HR1090 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1090 LRB093 22680 KEF 52332 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize Yolanda Treiguts for her dedication and years of service to the Multiple Sclerosis Society; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Treiguts was born on June 1, 1945, in Hammond, Indiana at St. Margaret's Hospital; in 1959, she moved with her family to Palos Hills, a south Chicago suburb; she graduated from Carl Sandburg High School in 1963 and worked her way through Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago by taking a variety of jobs; and

WHEREAS, One of Yolanda's first loves was the theatre, and she was active in the Playwrights Center at Second City in Chicago; realizing that her theatrical interests would not bring her financial security, Yolanda began working as a legal secretary, eventually becoming a successful paralegal; and

WHEREAS, In 1978, Yolanda met her future husband and the real love of her life, George Treiguts, and in Yolanda's words, "Everything in my life finally seemed perfect"; after being with George for only a year, in 1979, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis; and

WHEREAS, Difficult challenges followed for Yolanda, and she attended her first MS support group, one of only four in the Chicago area at the time; she became "hooked" on the organization, and by 1983 she started her own support group; ever since then, volunteering for the National MS Society has been Yolanda's full-time career; and

WHEREAS, Yolanda has been on both the Board of Trustees and the Chapter Programs Committee for the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society since 1994; she has been a member of the Advocacy & Government Relations Committee since 1993, serving as Chair of the committee for the past several years; and

WHEREAS, In her capacity as Chair of the Advocacy and Government Relations Committee, she spearheaded several, successful legislative initiatives to benefit Illinois citizens with MS, including funding for MS drugs in the Circuit Breaker program, an income tax check-off to provide financial assistance to Illinois citizens with MS, and disability rights; and

WHEREAS, Although Yolanda has made countless contributions to the Society and Chapter over the years, the achievement that best exemplifies her passionate commitment to improving the quality of life of people with MS is her tireless work to increase the availability of accessible transportation; and

WHEREAS, Yolanda's exceptional advocacy success achieved national recognition when it was featured in the fall 1998 issue of the Society's national magazine "Inside MS"; as a result of this article and local press coverage, Yolanda has been asked by disability organizations in cities throughout the United States for help in strategizing to obtain accessible taxicabs in those cities; and

WHEREAS, Yolanda has touched the lives of so many Illinois citizens and made their lives better through her hard work, determination, and the unselfish way in which she gives of her time and talents; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we do hereby offer our gratitude and congratulations to Yolanda Treiguts for her years of service to the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the people of the State of Illinois as Chair of the Government Relations Committee since 1993; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Yolanda Treiguts and her family as a token of our admiration.