Full Text of HR0413 102nd General Assembly
HR0413 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the citizens of Rockford
| 4 | | and Ferentino, Italy on the occasion of the 15th anniversary | 5 | | of their sister city partnership; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Rockford has a substantial Italian American | 7 | | population that celebrates its ancestral heritage,
including | 8 | | many families and individuals that tie their ancestral roots | 9 | | to Ferentino, an ancient hill
town southeast of Rome; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Immigrants to Rockford from Ferentino founded the | 11 | | Society of Saint Ambrogio Martyr
Mutual Benefit Society (Saint | 12 | | Ambrogio Society) in 1918, which is still in active operation | 13 | | today; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Efforts to create an Italian sister city to | 15 | | Rockford began in 2005 through family ties
between the | 16 | | DeCastris and Giorgi families in both Rockford and Ferentino, | 17 | | leading to robust community
efforts to formalize the lasting | 18 | | connections that have linked the people of Rockford and | 19 | | Ferentino for over
a century; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, The Italian Sister City Committee was formed in | 21 | | Rockford in 2005 to facilitate the
ongoing communication |
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| 1 | | between citizens and officials from Rockford and Ferentino to | 2 | | promote and
support a sister city agreement between the two | 3 | | cities; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, A delegation of nine public officials from the | 5 | | Ferentino City Council and the Pro Loco
Association visited | 6 | | Rockford for a week in May 2006, where they took part in | 7 | | several official meetings and
activities that culminated in | 8 | | the signing of a sister city agreement by Mayor Larry | 9 | | Morrissey of Rockford
and Mayor Piergianni Fiorletta of | 10 | | Ferentino at Rockford City Hall on May 15, 2006; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Italian sister city activities have included | 12 | | international exchanges, student pen pal
programs, peace pole | 13 | | installations in Rockford and Ferentino, gift exchanges, | 14 | | creation of the Italian Sister
City garden and plaque at | 15 | | Rockford's Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza, participation in the | 16 | | Rockford Sister
Cities Advisory Commission, and cultural | 17 | | displays at the Rockford and Ferentino City Halls,
and at | 18 | | Rockford's Festa Italiana, Midway Village Museum, and Ethnic | 19 | | Heritage Museum; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The 15th anniversary of this historic event is | 21 | | being celebrated this year with several
commemorative | 22 | | activities undertaken by the Rockford Italian Sister Cities | 23 | | Alliance (RISCA)
in conjunction with the Greater Rockford |
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| 1 | | Italian American Association (GRIAA); therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 4 | | we congratulate the citizens of Rockford and Ferentino, Italy | 5 | | on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of their sister city | 6 | | partnership; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to the cities of Rockford and Ferentino
and | 9 | | representatives of the RISCA and GRIAA organizations as an | 10 | | expression of our esteem and respect.
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