HR0913 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0913 LRB098 20586 GRL 56871 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Mary Werderitch on the occasion of her retirement from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance; and

WHEREAS, Mary Werderitch began her career as Executive Director of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance in 1993; and

WHEREAS, Mary Werderitch has worked tireless for 20 years to make "Camp I Am Me" one of the top children's camps in the nation; she has enhanced the lives of more than 1,000 children who otherwise would not have been able to experience the opportunity to be comfortable being themselves in such a fun and loving environment; and

WHEREAS, Mary Werderitch's leadership has inspired many former campers to become camp counselors and advocates for burn prevention once they reach adulthood; and

WHEREAS, Through Mary Werderitch's efforts as Chair of the State Fair Committee for the Illinois Fire Services Association, she was able to help educate thousands of families who came to the Fair every summer on the dangers of fireworks and the importance of fire safety; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of children were able to learn more about fire safety every October through the Newspapers in Education Program that Mary Werderitch helped to develop in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times; and

WHEREAS, During Mary Werderitch's tenure, various burn prevention programs were initiated, such as "Bath Buddy Thermometers", the Farm/Rural/Wildlife Fire Safety Guide, "A Sparkler Story DVD", and the Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Program; and

WHEREAS, In preparation for the 4th of July holiday, Mary Werderitch often worked with the City of Chicago to help educate the public on the dangers of sparklers (which are banned in the City of Chicago) and fireworks (which are banned statewide); therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Mary Werderitch on the occasion of her retirement from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, thank her for her service and commitment to burn survivors and her work on burn prevention, and wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors; and be it further

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