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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization | ||||||
| 3 | officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic after the virus spread | ||||||
| 4 | to 114 countries; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, The impact of the pandemic has been felt | ||||||
| 6 | globally, with over seven million deaths worldwide, including | ||||||
| 7 | more than 1,220,000 in the United States, 42,000 in Illinois, | ||||||
| 8 | and 8,000 in the City of Chicago; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, This unprecedented event touched every citizen | ||||||
| 10 | and nation on Earth, excluding no one and resulting in shared | ||||||
| 11 | pain, loss, and challenges; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Communities of color and socioeconomically | ||||||
| 13 | disadvantaged populations were disproportionately impacted by | ||||||
| 14 | the higher degree of suffering caused by the pandemic; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, The COVID-19 Memorial Monument Project is a | ||||||
| 16 | collective effort involving various organizations and | ||||||
| 17 | volunteers working to build a mission of honor, remembrance, | ||||||
| 18 | and resilience; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, This project is led by the COVID-19 Monument | ||||||
| 20 | Commission under the aegis of the Hektoen Institute of | ||||||
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| 1 | Medicine in collaboration with the Illinois Medical District | ||||||
| 2 | (IMD); and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, The Hektoen Institute has been a vital health | ||||||
| 4 | service and research organization for Chicago, addressing | ||||||
| 5 | mental health and substance use and serving as a leader in | ||||||
| 6 | hiring the city's COVID-19 contact tracers; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The chosen site for the physical monument is the | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois Medical District in Chicago, one of the nation's | ||||||
| 9 | largest urban medical districts, which serves as a hub for | ||||||
| 10 | premier hospitals and medical research; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, The Global COVID-19 Monument was designed by | ||||||
| 12 | Sculpture Professor Casey Schachner, whose winning concept | ||||||
| 13 | utilizes the dandelion to symbolize both the virus's form and | ||||||
| 14 | the metaphysical notions of resilience and rebirth; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, The monument will serve as a permanent virtual | ||||||
| 16 | and physical platform accessible 24/7, providing a space to | ||||||
| 17 | memorialize those lost, honor frontline and essential workers, | ||||||
| 18 | and celebrate the resilience of humanity; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The project aims to unveil this major outdoor | ||||||
| 20 | public sculpture and park in the Fall of 2026 to serve as a | ||||||
| 21 | site for education and preparation for future pandemics; | ||||||
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| 1 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we commend the efforts of the COVID-19 Monument Commission and | ||||||
| 5 | the Hektoen Institute of Medicine for their work on the Global | ||||||
| 6 | COVID-19 Monument Project; and be it further | ||||||
| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the COVID-19 Monument Commission as a symbol of | ||||||
| 9 | our respect and esteem for their dedication to honoring those | ||||||
| 10 | who served their communities throughout the pandemic and | ||||||
| 11 | remembering those we lost. | ||||||