HR0779 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0779 LRB102 26968 LAW 38182 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Jaime Garcia on the occasion of his retirement as executive director of the Centro de Información; and

WHEREAS, Centro de Información, a not-for-profit social services agency, has been serving the Hispanic community in and around Elgin for 50 years; the agency provides immigration and naturalization services, employment aid, parenting skills classes, an emergency food pantry, educational seminars, and additional services to the Kane County area; and

WHEREAS, Jaime Garcia has been involved with the Centro de Información since its inception on March 21, 1972; while working part-time with the United Methodist churches in Elgin, he partnered with Reverend Ivan Rivera of the St. Joseph Catholic Church to pool resources and start an organization to assist the estimated 5,000 Latinos living in the Elgin area at the time; their then all-volunteer organization opened with no funding in a small, one-room office offered to them by Club Guadalupano in what is now the Elgin Senior Services building; their organization opened every Tuesday afternoon and evening, offering information, referrals, and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, Jaime Garcia has served the Centro de Información in every capacity, as a volunteer for 35 years and as executive director for the past 15 years; during his tenure, the Centro de Información has grown to include 16 paid staff members, a budget of more than $1 million, and three offices located in Elgin, Carpentersville, and Hanover Park; since taking the reins as executive director, the agency has assisted approximately 150,000 individuals; and

WHEREAS, Jaime Garcia will retire on June 30, 2022; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Jaime Garcia on his retirement from the Centro de Información, recognize his commitment to the Kane County community and the State of Illinois, and wish him success in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jaime Garcia as an expression of our esteem and respect.