HR0127 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0127 LRB097 10791 KXB 51567 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The annual University of Illinois-Chicago Gender and Women's Studies Program's Women's History Month Reception honors Civic Engagement, Community Service, and Community Organizing (CECSCO) Award recipients; and

WHEREAS, Currently, Robyn Gabel serves in the Illinois General Assembly as the State Representative from the 18th District, representing parts of Rogers Park, Evanston, Kenilworth, Wilmette, Winnetka, and Glencoe; she was appointed on April 18, 2010 after she won the primary race in February and then was sworn in on January 12, 2011 for a two-year term; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her career, Robyn Gabel has maintained a strong commitment to serving the people of Illinois as an advocate for women and working families; she began her career as an educator in a women's health center, later serving as the training coordinator and eventually co-director of other health centers; as her interest in public service increased, she became a legislative assistant to then-Alderman Luis Gutierrez in Chicago, where she was responsible for the development of policy positions and legislation for healthcare, housing, and economic development; and

WHEREAS, She then took a position as the Executive Director of the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition, which she led from 1988 to 2010; she used her expertise to lead advocacy and education activities to increase access to healthcare for women, children, and families, school-based health services, and substance abuse treatment centers; while at the Coalition, she helped develop the KidCare health insurance program for over 200,000 children and pregnant women; and

WHEREAS, She helped lead efforts to establish the Illinois All Kids program, giving every child in Illinois access to quality, affordable healthcare; there are now over 2.2 million children and their parents enrolled in All Kids and FamilyCare; she also led efforts to give 500,000 adults access to dental care; and

WHEREAS, In April 2005, she received a Fellowship for Community Leaders Award from the Chicago Community Trust and spent the year researching the "Hispanic paradox" as it pertains to Mexican-American women and their infants' birth outcomes, as well as programs to address immigrant health in Europe; and

WHEREAS, She has received a number of awards for her work for Illinois families, including the Women's Health Activism Award from Grace Today Magazine (2007), the President's Award of the Illinois Public Health Association (1998), and the Child Advocate Award of the Infant Welfare Society (1998); she is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society; and

WHEREAS, Representative Gabel received her B.A. in Anthropology from Beloit College in 1975, her M.S. in Public Health from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1979, and her M.J. in health law from Loyola University Chicago Law School in 1996; and

WHEREAS, She will receive the Civic Engagement, Community Service, and Community Organizing (CECSCO) Award during the annual University of Illinois-Chicago Gender and Women's Studies Program's Women's History Month Reception on March 4, 2011; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate State Representative Robyn Gabel on receiving this award and wish her continued success for years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to State Representative Robyn Gabel as a symbol of our respect and esteem.