Full Text of HR0455 101st General Assembly
HR0455 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the | 4 | | occasion of her retirement from the Community Crisis Center | 5 | | after 44 years of service; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for people in crisis | 7 | | since 1975; she assisted in the establishment of both the | 8 | | Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault in 1977 and the | 9 | | Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 1978; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar served as a children's worker and | 11 | | Assistant Director of the Community Crisis Center (CCC) before | 12 | | being named Executive Director in 1980; during her service at | 13 | | the CCC, she successfully managed the growth of the Center's | 14 | | shelter from a house for 14 to a historic school building, | 15 | | serving 40 women and children each night; she increased the CCC | 16 | | staff from five to 68 full-time and part-time employees; she | 17 | | increased the budget of $40,000, which was used as down payment | 18 | | on the house and for salaries and programs, to $2.9 million in | 19 | | 2019; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, In 1982, Gretchen Vapnar established Illinois' | 21 | | first abuser treatment program for men, one of the first | 22 | | domestic violence programs to recognize the need to change the |
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| 1 | | behavior of the abusers; she created new protocols and training | 2 | | for staffs of hospitals, police departments, fire departments, | 3 | | and the courts to benefit the victims of violence; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Gretchen Vapnar responded to the | 5 | | community's need and request for "one-stop-service" by housing | 6 | | the community's Food Pantry and Clothing Center and, later, a | 7 | | Health Center and Dental Clinic, all under CCC's roof; she | 8 | | ensured that the Center prioritized "availability" when | 9 | | serving the community and made staff available at the shelter | 10 | | and on the hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 | 11 | | days a year for 44 years; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar aggressively worked to raise | 13 | | funds to "keep the doors open" during two recessions, a | 14 | | two-year State budget shutdown, and other economic challenges | 15 | | by conducting three successful capital campaigns to renovate | 16 | | the shelter, presenting an annual gala and auction, operating | 17 | | Reruns Resale Shop, appealing regularly to donors, applying for | 18 | | grants, and creating the Legacy of Caring; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has earned recognition and | 20 | | resources for the CCC by receiving the Beatrice Award for | 21 | | Excellence in Management in 1989 and the Impact 100 Chicago | 22 | | Award in 2016; she has received recognition from local | 23 | | organizations, including the YWCA, Club Guadalupano, the Ecker |
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| 1 | | Center, and the City of Elgin; she has received awards from | 2 | | many statewide groups, including the Wendell Jones Award from | 3 | | the Northwest Alliance on Domestic Violence and the Human | 4 | | Dignity Award from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic | 5 | | Violence; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has cultivated and supported | 7 | | employee recruitment and retention by providing training and | 8 | | staff development opportunities, opportunities for promotion, | 9 | | and annual staff awards and recognition; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar is leaving her legacy of | 11 | | leadership and innovation with the staff and board of the | 12 | | Community Crisis Center, which is now a nationally-recognized, | 13 | | multi-service agency that provides domestic violence and | 14 | | sexual assault programs, a crisis hotline, an economic | 15 | | assistance program, abuser intervention, a children's program, | 16 | | a shelter, and a source for community and professional | 17 | | training; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for her belief that | 19 | | domestic violence is "a human problem, not just a woman's | 20 | | problem" and promoted the philosophy that "A time of crisis is | 21 | | a time of opportunity" for those seeking help and has provided | 22 | | the support to effect change; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the occasion of her | 4 | | retirement from the Community Crisis Center after 44 years of | 5 | | service, and we commend her dedication to educating the public | 6 | | about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, economic | 7 | | crisis, and homelessness; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Gretchen Vapnar as an expression of our esteem and | 10 | | respect.
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