HR0508 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0508 LRB102 20923 ECR 29812 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo on more than 100 years of service to the community; and

WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club of Geneseo was chartered on October 22, 1920 and was sponsored by the Galesburg Kiwanis Club; of the club's 50 members, 44 members and two guests were present at the first meeting; and

WHEREAS, With the exception of a short period of five years during the depression from 1932 to 1937, Kiwanis Club of Geneseo members have met weekly over the past 100 years with the purpose of service to the community and assistance to the aging, the needy, and the youth of Geneseo; and

WHEREAS, Early projects for the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo included bicycle riding safety, kite flying contests, and old time minstrel shows; more recently, local projects, such as Swim for Fun Day at the Geneseo Pool with Kiwanis watermelon and a Kids Day Doo-Dah Parade of costumed pets, bikes, and wagons, have been popular; and

WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club of Geneseo sponsors two youth activities in the Geneseo school system, the High School Key Club, chartered in April of 1996, and the Middle School Builders Club, chartered in February of 2000; both clubs were formed to develop a sense of community service and leadership in young people; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo has supported a variety of charitable organizations, including the Children's Miracle Network, assisted seniors with completing their income tax forms, provided college scholarships for Key Club seniors, and completed volunteer work at Hammond Henry Hospital and has grown to offer 30 grants to local charities and has sponsored Boy Scout Troop 131 since its formation; and

WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Club of Geneseo has supported many of the Kiwanis International's Worldwide service projects, such as the 1994 IDD (Iodine Deficiency Disorders) $75 million campaign and the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation through an annual Bowl-A-Thon, and became a gold-level club in support of the 2010 Eliminate project; the local club is most proud of their recent community service project of doubling the size of the Geneseo Park Shelter and renaming it the Kiwanis Pavilion; and

WHEREAS, The Kiwanis Pavilion is the location of the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo's well known community wide annual July 4th "Pork in the Park" dinner; this dinner includes the Maple City Band's patriotic concert held among 900 American Flags in honor of deceased veterans; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo for making a difference in their community for over 100 years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Kiwanis Club of Geneseo as a symbol of our respect and esteem.