093_HR0385
LRB093 11612 KEF 17077 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of
3 the State of Illinois wish to congratulate the Illinois
4 Association of Park Districts (IAPD) on the occasion of its
5 75th anniversary; and
6 WHEREAS, The IAPD was established on May 17, 1928; it
7 provides education, research, and advocacy for its 362
8 members, consisting of 279 park districts, eight forest
9 preserve districts, four conservation districts, one
10 conservancy district, 35 city agencies, one State agency (the
11 Department of Natural Resources), and 34 associate members in
12 the allied fields of law, landscape architecture, and public
13 finance; and
14 WHEREAS, The mission of IAPD is to advance its members in
15 their ability to provide outstanding park and recreation
16 opportunities, preserve our natural resources, and improve
17 the quality of life for all people in Illinois; and
18 WHEREAS, The IAPD is the oldest statewide association of
19 its kind in the country; it is the only park association with
20 a primary membership of elected board members who serve
21 without compensation on local park and forest preserve
22 boards; its member agencies and their staffs are nationally
23 recognized leaders in parks and recreation and have won the
24 National Gold Medal Award more times than any other state;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, Early legislation addressed by the association
27 sought to establish uniform laws for organizing park
28 districts and the powers of elected officials, establish the
29 powers of park districts for acquiring land for open space
30 and public parks and recreation; over the years, the
31 association has worked in bipartisan partnership with
32 legislative leaders in Illinois and Washington, D.C. to
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1 secure funding for open space, recreation, wildlife
2 preservation, senior health interests, and after-school
3 recreation and nutrition programs for youth; and
4 WHEREAS, As a grass-roots organization, with its 2,100
5 elected officials and more than 300 park and forest preserve
6 agency leaders, IAPD's voice for parks and natural resources
7 is strong and respected; therefore, be it
8 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10 we congratulate the Illinois Association of Park Districts on
11 celebrating its 75th anniversary; and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to Dr. Ted Flickinger, President/CEO and Mr. Dennis
14 Flanagin, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Illinois
15 Association of Park Districts for 2003.