HR0748 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0748 LRB103 39652 LAW 70019 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Raul I. Raymundo on the occasion of being named a 2024 Lincoln Laureate of the Order of Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, Established in 1964, the Order of Lincoln is the State's highest civilian honor for professional achievement and public service, honoring Illinois residents whose work uplifts every community in the State; and

WHEREAS, Raul I. Raymundo, an immigrant born in Mexico and raised in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, has long understood the challenges and strengths of working-class and immigrant families; through his financial acumen and leadership, he has been instrumental in revitalizing the Pilsen neighborhood through his work as CEO and co-founder of The Resurrection Project (TRP), a nonprofit organization that has aimed to build wealth in the neighborhood through connecting residents with low-interest loans and building affordable housing units since its inception in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Raul Raymundo earned his Bachelor of Arts from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1988 before returning to the Pilsen neighborhood, where he co-founded the TRP with a seed capital of $30,000 from six Chicago-area parishes in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Under Raul Raymundo's leadership, the TRP has leveraged its initial funds into more than $800 million in community investments, positively benefiting countless individuals throughout the western suburbs and the city's southwest side through the development of more than 1,000 units of affordable housing in addition to immigration legal clinics, early childhood centers, senior satellite centers, community resource centers, and a charter school serving thousands of families; through his guidance, the nonprofit has become one of the region's most creative and effective social impact organizations today; and

WHEREAS, Raul Raymundo remains an active civic leader and mentor, co-founding several local and national organizations and serving as a trustee for his alma mater, Carleton College; he has given his time to several organizations and boards, often in leadership positions, including the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), the Illinois Justice Project, Illinois Latino Agenda, the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), the St. Anthony Hospital Ministry Board, Start Early, and United Power for Action and Justice; he has also served on the advisory boards of several financial institutions, including BMO, CIBC, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, and local divisions of Self-Help Federal Credit Union; and

WHEREAS, Raul Raymundo and his fellow 2024 Lincoln Laureates join more than 350 distinguished Illinois residents of the Order of Lincoln since its inception, and they will be honored at the 60th annual Convocation and Investiture at the Chicago History Museum on April 13, 2024; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Raul I. Raymundo on being named a 2024 Lincoln Laureate of the Order of Lincoln, and we recognize his service and dedication to the residents of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Raul Raymundo as an expression of our esteem and respect.