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HR0980 |
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LRB093 22264 HSS 51267 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the |
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| State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the central |
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| Illinois chapter of the National Association of Women Business |
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| Owners on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1979, it was difficult to get funding or |
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| respect as a female business owner; because of these |
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| challenges, the central Illinois chapter of the National |
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| Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) was formed in |
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| Peoria; founder Charleen Bowe and other women combed through |
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| the city directory for women business owners to invite to the |
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| introductory meeting on September 19, 1979; the meeting was |
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| packed; for many years, Peoria was the smallest city to have a |
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| chapter of NAWBO; and
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| WHEREAS, Today, more than 10.1 million firms are at least |
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| 50% owned by a woman or women; between 1997 and 2002, the |
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| number of women-owned employer firms grew by 37%, four times |
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| the rate of all employer firms; and
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| WHEREAS, While the tide has changed in business in 25 |
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| years, there is still much work for NAWBO to do; the |
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| organization offers a wealth of resources for women in |
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| business, from networking and conferences to workshops and |
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| seminars geared specifically to women; over the years, NAWBO |
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| has served as a national lobbying force to bring women more |
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| equal access to credit, since one of the biggest obstacles for |
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| women interested in becoming business owners is finding |
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| financing; and
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| WHEREAS, On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, the central Illinois |
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| chapter of NAWBO celebrated the organization's 25th |
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| anniversary; therefore, be it
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