SR0797 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0797 LRB103 39718 ECR 70168 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Youth Crossroads, Inc. on the 50th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, In 1971, a concerned group of community organizers in Berwyn received state funds to create a three-year project known as the Youth in Crisis Project, which provided crisis intervention for homeless youth, drug abuse counseling, and support services for underserved teens in the west suburban area; and

WHEREAS, In 1974, organizers from the Youth in Crisis Project incorporated as an independent non-profit charitable organization known as West Suburban Youth Outreach, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, the name was changed to Youth In Crisis, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, By 1978, the agency moved into its own facility in a residential Berwyn neighborhood, and over the next three decades, the agency continued to evolve and expand services that would reach more and more young people in trouble with police, involved with gangs, or experiencing problems at home, in school, or in the community; and

WHEREAS, Over the next three decades, Youth in Crisis, Inc. services expanded to help teens involved with the police, street-gangs, and school truancy; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, the agency changed its name to Youth Crossroads, Inc. to better reflect the evolution of services aimed towards the prevention of problems rather than only reacting to problems that had reached crisis stage; and

WHEREAS, In 2008, Youth Crossroads, Inc. formed the Youth Leadership Program to focus on local teens; and

WHEREAS, Soon after, in 2009, Youth Crossroads, Inc. created its Community School Initiative and After-School Programs for middle school students; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, Youth Crossroads, Inc. began providing school-based counseling services to better serve youth; and

WHEREAS, In 2022, Youth Crossroads, Inc. relaunched community-based services to reach youth outside of school districts; the agency created a workforce development program designed to give high school students and young adults the introductory training they need to get good paying jobs and develop meaningful careers and began a violence prevention program to address gun violence in the community; and

WHEREAS, Since its creation, Youth Crossroads, Inc. has served tens of thousands of youth and their families from Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, and neighboring towns and has partnered with more than 100 community organizations to create a network of referral sources to address the complex issues confronting youth and families; and

WHEREAS, Today, Youth Crossroads, Inc. offers community youth opportunities to heal, grow, lead, and thrive; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Youth Crossroads, Inc. on its 50th anniversary and for providing culturally competent and free services to at-risk youth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Youth Crossroads, Inc. as a symbol of our respect and esteem.