HR1465 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1465 LRB095 22115 GRL 52401 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Home Instead Senior Care and partners from various non-profit agencies and businesses that provide services to senior adults throughout the year combine their efforts every year for the "Be a Santa to a Senior" community service program; and

WHEREAS, The volunteers of the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program make a positive impact on their communities by providing much-needed holiday cheer and giving of gifts to those senior adults who are least likely to receive presents during the holiday season and for those who are lonely or have financial difficulties; and

WHEREAS, The "Be a Santa to a Senior" program and its volunteers donate their valuable time to eliminate the heartbreak of holiday isolation felt by senior adults in this State; nearly 28 percent of the 1,532,373 people over the age of 65 in Illinois live alone, with 441,869 total senior adults at risk of being lonely; these people can benefit from the generous outreach efforts of the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program; and

WHEREAS, Home Instead Senior Care and the partners involved with "Be a Santa to a Senior" share the belief that senior adults should not be alone or forgotten during the holidays and that senior adults are instrumental in defining the communities we live in; and

WHEREAS, The participants in the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program intend to recognize and celebrate our senior adults and the invaluable contributions they continue to make to our cities, this State, and the world at large; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of the State of Illinois recognize that our diverse population is committed to improving the well-being and serenity of our communities, as well as placing a greater focus on our lonely elders through the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate and thank the members of the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program for its contributions to the senior adults of this State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we designate the month of December 2008 as Be a Santa to a Senior Month in the State of Illinois in recognition of this wonderful program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to a representative of the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program as a symbol of our esteem and respect.