HR0526 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0526 LRB094 12594 CSA 47311 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives offer their sincere appreciation and gratitude to Judith M. Gall for her lifetime of dedication to building strong communities through positive youth programs and services; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Gall holds a Bachelor of Social Work from West Virginia University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago; and

WHEREAS, She is a certified Social Worker, beginning as a VISTA volunteer, then serving as Assistant Director and Director of the Southern Cultural Exchange Center, where she worked to preserve and develop the cultural identity and pride of Appalachian residents in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, She became the Executive Director of Alternatives, Inc., a private, not-for-profit, community-based youth and family agency serving Chicago's diverse northeast side, which has grown from a staff of four to fifty and become a leader in youth programming in Chicago, having initiated the State's first South East Asian Refugee Youth Project, a Native American Prevention Services Project, After-School Action Program, student-led Restorative Justice programs, and the State's first School-to-Work Initiative; and

WHEREAS, She is a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow and active community member who continues to serve as a Board Director for several youth-serving organizations; she remains committed to community organizing as a community-building strategy; she has served on numerous State Advisory Committees relating to substance abuse prevention and treatment policies; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Gall continues, after twenty-five years of service, to lead Alternatives, Inc. with a vision of enhancing the community through programs and services designed, developed, and led by youth; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Gall is the proud parent of son Andrew, who has just graduated from Tulane University; she is both committed to her own son and to being an advocate for all young people; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Judith M. Gall for her many accomplishments as a community leader and advocate for young people and congratulate her and express our gratitude for her twenty-five years leading Alternatives, Inc.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Judith M. Gall as an expression of our respect and esteem.