HR1152 LRB094 20190 HSS 58013 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives congratulate Warren Special Recreation
4 Association in Warren Township on the occasion of its 25th
5 anniversary; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Association is comprised of four member
7 districts represented by board members Suzanne Simpson, Warren
8 Township; Maureen Jekot, Wildwood Park District; Linda
9 Anderson, Grandwood Park District; and Lisa Sheppard, Gurnee
10 Park District; Brenda Zeck is the Executive Director; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Association began operations in 1981 and was
12 formally known as the Special Recreation Association of
13 Warren-Zion (SRAWZ) and housed at Viking Park in Gurnee; in
14 1983, with the cooperation of the member districts and
15 volunteers from the Gagewood Lions club, a 5000-square-foot
16 therapeutic playground was built, the first of its kind in the
17 Northeast Illinois region; the Association's name changed to
18 Warren Special Recreation Association (WSRA) on May 1, 1985;
19 the Association moved to the loft of a remodeled barn on the
20 80-acre grounds of the Warren Township Center; in 1997 with the
21 generous donation of $100,000 from the Gagewood Lions Club,
22 WSRA moved into the remodeled farm house at Warren Township
23 Center; and
 
24     WHEREAS, The Association provides community recreation
25 services to individuals with disabilities who reside within
26 Warren Township, which encompasses seven municipalities, 36
27 square miles, and has a population of 65,000; and
 
28     WHEREAS, Warren Special Recreation Association has
29 experienced significant growth in terms of enrollment,
30 recreation programs, and services; one of the challenges in
31 meeting the needs of the community comes in controlling costs

 

 

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1 while expanding services; the Association has successfully
2 maintained a balanced budget for 25 years while seeing
3 enrollment climb from 15 participants in 1981 to more than 100
4 in the current year; the Association currently has four
5 full-time Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists and 60
6 part-time staff; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Association continues to focus its efforts on
8 assisting individuals with disabilities and their families;
9 WSRA staff stay abreast of the latest techniques in
10 implementing quality recreation programs in an enjoyable and
11 safe environment; WSRA programming changes with the needs of
12 its participants and their families; in the past year there
13 were 170 programs offered; a few of these program offerings
14 include camps, special events, weekly programs, socials, after
15 school club, and Special Olympics; and
 
16     WHEREAS, WSRA continues to partner and work
17 collaboratively with its member districts, other special
18 recreation associations, the Special Education District of
19 Lake County, local school districts, and community
20 organizations; and
 
21     WHEREAS, While the Association has accumulated awards and
22 acknowledgements during the past 25 years for excellent
23 programs, safety records, brochures, staff, and participant
24 achievements, there is still much to accomplish in the future;
25 the Association has had community and member district support
26 over the past 25 years; therefore, be it
 
27     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
28 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
29 we congratulate Warren Special Recreation Association for 25
30 years of excellence and dedication; and be it further
 
31     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1 presented to Warren Special Recreation Association as an
2 expression of our esteem.