HR1266 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1266 LRB098 21958 GRL 60821 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Keith O. Brown on the occasion of his retirement from Community Action after 42 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown dedicated his life to fighting for social and economic justice on behalf of children and families who find themselves in the predicament of poverty; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown has taken the mission of service to heart and often has been involved in a multitude of spheres resolving the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this great nation; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown began his employment with B.C.M.W. Community Services (formerly the Kaskaskia Community Action Agency) in the spring of 1972 as a coordinator for the Neighborhood Youth Corps Program; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown became a planner for B.C.M.W. Community Services and gathered data and developed grant applications for funding at the State and federal levels; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown served as B.C.M.W. Community Services' Deputy Director from 1977 to 1997; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown served as Executive Director of B.C.M.W. Community Services from 1997 until September 5, 2014; under his leadership, the agency fought poverty and uplifted those who live on the margins of our economic system with the following programs and services: the Community Services Block Grant, Head Start, LIHEAP, Weatherization, HOME (Single Family Rehab), HTF (Energy Conservation and Home Repair Program), the Homebuyer Assistance Program, Transitional Housing, Senior Nutrition, OHS Homeless Prevention, and the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program; and

WHEREAS, Under Keith Brown's leadership as the Executive Director of B.C.M.W. Community Services, he was instrumental in negotiating the purchase of a building for the Golden Age Senior Center in Centralia, which houses the kitchen facilities for the Senior Nutrition Program and the B.C.M.W. Head Start Program, along with the senior congregate meal site; and

WHEREAS, Keith Brown has been a member of the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies' Board of Directors for over 20 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Keith O. Brown's 42 years of service to Community Action in Illinois and wish him well on his retirement and his future endeavors; and be it further

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