Full Text of HR0877 95th General Assembly
HR0877 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Chicago resident James "Jamie" Smith III, who was | 3 |
| diagnosed with autism at age four, returned home with four | 4 |
| medals from the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games held | 5 |
| in Shanghai, China on October 2-11, 2007; and
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| WHEREAS, The Special Olympics World Summer Games bring | 7 |
| together nearly 7,500 athletes from 165 countries to showcase | 8 |
| their athletic abilities; the athletes compete in divisions | 9 |
| according to ability level and are representative of the | 10 |
| athletes in their state or country; and
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| WHEREAS, The mission of the Special Olympics is for people | 12 |
| with special needs to develop physical fitness, to demonstrate | 13 |
| courage, and to experience joy through training and competition | 14 |
| in Olympic-type sports; the Special Olympics began in Illinois | 15 |
| on July 20, 1968, when the first Special Olympics were held at | 16 |
| Soldier Field in Chicago; today, more than 2.25 million | 17 |
| athletes worldwide, ages eight and older, train and compete for | 18 |
| the Special Olympics Games, including 20,000 athletes in | 19 |
| Illinois alone; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, A sixteen year veteran of the Special Olympics, | 21 |
| Jamie Smith competed in powerlifting, athletics, softball, | 22 |
| snowshoeing, basketball, and aquatics through Easter Seals |
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| Metropolitan Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, Jamie Smith began attending the Easter Seals | 3 |
| Metropolitan Chicago Therapeutic Day School shortly after he | 4 |
| was diagnosed with autism as a young child; he earned perfect | 5 |
| attendance awards in high school from 2000 to 2004 while | 6 |
| working part-time at a grocery store, demonstrating his innate | 7 |
| qualities of fortitude and industriousness even at his early | 8 |
| age; in 2004, he was named Athlete of the Year at his school; | 9 |
| and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, After Jamie Smith graduated from the Easter Seals | 11 |
| Metropolitan Chicago Therapeutic Day School in 2004, he decided | 12 |
| to give back what he had received, returning to the school to | 13 |
| mentor other needy children while training to qualify for the | 14 |
| 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games; and
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| WHEREAS, Jamie Smith was one of eleven athletes chosen from | 16 |
| Illinois and the only Chicago resident named to compete in the | 17 |
| 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games as part of the | 18 |
| 399-member Team USA, a feat only possible through his intense | 19 |
| training regimen, his natural ability, and his will to succeed; | 20 |
| and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, A powerlifter capable of lifting 295 pounds, 110 | 22 |
| pounds over his own body weight, Jamie Smith earned four medals |
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| at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, with bronze | 2 |
| medal victories in the Squat-Lift and Dead-Lift events and | 3 |
| silver medal victories in the Bench Press event and for | 4 |
| All-Around Performance; and
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| WHEREAS, In a tragic turn of events, Jamie Smith's | 6 |
| weightlifting coach of the past seven years, Easter Seals | 7 |
| Metropolitan Chicago staff member Rob DeSanto, passed away the | 8 |
| night before Jamie's scheduled departure for China; Mr. DeSanto | 9 |
| would have been proud to see the intense dedication exhibited | 10 |
| by Jamie Smith, as well as his extraordinary success in the | 11 |
| 2007 Games; and
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| WHEREAS, Jamie Smith's exceptional performance at the 2007 | 13 |
| Special Olympics World Summer Games is worthy of the greatest | 14 |
| respect and is indicative of the great things that hard work | 15 |
| and determination can accomplish in our society; he serves as | 16 |
| an inspiration to the participants in the Special Olympics and | 17 |
| the citizens of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 19 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 20 |
| honor James "Jamie" Smith III on the occasion of his | 21 |
| outstanding performance at the 2007 Special Olympics World | 22 |
| Summer games held in Shanghai, China and wish him continued | 23 |
| success and happiness in the future; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 |
| presented to James "Jamie" Smith III as a symbol of our esteem | 3 |
| and respect.
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