HR0617 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0617 LRB095 12801 KXB 38191 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the Antioch Lions Club on the 70th anniversary of the service organization; and

WHEREAS, The Antioch Lions Club is celebrating seventy years of service to the community of Antioch and the surrounding area; the club was organized on July 16, 1937 under the leadership of Edmund Vos; today the Antioch Lions Club exceeds 120 members, making it one of the largest Clubs in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The objectives of the Antioch Lions Club are to advance the civic and general interest of the Village of Antioch and the Chain of Lakes Region, to uphold the principles of good government, and to encourage the application of the highest standards in business, commerce, and industry by the exchange of ideas and methods; and

WHEREAS, The Lions Club took the Antioch Rescue Squad under its wing; the Rescue Squad was started in 1939 by three volunteer firemen; by 1946 the Rescue Squad was struggling, needing both manpower and funding; Lions Club members volunteered to join the squad and began to back the Rescue Squad financially; in 1972 the Rescue Squad became the first advanced life support unit with Paramedics to be certified in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Each Thanksgiving and again at Christmas the Lions Club distributes food baskets to needy families; the Antioch Lions Club has helped serve the needs of the visually impaired, with thousands of dollars spent annually for eye examinations, eye glasses, visual tech machines, guide dogs for the blind, the eye research center, and institutions such as the Hadley School for the Blind and CRIS Radio; and

WHEREAS, Two days each fall the Lions are out on street corners for "Candy Days for Humanitarian Services"; candy sales go to help the hearing impaired, the blind, people with diabetes, drug abuse programs, and many other service areas; and

WHEREAS, In addition, the Antioch Lions Club have donated $20,000 to the Antioch Rescue Squad for their new truck chassis; the Club donated $15,000 to the Antioch Centennial Playground project for the purchase of wood chip safety ground cover; the Club collects over 500 used eyeglasses annually that are sent to the Lions of Illinois Foundation; three truckloads of food, clothing, and hygiene products were collected and driven to the victims of Hurricane Katrina; and each year the Antioch Lions award scholarships to Antioch students and have done so for more than fifty years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of the Antioch Lions Club on their celebration of seventy years of service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the members of the Antioch Lions Club as a symbol of our respect.