SR0399 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0399 LRB101 12102 ALS 59656 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Arnetha Gholston of Chicago, who passed away on February 14, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was born on July 15, 1958; she was raised in rural Alabama and on Chicago's West Side; her first teacher and mentor was her mother, Amanda Gholston, who instilled in her the tenets of hard work, religion, family values, and taking care of those in need in the neighborhood; she was educated in the Chicago public schools; she earned her certification as a paralegal from Roosevelt University and her associate's degree from Kennedy-King Jr. College; she graduated from the Illinois Metropolitan School of Business; she earned her recreational pilot license from Griffin Aviation School of Flying and also had her real estate license, loan officer license, and State of Illinois Food Handlers Sanitation License; she was a first aid mental health specialist and received a certification for working with veterans with PTSD through the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI); and

WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston began working in the family real estate business at a young age, where she learned the value of owning property; with a partner, she opened a floor maintenance service company and hired many of the people from her neighborhood; she opened a business incubator, offering mentoring and space for people interested in developing their businesses; and

WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston became interested in the plight of veterans after meeting her husband and partner, Daniel B. Habeel, a devoted Muslim and disabled veteran; she worked with him to develop the Muslim American Veteran Association (MAVA) and the Auxiliary of the organization, where she became the first National Auxiliary Commander; and

WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was the Executive Director and co-founder of the RTW Veteran Center, where she worked alongside her husband; the veteran center was labeled the "Miracle of 55th Street" by one reporter, and as she continued her work, she became known as the "Mother Theresa of 55th Street"; one of the center's most popular programs was the soup kitchen, known as "Ms. Arnetha's Kitchen," where she worked as many as 15 hours a day, seven days a week, preparing meals, serving homeless veterans and others breakfast, lunch, and dinner; during her time at the center, she served over 300,000 meals; and

WHEREAS, As a community activist, Arnetha Gholston belonged to many organizations and received awards and honors from a variety of groups, including the Muslim community; she was invited to participate and to speak at many different events and institutions, including the United Nations; and

WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was a devoted mother to her two children and embraced and loved all six of her husband's children; she was a grandmother to nine grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Arnetha Gholston and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Arnetha Gholston as an expression of our deepest sympathy.