HR1496 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1496 LRB096 24350 GRL 43922 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Cathy Ficker Terrill on the occasion of her retirement as President and CEO of the Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities after 16 years of dedicated service; and

WHEREAS, Cathy Ficker Terrill earned her master's degree in disability policy; and

WHEREAS, Cathy Ficker Terrill is well known among her peers as a pioneer in the human services field; she was instrumental in guiding Ray Graham and the industry in replacing the "workshop" model of employment to a more person-centered approach; as a result of her work, Ray Graham has grown to become one of the largest agencies, providing service and support to nearly 2,000 individuals with disabilities at 35 locations throughout DuPage County; during her tenure, Ray Graham also became the first organization in the world to receive a 4-year Accreditation with the Council on Quality and Leadership; and

WHEREAS, Cathy Ficker Terrill is a past President of the American Association on Mental Retardation and has been the President of the Illinois Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps; she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the President's Committee on Mental Retardation for 2 terms; she served as the Director of the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, where she founded one of the first projects on dual diagnosis; she helped to write and ensure passage of the Illinois Early Intervention Act, The Family Support Act, and the Transition Act, which helped expand access to Early Intervention, provided cash subsidies to children and adults with mental health needs and developmental disabilities, and mandated transition services for young adults; in January 2009, she was named to the Special Education Funding Task Force by Illinois Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno; in 2010, she was appointed to serve on the Governor's Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities by Governor Pat Quinn; and

WHEREAS, Cathy Ficker Terrill has served as a volunteer for numerous charitable and civic organizations, including the Elmhurst Hospital Board of Directors, the Council on Quality and Leadership Board of Directors, the Elmhurst College ELSA Advisory Board, the Life's Plan Special Needs Trust Board of Directors, the Mental Disability Rights International Board of Directors, the League of Women's Voters, the RTA Community Advisory Committee, the University of Illinois Center for Excellence on Disabilities, the President Elmhurst Morning Rotary, the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities, the DuPage Family Disability Network, and the Board of Directors of the Human Services Research Institute; she was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Illinois Department of Developmental Disabilities' Quality Committee, the University of Illinois Department of Disabilities' Quality Committee, and the University of Illinois Center on Excellence for Disability's Advisory Committee; she is also the past Director of the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Internationally, Cathy Ficker Terrill has volunteered her time to help families of children with disabilities in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe with the International Christian Children's Bureau; she has helped set up early intervention family support and parent support groups in Poland with UNICEF and has worked to unite children in Russian orphanages with families; she has facilitated strategic planning in Saudi Arabia and Lithuania and has recently volunteered her time to expand self-advocacy in China, Japan, and Cyprus; and

WHEREAS, Following her retirement, Cathy Ficker Terrill plans to pursue a reduced workload, while continuing her allegiance and ongoing relationship with Ray Graham; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Cathy Ficker Terrill on the occasion of her retirement and wish her many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Cathy Ficker Terrill as a symbol of our esteem and respect.