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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to recognize Michele "Mickey" Haldeman on | ||||||
| 4 | her commitment to foster care through her work with SOS | ||||||
| 5 | Children's Villages Illinois; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Founded over 30 years ago, SOS Children's | ||||||
| 7 | Villages Illinois is an award-winning, non-profit organization | ||||||
| 8 | that strives to keep siblings together while providing an | ||||||
| 9 | individual licensed home in a supportive, community | ||||||
| 10 | environment that marshals all the resources needed to help | ||||||
| 11 | at-risk youth in foster care heal and achieve their permanency | ||||||
| 12 | goals; the non-profit currently operates four sites, three | ||||||
| 13 | Villages that provide sibling group foster care, located in | ||||||
| 14 | Lockport and the Auburn Gresham and the Roosevelt Square | ||||||
| 15 | Community neighborhoods of Chicago, and the Casa Tepeyac | ||||||
| 16 | facility that offers preventative and in-home services, which | ||||||
| 17 | is located in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago; | ||||||
| 18 | and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, Mickey Haldeman was the very first foster parent | ||||||
| 20 | to serve SOS Children's Villages Illinois; her journey began | ||||||
| 21 | with a deep-seated love for children, first manifested through | ||||||
| 22 | babysitting and later while working as a daycare director; she | ||||||
| 23 | joined SOS Children's Villages after responding to an | ||||||
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| 1 | advertisement for a foster parent position with the | ||||||
| 2 | organization in Wisconsin; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, For over three decades, Mickey Haldeman has | ||||||
| 4 | served as a caregiver to over 40 children, adopting two of her | ||||||
| 5 | own; she has operated out of the organization's Lockport | ||||||
| 6 | Village, where she has raised many children from infancy to | ||||||
| 7 | adulthood; as trends in foster care have progressed towards a | ||||||
| 8 | model of permanency, she has continued her work as a nurturer | ||||||
| 9 | of sibling groups and as a leader within the organization's | ||||||
| 10 | community; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Mickey Haldeman has brought stability and love to | ||||||
| 12 | the children in her care through her unwavering commitment to | ||||||
| 13 | foster care, and the nurturing environment she has established | ||||||
| 14 | has allowed these children to heal, grow, and thrive; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, Mickey Haldeman's dedication and compassionate | ||||||
| 16 | approach have profoundly impacted the lives of many children, | ||||||
| 17 | and she has been noted for exuding understanding and patience | ||||||
| 18 | in the course of her duties as a foster parent; therefore, be | ||||||
| 19 | it | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 21 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 22 | we recognize Michele "Mickey" Haldeman on her commitment to | ||||||
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| 1 | foster care through her work with SOS Children's Villages | ||||||
| 2 | Illinois, and we thank her for her continued service in caring | ||||||
| 3 | for at-risk children in the State of Illinois; and be it | ||||||
| 4 | further | ||||||
| 5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 6 | presented to Mickey Haldeman as an expression of our esteem | ||||||
| 7 | and respect. | ||||||