youth Services and Healthcare, one of the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | State's largest service providers; he served as president/CEO | ||||||
2 | of United Way of Illinois, working in partnership with | ||||||
3 | government and communities addressing issues impacting human | ||||||
4 | services, and as the CEO of Youth in Crisis in Berwyn, serving | ||||||
5 | youth who are at risk of child abuse, neglect, and running away | ||||||
6 | or who are in trouble at home, in school, or in the community; | ||||||
7 | and | ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has tirelessly chaired and served over | ||||||
9 | the years on many statewide boards and commissions, including | ||||||
10 | the Illinois Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | ||||||
11 | Emergency Food and Shelter State Set Aside Board, the Illinois | ||||||
12 | Governor's Human Service Task force, the Governor's Keep Warm | ||||||
13 | Illinois Energy Assistance Council, the United Way of America | ||||||
14 | Council of States, the Development Committee for the Illinois | ||||||
15 | Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council of the Illinois | ||||||
16 | Department of Human Services, and others; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has trained over 300 police and fire | ||||||
18 | personnel in mental health first aid as a certified mental | ||||||
19 | health first aid trainer; and | ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has served as an adjunct professor in | ||||||
21 | the Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate Program of | ||||||
22 | Public Administration, specializing in ethics, nonprofit | ||||||
23 | management, performance measurement, and resource development; |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | and | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka has been an active member and leader of | ||||||
3 | the Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of | ||||||
4 | Illinois (ACMHAI), dutifully serving as its president from | ||||||
5 | 2020 to 2022; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka brought his expertise and passion for | ||||||
7 | helping others to the membership of ACMHAI as an ongoing | ||||||
8 | contributor, strong advocate, and skilled spokesperson on | ||||||
9 | behavioral health, substance use, and | ||||||
10 | intellectual/developmental disabilities; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Ron Melka demonstrated a keen awareness of the | ||||||
12 | legislative process and consistently advanced the | ||||||
13 | community-based behavioral health system in Illinois while | ||||||
14 | serving chair of the ACMHAI Medicaid and Managed Care | ||||||
15 | Committee from 2015 to 2020; therefore, be it | ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
17 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ron | ||||||
18 | Melka on his retirement, express our heartfelt gratitude for | ||||||
19 | his exceptional service, leadership, and contributions to | ||||||
20 | behavioral health, and wish him a joyful and fulfilling | ||||||
21 | retirement, knowing his impact will be felt for years to come; | ||||||
22 | and be it further |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to Ron Melka as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
3 | respect. |