HR1430 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1430 LRB095 21769 GRL 51984 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Sandra Johnson on the occasion of her retirement as Executive Director of the North Shore Senior Center (NSSC) in Northfield after 20 years of dedicated service; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Johnson began her career with the North Shore Senior Center as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker; from 1984 to 1992, she served as Director of Social Services, where she ensured that the NSSC provided a wide variety of services to seniors of all income levels and physical or mental conditions; in 1992, she was named Executive Director of the North Shore Senior Center, where she remained until her retirement; and

WHEREAS, As Executive Director of the North Shore Senior Center, Sandra Johnson has been instrumental in the growth and prosperity of the senior center; during her tenure, she has overseen a successful capital campaign and site search, which have resulted in many additions and improvements for the center, including a Fitness Center, evening and weekend programs, expanded class and workshop offerings, classrooms, offices for the center's social workers, and expanded administration and IT facilities; she then oversaw another capital campaign to combine the three Alzheimer's Day Care centers into one state-of-the-art center on the same campus as NSSC that can house 30 participants; she facilitated an alliance with the national Older Adults Service and Information System organization, which enabled NSSC to work cooperatively with the national group; she was also asked to open a new site for social services in Evanston which would serve seniors in two additional townships; and

WHEREAS, Due in part to Sandra Johnson's incredible leadership, the North Shore Senior Center was one of the first senior centers in the nation to be accredited by NISC in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Johnson has been active in numerous professional and community organizations in the Chicago area, including the Rotary Club, the Buehler Center on Aging at the Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, the United Way, the Association of Illinois Senior Centers, and the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration; nationally, she is a member of the National Council of Aging, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Society on Aging, and the National Institute of Senior Centers; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Johnson's dedication to her profession and her willingness to serve her community make her a model for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Sandra Johnson on the occasion of her retirement and wish her continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sandra Johnson as a symbol of our esteem and respect.