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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Ms. Roberta H.
4 Buchanan on the occasion of her retirement; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Ms. Buchanan holds a Bachelor of History from
6 Bethany College, a Master of History from Rutgers University,
7 and a Master of Public Administration from the University of
8 Pittsburgh; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Ms. Buchanan worked as the executive director of
10 the Howard Area Community Center, a private, not-for-profit,
11 community-based youth and family agency serving Chicago's
12 diverse north side, for over 12 years; she began her employment
13 with the Howard Area Community Center in 1993 as the
14 organization's associate director; she served in her post with
15 dedication for nearly 13 years and during this time the
16 organization has grown to serve approximately 5,000
17 individuals each year; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Since she assumed leadership, several new
19 programs have been added, while existing programs have been
20 expanded to help meet the needs of low-income individuals and
21 families in Rogers Park; her work included, but was not limited
22 to: maintaining the stability and quality of the agency;
23 overall direction, supervision, and evaluation of agency
24 staff; program planning and development; and the
25 representation of the agency to the larger community, sponsors,
26 and other agencies; and
 
27     WHEREAS, One of her major achievements at the Howard Area
28 Community Center was the expansion of services to young
29 children and their families; the agency opened a Head Start
30 classroom to provide early childhood education to preschool
31 children; this program and other early childhood programs have

 

 

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1 achieved accreditation from the National Association for the
2 Education of Young Children; she also coordinated the addition
3 of an intensive home visiting program for teen parents; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Motivated by her belief that young people should
5 have the tools they need to succeed, Ms. Buchanan brought an
6 alternative high school to the Rogers Park community that
7 offered GED programs, as well as a full curriculum that was
8 able to grant high school diplomas; this alternative high
9 school became accredited in 2005 by the North Central
10 Association, certifying that its programs met recognized
11 standards of excellence; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Adults in the Rogers Park community have also
13 benefited from Ms. Buchanan's efforts through expanded
14 programs; in 2002 the Howard Area Community Center opened an
15 employment resource center for adults on the job market who
16 wanted to become better prepared for the workforce; about 400
17 adult learners participate annually in a large and growing
18 number of adult education classes such as GED preparation and
19 English as a Second Language; and
 
20     WHEREAS, She is a Charlotte Goldberg Citizen of the Year
21 and an active community member who is committed to organizing
22 as a community-building strategy; she has been an active member
23 of several community groups such as Chicago Prevention
24 Providers, Jane Addams, and Common Cause; she has collaborated
25 with other neighborhood organizations and community leaders to
26 address critical concerns such as the need for affordable
27 housing and child care, improvements in education, and greater
28 employment opportunities; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Due to her leadership, the Howard Area Community
30 Center has been recognized on numerous occasions for excellence
31 in management and services; she has laid a strong foundation
32 for this organization to build upon in the future as it

 

 

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1 continues to serve the residents of Rogers Park; and
 
2     WHEREAS, As Ms. Buchanan leaves the Howard Area Community
3 Center, it is certain that she will continue to be a leader in
4 the community; therefore, be it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7 we congratulate Roberta Buchanan on the occasion of her
8 retirement from her position at Howard Area Community Center,
9 and we thank her for her many years of dedication to helping
10 her fellow citizens; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to her as an expression of our esteem and with best
13 wishes for all of her future endeavors.