HR0384 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0384 LRB097 12065 GRL 55869 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The West Suburban Special Recreation Association exists to provide recreation and leisure services for the residents of the WSSRA partners who have a disability; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur has contributed 28 years of service to its participants, families, staff, and board members; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur has been an integral part of the growth of WSSRA since its inception in 1976; during her tenure, the association has grown from two districts, the River Forest Park District and the Park District of Oak Park, to include the Park Districts of North Berwyn, Berwyn, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Norridge, Clyde, Hawthorne, and Harwood Heights; during this time, the association's participation in programs grew and support staff were recruited, trained, and hired by Gbur to provide direct support to the participants in the Association's year-round programs; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, Sandra Gbur returned to WSSRA to replace John McGovern as the association's Executive Director; she brought with her a historical record of the beginnings of WSSRA and was motivated to assist the Board and staff in providing quality therapeutic recreation to individuals of all ages and ability levels; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur assisted in the growth of Lekotek, a play intervention program and toy-lending library that sets WSSRA apart from its peers; she received the National Lekotek Foundation Founder's Award in 2004 in recognition of her work to promote this wonderful play-based program; she remains an advocate of Lekotek, especially this last year, as the State of Illinois has reduced funding for the program; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Gbur assisted in the development of many cooperative events that connected the WSSRA communities, participants, and families to be a part of the WSSRA family, including the eight-year run of the Fairy Tale trail-accessible Halloween house, where she could be found announcing, directing, or dressing as one of the 16 costume characters; the 13-year run of the Wacky Quacky Duck Splash, where she could be found recruiting at local parades with the duck mascot at her side; and the Derby Gala, one of WSSRA's most successful fundraising events, where Sandy could be found donning the latest fashionable Derby hat while raising over $300,000 in the 10-year history of the event; and

WHEREAS, When Sandra Gbur's parents passed away, she created and made the first contribution to an endowment administered by the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation in her parents' memory; the Flo and Jo Murray Endowment provides funding to the West Suburban Special Recreation Foundation on an ongoing basis; the funds assist WSSRA in serving persons with disabilities of all ages in recreation programs; and

WHEREAS, During her 35 years in the field of therapeutic recreation, which includes her 28 years of service to WSSRA, Sandra Gbur promoted the profession and advocated for its growth through her work with the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Section of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA); in 1992, she received the "IPRA President's Award"; she was the recipient of the ITRS "Distinguished Service Award" in 2002 and the ITRS Director's Award in 2006; she has also served as president of the Special Recreation Association of Northern Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, Sandra Gbur and her colleagues became a driving force in the passage of Senate Bill 1881, which affords every Special Recreation Association in Illinois the ability to increase their taxing power and provide more recreation services for persons with disabilities across the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Sandra Gbur for her 28 years of service to the WSSRA Board of Directors, congratulate her for her 22 years of dedicated service as the board's Executive Director, and thank her for her ongoing commitment to the recreational interests of those with special needs in Forest Park, Berwyn, Cicero, Elmwood Park, Harwood Heights, Franklin Park, Norridge, Oak Park, and River Forest; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sandra Gbur as a symbol of our esteem and respect.