Full Text of HR0370 101st General Assembly
HR0370 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0370 | | LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to recognize milestone events in | 4 | | the lives of the citizens of the State of Illinois; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that Valeri DeCastris | 6 | | has been inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame by the | 7 | | Greater Rockford Italian American Association (GRIAA) in | 8 | | recognition of her dedication and service to Rockford's | 9 | | Italian-American community and her efforts at promoting and | 10 | | preserving the Italian cultural significance of South | 11 | | Rockford, the area where most early Italian immigrants settled; | 12 | | this is the organization's highest honor; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, GRIAA is a non-profit, volunteer educational | 14 | | organization that has existed for over 40 years, and its | 15 | | mission is to promote the Italian culture, sponsor social | 16 | | events and activities, and perform works of charity and | 17 | | philanthropy; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was born in Rockford to Valentino | 19 | | and Patricia Macaluso DeCastris in 1956; her father was a | 20 | | full-time professional musician, and her mother taught dance at | 21 | | Arthur Murray Studios; her paternal grandparents immigrated | 22 | | from Rockford's sister city of Ferentino, Italy; they lived in |
| | | HR0370 | - 2 - | LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r |
|
| 1 | | South Rockford next to the childhood home of the late | 2 | | Representative E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi, Rockford's longtime State | 3 | | Representative with whom she had family ties; her maternal | 4 | | grandparents were of Sicilian origin and part of the great U.S. | 5 | | migration northward from the south, leaving New Orleans, | 6 | | Louisiana for Chicago and then South Rockford; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris and her husband, David Beccue, | 8 | | received master's degrees from Southern Illinois University at | 9 | | Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Springfield | 10 | | respectively; she served as a research associate for a support | 11 | | services agency of the Illinois General Assembly, as an adjunct | 12 | | professor of physical sciences, and as an environmental | 13 | | scientist for the State and private sectors; David is an | 14 | | assistant site superintendent at Rock Cut State Park; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, restored her | 16 | | paternal grandparents' home in South Rockford, which was built | 17 | | in 1923, and relocated there from Springfield, becoming active | 18 | | participants in the revitalization of the area they have named | 19 | | the Ethnic Village; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has a distinguished record of | 21 | | volunteer service throughout Illinois, serving in leadership | 22 | | positions on several boards of local and statewide non-profit | 23 | | organizations and helping to improve communities, including |
| | | HR0370 | - 3 - | LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r |
|
| 1 | | her hometown of Rockford; she has been an active contributor to | 2 | | land use planning and business development in Rockford and has | 3 | | volunteered her time for numerous civic projects; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is the recipient of a National | 5 | | Make A Difference Day Award, the Spirit of Caring Award from | 6 | | the Crusader Clinic of Rockford, and local awards from civic | 7 | | and non-profit organizations for her community service to our | 8 | | State; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, established | 10 | | the Ethnic Village Neighborhood Organization that has | 11 | | beautified and improved South Rockford with grants and private | 12 | | donations, creating Immigrants Park and installing flower | 13 | | planters, hanging banners, flower baskets, and signage at the | 14 | | neighborhood's gateway to downtown Rockford; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has helped to keep the ethnic | 16 | | traditions and contributions of Rockford's Italian-American | 17 | | community alive; she initiated discussions that culminated in | 18 | | Speaker Michael Madigan's inception of the Zeke Giorgi Memorial | 19 | | Internship Program at the University of Illinois at | 20 | | Springfield; she has written several articles on Rockford's | 21 | | Italian-American community in local publications and the | 22 | | press; and
|
| | | HR0370 | - 4 - | LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 2006, Valeri DeCastris spearheaded the | 2 | | creation of an Italian Sister City partnership between Rockford | 3 | | and Ferentino, Italy, made possible by the DeCastris/Giorgi | 4 | | family connections in America and Italy; she established a | 5 | | committee that sponsors adult and youth exchanges, educational | 6 | | programs, and cultural exhibits; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, For over two decades, Valeri DeCastris and David | 8 | | have worked as ticket booth attendants at Festa Italiana, which | 9 | | is sponsored by GRIAA and is Rockford's second-largest | 10 | | festival; she has served on GRIAA's Board of Directors for | 11 | | several years; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was instrumental in the | 13 | | inclusion of the Italian American immigrant experience in | 14 | | Rockford's Midway Village Museum and Conference Center's | 15 | | largest exhibition, "Many Voices, One Community," and is | 16 | | featured in the museum; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is an active volunteer in the | 18 | | Rockford Catholic Diocese's designated Italian parish of St. | 19 | | Anthony of Padua in South Rockford, where her family has been | 20 | | members since the early 1900s; she assisted the City of | 21 | | Rockford in securing a grant from the Illinois First Program | 22 | | for decorative street lamps around the church, which evolved | 23 | | into an award-winning bronze statuary "memory garden," where |
| | | HR0370 | - 5 - | LRB101 12389 ALS 60424 r |
|
| 1 | | its school and gymnasium once stood; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 4 | | we congratulate Valeri DeCastris on her induction into the | 5 | | Italian American Hall of Fame by the Greater Rockford Italian | 6 | | American Association and commend her efforts at preserving the | 7 | | Italian heritage of Rockford; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Valeri DeCastris as an expression of our esteem | 10 | | and respect.
|
|