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92_HR0915
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to recognize milestone events in
4 the lives of the citizens of the State of Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Mrs. Delores Holmes has dedicated over thirty
6 years to the well-being of the residents of the City of
7 Evanston; and
8 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes began her dedication to social
9 services in 1971 as the Family Activities Coordinator for the
10 Community Economic Development Association (CEDA) until 1976;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes has served as Director of Programs
13 for Family Focus/Our Place in Evanston since 1976 and has
14 served as Director of the Weissbourd-Holmes Community Center
15 since 1983; and
16 WHEREAS, Family Focus has expanded its programming to
17 address the changing needs of the community, starting as an
18 adult parenting program and expanding to teen pregnancy
19 support services and a prevention program for young people;
20 and
21 WHEREAS, Family Focus has touched the lives of thousands
22 of young people in the City of Evanston and has been a second
23 family and a source of stability and strength for children
24 and teenagers; and
25 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes managed Family Focus/Our Place's
26 growth and relocation from the organization's first site at
27 Miller School to the Weissbourd-Holmes Community Center,
28 located at Foster School; and
29 WHEREAS, Under the direction of Mrs. Holmes, the
30 Weissbourd-Holmes Community Center has become home to
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1 numerous community organizations, including Connections for
2 the Homeless, PEER Services, Foster Reading Center, the Youth
3 Services Bureau of the Evanston Police Department, the
4 Alternative School for School District 65, Christ Temple
5 Missionary Baptist Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the
6 Fleetwood-Jourdain Theater, Teen Baby Nursery, and the
7 Children's School and is a meeting place for countless
8 community organizations; and
9 WHEREAS, Family Focus/Our Place has served as an anchor
10 both in the Fifth Ward of Evanston and throughout the entire
11 community; and
12 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes has received much well-deserved
13 recognition for her commitment to the young people of the
14 City of Evanston, including the Dr. Martin Luther King
15 Excellence in Community Leadership Award from the Minority
16 Economic Resource Corporation, the Jay Moore Award from Youth
17 Organization Umbrella, Inc. (YOU), the William E. Harper
18 Award for Exceptional Leadership from the Evanston YMCA, the
19 Frances P. Rohlen Award from the Chicago Foundation of Women,
20 the Unsung Heroine Award from Women in Charge, the
21 Certificate of Achievement from WMAQ-TV Channel 5, the
22 Outstanding Leadership Award from NBD Bank, the "As They Grow
23 Award" from Parent Magazine, the "Black History In The Making
24 Award" from Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the Certificate of
25 Recognition from the Evanston Police Department, the Woman of
26 the Year Award from the Zonta Club of Evanston, the Justin
27 Wynn Award for Services on Behalf of Evanston Youth, and the
28 Staff Person of the Year Award from Head Start Illinois; and
29 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes has been honored by many
30 organizations for her commitment to the young people of
31 Evanston, including the NAACP, Ebenezer AME Church, Giving
32 Tree, the Chessman Club, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the
33 Evanston Family Reunion Club, Ounce of Prevention, the Second
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1 Baptist Church of Evanston, the North Shore-Chicago Chapter
2 of Top Ladies of Distinction, the National Organization on
3 Adolescence Pregnancy Parenting, the Delta Chi Omega Chapter
4 of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Project High School Community
5 Day Care, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, the
6 Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, and the Workforce
7 Development Board; and
8 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes attended National College of
9 Education in Evanston, Evanston Township High School (ETHS),
10 Haven Junior High School, and Foster Elementary School and
11 has since committed her professional life to giving back to
12 the community; and
13 WHEREAS, Mrs. Holmes, in her example of unselfish
14 leadership and dedication, has served as a role model for the
15 young people with whom she has worked, as well as other
16 community leaders; and
17 WHEREAS, After many years of selfless service to the
18 community, Mrs. Delores Holmes is retiring as Director of
19 Family Focus/Our Place and the Weissbourd-Holmes Community
20 Center; and
21 WHEREAS, In her retirement, Mrs. Holmes will focus on
22 developing a project to promote parental and teen education
23 in the Republic of Ghana; therefore, be it
24 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
25 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
26 we congratulate and thank Mrs. Delores Holmes for her
27 dedication to service in the name of the young people and the
28 residents of the City of Evanston; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
30 presented to Mrs. Delores Holmes as an expression of our
31 esteem.
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