Full Text of HR1169 98th General Assembly
HR1169 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Approximately 6.5 million people in the United | 3 | | States and 1% of the global population have an intellectual | 4 | | disability; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, In the 1950s and early 1960s, Eunice Kennedy | 6 | | Shriver saw how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual | 7 | | disabilities were treated and saw that many children with | 8 | | intellectual disabilities didn't even have a place to play; | 9 | | deciding to take action, she held a summer day camp for young | 10 | | people with intellectual disabilities in her backyard in order | 11 | | to learn what these children could do in sports and other | 12 | | activities and not dwell on what they could not do; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Throughout the 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver | 14 | | continued her pioneering work, both as the driving force behind | 15 | | President John F. Kennedy's White House panel on people with | 16 | | intellectual disabilities and as the director of the Joseph P. | 17 | | Kennedy, Jr. Foundation; her vision and drive for justice | 18 | | eventually grew into the Special Olympics movement; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The Special Olympics strives to create a better | 20 | | world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people; | 21 | | through the power of sports, people with intellectual | 22 | | disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and |
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| 1 | | success and find joy, confidence and fulfillment on the playing | 2 | | field and in life; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The Special Olympics hosts a wide range of | 4 | | training sessions, competitions, health screenings, and | 5 | | fund-raising events for those with intellectual disabilities; | 6 | | the organization also creates opportunities for families, | 7 | | community members, local leaders, businesses, law enforcement, | 8 | | celebrities, dignitaries, and others to band together to change | 9 | | attitudes and support athletes; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Anne McGlone Burke, then a Chicago Park District | 11 | | instructor at West Pullman Park, received support from Mayor | 12 | | Richard J. Daley to pursue her vision to organize an event | 13 | | showcasing the abilities of her athletes; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, On July 19-20, 1968, the first International | 15 | | Special Olympics Summer Games were held at Soldier Field in | 16 | | Chicago; a thousand people with intellectual disabilities from | 17 | | 26 U.S. states and Canada competed in track and field and | 18 | | swimming; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, The Special Olympics mission of empowering those | 20 | | with intellectual disabilities though sport remains as vital | 21 | | today as it did when the movement was founded; the athletes, | 22 | | administration, and countless volunteers of the Special |
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| 1 | | Olympics are worthy of the greatest respect; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 3 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 4 | | we designate July of 2014 as Special Olympics Month in the | 5 | | State of Illinois in honor of this great organization and its | 6 | | goals; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to the Special Olympics as a symbol of our esteem and | 9 | | respect.
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