HR0946LRB102 29022 LAW 40924 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Guardian Angel Community
4Services on the occasion of its 125th anniversary on October
519, 2022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services, the oldest
7social service organization in Will County, was founded by the
8Sisters of St. Francis Mary Immaculate of Joliet when they
9purchased a small cottage behind their motherhouse on October
1019, 1897, which became the first Guardian Angel Home to care
11for dependent and neglected children; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services has been
13recognized on the local, national, and global stage, and it
14has achieved the highest standards of excellence for best
15practice in service delivery and operations; the organization
16is licensed as an Illinois Child Welfare Organization and
17accredited by the Council on Accreditation, an international,
18independent human service organization that partners with
19human service organizations worldwide; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' mission is to
21provide diverse services that inspire people to improve the
22quality of their lives in their greatest time of need; and
 

 

 

HR0946- 2 -LRB102 29022 LAW 40924 r

1    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' philosophy of
2care is centralized around peace, justice, and the belief in
3people's inalienable human right to live safely, free from
4violence, oppression, and abuse; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services is guided by
6the principle that people have the right to self-determination
7on their journey towards healing; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services strives to
9instill hope through client-centered services provided in a
10safe and confidential environment; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Since the start of the 21st century, Guardian
12Angel Community Services has served over 700,000 people
13through direct services, prevention education, and community
14outreach, expanding its services by an extraordinary 705%; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services operates
16several programs in present day; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Groundwork
18program offers comprehensive services for survivors of
19domestic violence, including a 24-hour emergency hotline and
20shelter, crisis intervention, individual and group counseling,

 

 

HR0946- 3 -LRB102 29022 LAW 40924 r

1and legal and medical advocacy services; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Suzy's Caring
3Place provides housing to domestic violence survivors and
4their children and works to reduce the incidence of
5homelessness by addressing the emotional and economic
6consequences of victimization; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Sexual Assault
8Services Center offers comprehensive services to survivors of
9sexual assault, including a 24-hour emergency hotline,
10individual and group counseling, and legal and medical
11advocacy, while implementing a robust prevention education and
12community outreach campaign annually; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Exchange Club
14Center provides parenting classes and nurtures healthy
15child/youth development for the prevention of child abuse and
16neglect; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Foster Care
18program recruits, trains, and provides oversight and support
19to foster parents who offer a caring and safe environment to
20children who have been removed from their environment due to
21abuse or neglect, while also meeting the needs of youth in
22foster care and assisting their families towards

 

 

HR0946- 4 -LRB102 29022 LAW 40924 r

1reunification; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Partner Abuse
3Intervention Program helps individuals develop healthy,
4mutually supportive relationships to eliminate domestic
5violence from their lives through education-based services;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services' Adult
8Protective Services assists adults with disabilities aged 18
9to 59 as well as those who are 60 years of age and older who
10are at risk due to abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and
11exploitation; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services has an
13exemplary history of adapting programming in response to
14community needs, including opening satellite offices in
15Joliet, Plainfield, Morris, and Crete and expanding emergency
16shelter beds for survivors of domestic violence by 50%; more
17recently, the organization responded swiftly to the global
18COVID-19 pandemic, with its heroic staff serving on the front
19lines to deliver 24-hour essential services; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Guardian Angel Community Services continues to
21withstand the test of time while demonstrating community
22leadership and service towards significantly improving the

 

 

HR0946- 5 -LRB102 29022 LAW 40924 r

1quality of life of citizens; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we congratulate Guardian Angel Community Services on its 125th
5anniversary; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we commend Guardian Angel Community
7Services' Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and donors
8for their continued dedication and service to the community.