HR0009 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0009 LRB096 03360 GRL 13381 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the staff and administration of The Hope Center in Albion on the occasion of being selected as a 2008 Governor's Home Town Award winner; and

WHEREAS, The Governor's Home Town Awards are given to recognize individuals and groups that unselfishly give to others in order to make their communities better and stronger, instill pride in their neighborhoods, and improve the overall quality of life; after a rigorous judging process of reviewing and ranking applications based on local need, volunteer participation, project continuity, and results, only 49 projects were selected as Governor's Home Town Award winners; and

WHEREAS, The Hope Center in Albion is a Christian resource center that is operated by volunteers and is supported by community donations; with many rural Americans facing challenges in getting needed services, the volunteers of the Hope Center saw a need in their community; and

WHEREAS, The Hope Center's main building was bought by the Smith family, who originally had the idea of starting a teen center there; the center's goals, however, soon grew to more comprehensive community services; today, the center provides food, clothing, household items, education, and pregnancy counseling services to those in need, among many other services; and

WHEREAS, The Hope Center has over 50 families involved in their Beacon of Hope Mentoring program, a program for children in White, Wayne, and Edwards Counties whose parent or parents are incarcerated; and

WHEREAS, The Hope Center also collects new and good used toys for the Feed the Family program, which will provide Christmas food and toys for over 70 area families; and

WHEREAS, The Hope Center's message of charity and compassion is worthy of the greatest respect of both this august body and the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the staff and administration of The Hope Center in Albion for winning a 2008 Governor's Home Town Award and wish them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to a representative of The Hope Center as a symbol of our esteem and respect.