HR0028 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0028 LRB097 06429 KXB 46511 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Tami Sender, President and CEO of the Greater Joliet YMCA, has been a staff member of the Joliet YMCA for the past 25 years and has had a tremendous positive impact on the community in her roles as a program director and branch director; she became the first female CEO in the Joliet YMCA's history in 2003 and initiated the construction of the first new YMCA in the area in over 28 years; she announced her retirement from the YMCA and retired on December 31, 2010; and

WHEREAS, The C.W. Avery Family YMCA, located in Plainfield, represents the realization of Tami's vision, dating back to 1995; at that time, she began before and after-school programs in the Plainfield District 202 schools; beginning in three schools, the program, called Kid Zone, today serves over 650 children in 15 schools in Plainfield alone; and

WHEREAS, Tami put together a plan that allowed the YMCA to swap land with the Board of Education of District 202 and as a part of this plan, the schools and the Y worked out an agreement that provided for continued before and after school programming in the schools; it created a campus concept where the new Y sits adjacent to existing schools and share facilities, land, and services; and it set down guidelines for facility use with both the schools and the park district; and

WHEREAS, Tami worked with the City of Joliet and Councilman Joe Shetina on a grant for $15,000 that allowed the YMCA to do a community and feasibility study; she worked with Illinois State Representative Tom Cross on a $250,000 State grant for land; she worked with past Plainfield Mayor Dick Rock as well as current Mayor Jim Waldorf to ensure that the needs of the village were being met; and she worked with Superintendent John Harper of District 202 to ensure the long term needs of children and families in the after school program would be met; and

WHEREAS, In addition, she worked with the Plainfield Park District on a green space agreement that would ensure shared use of community, YMCA, and district land for years to come; she also worked with Provena St. Joseph Medical Center and current CFO Jeff Brickman to partner by providing space for Provena to run physical therapy and rehabilitation services in the new facility; and

WHEREAS, In 2006 the C.W. Avery Family YMCA opened its doors to the community; Tami also overlooked the renaming of the YMCA branch on Briggs Street in Joliet to the Arthur and Vera Smith Family YMCA; and

WHEREAS, Tami worked from Program Director to Executive Director to President and CEO of the YMCA, and began to focus on the mission of the YMCA, "to provide high quality, values driven programs all of the time to everyone"; during her career she has seen participant numbers increase, facilities have closed, facilities have been renovated, and a new YMCA was built; through her hard work, the Greater Joliet YMCA has continued to grow and become an important part of the community; and

WHEREAS, In 2006 Tami was awarded the Association of YMCA Professionals "Director of the Year" award for her achievements; she was chosen by the Women's Bar Association as a "Woman with Vision" in 2003; she was interviewed by CNN Newsmakers in 2007 for her work in Will County; and she was honored by the Greater Joliet YMCA in August of 2009 for her then 25 years of dedicated service to the people of the Greater Joliet area; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate and honor Tami Sender for her hard work and dedication to the people of Joliet, Will County, and the surrounding areas through her years of hard work with the YMCA and wish her the best in her retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Tami Sender as a symbol of our sincere respect and esteem.