HR0255 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0255 LRB097 11440 KXB 53900 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the people who have worked to give the Peace Corner Youth Center its own building; and

WHEREAS, The Peace Corner Youth Center is dedicated to reaching out to all those in need; the Peace Corner Youth Center is supported by the Comboni Missionaries; their mission is to serve youth in need, those released from the detention centers, and those in trouble, with no distinction of faith, race, and background; and

WHEREAS, The Peace Corner Youth Center is a drop-in center for young people on Chicago's West Side; the Peace Corner opened in January of 2002 to provide neighborhood youth with a safe place to gather, do their homework, and participate in various recreation and learning activities; the Peace Corner is open Monday through Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m and is a welcoming and caring environment within a neighborhood characterized by crime and violence; and

WHEREAS, The Peace Corner tries to provide a safe space that is open to everyone in the neighborhood; regular participants have attachments to no less than five different gangs, yet there has never been a fight inside the facility; instead, several instances of peace and reconciliation have occurred through the mediation of Peace Corner staff; and

WHEREAS, The activities of the Peace Corner are aimed at accomplishing the following closely related goals: to provide a safe haven and neutral ground for young people living in a neighborhood characterized by gang violence and drug use; create a sense of belonging and community for young people as a potent alternative to the lure of street life and gang membership; and to instill self-esteem and pride of accomplishment by endowing young people with responsibility and "ownership" of the Peace Corner; and

WHEREAS, On April 9, 2011, the Peace Corner Youth Center will celebrate the grand opening of its new building, the first to be owned by the Peace Corner Youth Center; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the people of the Peace Corner Youth Center as they prepare to open their new building, and we thank them for their hard work and dedication; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the people who make up the Peace Corner Youth Center, as a symbol of our respect and esteem, for the work they are putting into the youth of Chicago.