HR0727 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0727 LRB103 40252 ECR 72222 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Rachel Costabile, Ashley McLeod, Ruth Pligge, Bridget Brown, and Erika Kissel on the occasion of the successful creation and operation of their small business, Just A Dollop; and

WHEREAS, Just A Dollop is a microbusiness led by Rachel Costabile, Ashley McLeod, and Ruth Pligge with assistance from their friends Bridget Brown and Erika Kissel; together, they strive to prepare and feature healthy, simple-to-follow recipes with "just a dollop" of something special to make meals delicious; all five women have developmental disabilities; all five women also speak and advocate for people with disabilities in Illinois to raise their voices for choices about living a full life in the community and selecting a home of their choice; and

WHEREAS, Rachel Costabile, Ashley McLeod, and Ruth Pligge are friends and roommates who live together at the 209 House, an independent setting located in Naperville, where their day-to-day lives are driven by their needs and choices with support from a team of social service professionals; and

WHEREAS, Rachel Costabile is known for her charismatic, independent spirit; she has spent the past ten years learning life skills, living with roommates, traveling to see friends in California, working, and volunteering; she works at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria and GIA MIA Restaurant in Naperville, and she volunteers as a teacher's aide at Briar Glen Elementary School; she loves spending time with her friends, crafting, and searching the Internet for fun activities, crafts, and recipes; she is currently working on improving her art and advocacy skills; and

WHEREAS, Ashley McLeod is an incredible young woman with a broad range of gifts and talents; she serves as an advocate for herself and others with Down Syndrome, and she has bravely navigated many challenges in her life with courage and perseverance, becoming an inspirational role model for many people in the process; she is a graduate of Harper College and an actress; she dreams of teaching others how to cook healthier meals; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Pligge is known for her sense of humor, her smile, her independence, and for being the life of the party; she is an avid fan of Chicago sports teams, especially the Chicago White Sox; she enjoys laughing, telling jokes, texting friends and family, working, attending a day program, and pursuing her hobbies of solving jigsaw puzzles, collecting baseball cards, and bowling; her signature dish is pigs in a blanket; and

WHEREAS, Bridget Brown passionately serves as an advocate for people with disabilities; one day a week, she travels to the University of Illinois Dental School in Chicago, where she acts as a children's dental health educator and assistant at the pediatric dental clinic; she is currently enrolled at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in its new Coop College Disabilities Program; she also works with the Pace bus company as a spokesperson for Hop on the Bus, a program to assist people with disabilities to navigate the Pace bus system; she is the vice president of the National Association for Down Syndrome; she dreams of becoming a television or movie actress, previously acting in the 2012 movie LOL; she loves spending time with her friends and participating in the latest Just a Dollop adventure; and

WHEREAS, Erika Kissel is a courageous, spunky, humorous, and determined young woman; she has had many opportunities to educate and inspire others as a presenter at National Louis University, the Arc of Illinois, the National Association for Down Syndrome, International Best Buddies, St. Raphael Church, the American Culinary Federation, and the Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Association; she is an honorary culinarian member of the culinary profession and hospitality industry, and she has been employed in the food service industry through her alma mater, Neuqua Valley High School, for over 23 years; she has volunteered for a variety of organizations, including at her church, the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville, and the Cancer Center; in her time off, she assists in a preschool class and enjoys researching various topics; she provides expertise in food preparation and safety; and

WHEREAS, Rachel Costabile, Ashley McLeod, Ruth Pligge, Bridget Brown, and Erika Kissel successfully operate Just A Dollop through supporting and helping one another, and their efforts have led to the creation of a cookbook that features such recipes as pumpkin spice greek yogurt dip, no sodium taco seasoning, crack chicken, low-carb tortilla chips, greek yogurt dressing, sweet potato leek soup, and others; they have also expanded into producing how-to cooking videos, which they present on their business website and YouTube channel; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Rachel Costabile, Ashley McLeod, Ruth Pligge, Bridget Brown, and Erika Kissel on the successful creation and operation of their small business, Just A Dollop, and we wish them continued success on their entrepreneurial journey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the entrepreneurship of people with developmental disabilities.