093_HR0305

 
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 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, On Labor Day 1992, Christina Jean Spizzirri  was
 3    involved in a fatal car accident in Illinois; and

 4        WHEREAS,  The  first  people  to arrive at the scene were
 5    local  police  officers  who  waited  for  emergency  medical
 6    service personnel to administer first aid; and

 7        WHEREAS, Despite her  injuries,  Christina's  life  might
 8    have  been saved if prompt basic first aid had been rendered;
 9    and

10        WHEREAS, Carol Spizzirri, Christina's mother,  discovered
11    that there were no requirements for police, firefighters, 911
12    dispatchers,  school  teachers,  coaches,  and  other  public
13    servants to be trained in lifesaving skills in Illinois; and

14        WHEREAS,  Eager  to  prevent  this tragedy from happening
15    again, Carol Spizzirri founded the Save A Life Foundation  in
16    1992; and

17        WHEREAS, The Save A Life Foundation is an internationally
18    recognized not-for-profit foundation that is headquartered in
19    Chicago, Illinois, with branches throughout the United States
20    that   is   dedicated  to  the  promotion  and  education  of
21    life-supporting first aid; and

22        WHEREAS, The Save A Life Foundation has grown to  include
23    a  team of dedicated volunteers who promote Carol Spizzirri's
24    lifesaving mission, and the Save A  Life  Foundation  medical
25    advisory  board  includes  Dr.  Henry Heimlich, father of the
26    Heimlich maneuver and head of  the  Heimlich  Institute,  Dr.
27    Peter  Safar,  developer of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
28    the  head  of  the  Safar  Research  Center  in   Pittsburgh,
29    Pennsylvania,  and  Dr.  Stanley  Zydlo,  father of emergency
30    medical services and Save A Life's medical director; and
 
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 1        WHEREAS, Working with emergency  medical  services,  fire
 2    departments  and  schools,  the  Save  A  Life Foundation has
 3    trained more than  43,000  children  in  the  Chicago  school
 4    district; and

 5        WHEREAS,  Since the foundation has experienced tremendous
 6    growth in the last ten years, it has expanded its program  of
 7    teaching  simple  basic first aid to children to a curriculum
 8    that now consists of  four  comprehensive  training  programs
 9    geared to people of all ages; and

10        WHEREAS,  The training programs are Save A Life for Kids,
11    Bystander  Basics,  Bystander   Basics   Automatic   External
12    Defibrillation, and Bystander Advanced; and

13        WHEREAS,   Carol   Spizzirri   has  worked  closely  with
14    national, State and local legislators,  heads  of  state  and
15    national   emergency   health   agencies   worldwide  and  is
16    accredited as a pre-emergency specialist,  for  her  role  in
17    developing  a  basic  system  to  train  a  critical  mass of
18    citizens in emergency preparedness; and

19        WHEREAS, Carol  Spizzirri  worked  with  Senator  Richard
20    Durbin  of  Illinois on a Federal appropriations bill to fund
21    nationwide promotions and education of life-supporting  first
22    aid skills, which President Clinton signed in 1994; and

23        WHEREAS,  Carol  Spizzirri  continues  to lead the Save A
24    Life Foundation and assists advocates in Illinois  and  other
25    states  in  the  training  of public safety professionals and
26    children in basic lifesaving emergency skills; therefore,  be
27    it

28        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
29    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
30    we honor Carol Spizzirri on her accomplishments with the Save
31    A  Life Foundation and proclaim May 18th through May 24, 2003
 
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 1    as Save A Life Week in honor of  the  foundation's  ten  year
 2    anniversary  of saving lives throughout the nation; and be it
 3    further

 4        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
 5    presented to Carol Spizzirri as expression of our respect and
 6    esteem.