HR1152 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1152 LRB094 20190 HSS 58013 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives congratulate Warren Special Recreation Association in Warren Township on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Association is comprised of four member districts represented by board members Suzanne Simpson, Warren Township; Maureen Jekot, Wildwood Park District; Linda Anderson, Grandwood Park District; and Lisa Sheppard, Gurnee Park District; Brenda Zeck is the Executive Director; and

WHEREAS, The Association began operations in 1981 and was formally known as the Special Recreation Association of Warren-Zion (SRAWZ) and housed at Viking Park in Gurnee; in 1983, with the cooperation of the member districts and volunteers from the Gagewood Lions club, a 5000-square-foot therapeutic playground was built, the first of its kind in the Northeast Illinois region; the Association's name changed to Warren Special Recreation Association (WSRA) on May 1, 1985; the Association moved to the loft of a remodeled barn on the 80-acre grounds of the Warren Township Center; in 1997 with the generous donation of $100,000 from the Gagewood Lions Club, WSRA moved into the remodeled farm house at Warren Township Center; and

WHEREAS, The Association provides community recreation services to individuals with disabilities who reside within Warren Township, which encompasses seven municipalities, 36 square miles, and has a population of 65,000; and

WHEREAS, Warren Special Recreation Association has experienced significant growth in terms of enrollment, recreation programs, and services; one of the challenges in meeting the needs of the community comes in controlling costs while expanding services; the Association has successfully maintained a balanced budget for 25 years while seeing enrollment climb from 15 participants in 1981 to more than 100 in the current year; the Association currently has four full-time Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists and 60 part-time staff; and

WHEREAS, The Association continues to focus its efforts on assisting individuals with disabilities and their families; WSRA staff stay abreast of the latest techniques in implementing quality recreation programs in an enjoyable and safe environment; WSRA programming changes with the needs of its participants and their families; in the past year there were 170 programs offered; a few of these program offerings include camps, special events, weekly programs, socials, after school club, and Special Olympics; and

WHEREAS, WSRA continues to partner and work collaboratively with its member districts, other special recreation associations, the Special Education District of Lake County, local school districts, and community organizations; and

WHEREAS, While the Association has accumulated awards and acknowledgements during the past 25 years for excellent programs, safety records, brochures, staff, and participant achievements, there is still much to accomplish in the future; the Association has had community and member district support over the past 25 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Warren Special Recreation Association for 25 years of excellence and dedication; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Warren Special Recreation Association as an expression of our esteem.