Full Text of HR0269 103rd General Assembly
HR0269 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the Gift from the Heart | 4 | | Foundation, also known as Dar Serca, on the occasion of its | 5 | | 35th anniversary; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Almost 40 years ago, Izabela Rybak's late | 7 | | husband, Wademar, came to the United States in 1985 on a | 8 | | tourist visa seeking treatment for their son, Rafal, who was | 9 | | born with cerebral palsy; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Wademar Rybak wrote to various hospitals | 11 | | requesting assistance and quotes for Rafal's treatment, and | 12 | | Shriners Hospital in Chicago accepted him as a patient with | 13 | | treatment offered at no charge; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, After being granted a tourist visa, Izabela Rybak | 15 | | joined Wademar in the U.S., leaving their two teenage | 16 | | daughters in Poland with family, coming to Chicago with her | 17 | | son; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Rafal Rybak needed multiple surgeries, so Izabela | 19 | | and Wademar Rybak applied for permanent residency; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, After Izabela and Wademar Rybak legalized their |
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| 1 | | immigration status, their daughters joined them in the U.S. | 2 | | permanently, and the family was reunited after a year apart; | 3 | | and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In 1986, Izabela Rybak met parents of two | 5 | | children with the same disability as her son, who then asked | 6 | | for assistance with their children's treatment; she submitted | 7 | | the necessary paperwork, and their applications were accepted; | 8 | | and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Izabela Rybak was required by the hospital to | 10 | | sign an affidavit of support that would ensure proper care, | 11 | | lodging, and transport to the hospital for the families she | 12 | | was helping; she signed the affidavit, even though she was | 13 | | unsure of her own financial situation; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Izabela Rybak requested support on a Polish radio | 15 | | station broadcast, and the community responded by donating | 16 | | money, furniture, and housing; she then regularly raised | 17 | | awareness for this issue on the radio; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1988, Izabela Rybak cofounded and established | 19 | | Dar Serca, meaning "a gift from the heart" in Polish, an | 20 | | organization to permanently offer assistance to families of | 21 | | children from around the world who required trips to the | 22 | | United States for specialized care; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Dar Serca, or the Gift from the Heart Foundation, | 2 | | erected a new building in Schiller Park in 2009 that could | 3 | | house six families at a time and provide food, lodging, and | 4 | | transportation, which was made possible by donations from the | 5 | | Polish community; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, After 35 years, the Gift from the Heart | 7 | | Foundation now offers an expanded variety of supportive | 8 | | services; it assists children with orthopedic disabilities, | 9 | | offers extremely complicated cases expert diagnosis and | 10 | | treatment, provides children housing, transportation, and | 11 | | translation services, supplies medications, rehabilitation | 12 | | equipment, and orthopedic devices, covers living expenses for | 13 | | children and their parents from abroad, organizes free summer | 14 | | camps for local children with disabilities, and gives children | 15 | | with illnesses, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down's | 16 | | Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy, the opportunity to attend after | 17 | | school programs that improve their way of living and health; | 18 | | and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Due to Izabela Rybak's efforts, the Gift from the | 20 | | Heart Foundation has helped over 1,300 children receive high | 21 | | quality surgeries and medical treatments so they can live | 22 | | healthy and happy lives; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate the Gift from the Heart Foundation, also known | 4 | | as Dar Serca, on its 35 years of success helping children with | 5 | | disabilities across the world receive the lifesaving treatment | 6 | | they need in the United States; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That we commend Izabela Rybak for her dedication | 8 | | and service to others through the Gift from the Heart | 9 | | Foundation; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to Gift from the Heart Foundation President Dorothy | 12 | | Malachowski, Director Izabela Rybak, and all members of the | 13 | | Gift from the Heart Foundation Board of Directors as an | 14 | | expression of our esteem and respect.
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