Bill Text: IL HR0046 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Commends Sister Vivian Whitehead for the success and long-term impact of the Center for Correctional Concerns and its work helping incarcerated men and women find hope and purpose.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-01-29 - Resolution Adopted [HR0046 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HR0046-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to commend Sister Vivian Whitehead for the | ||||||
4 | success of the Center for Correctional Concerns and her work to | ||||||
5 | help incarcerated men and women build a pathway to productive | ||||||
6 | and fulfilling lives; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Sister Whitehead was born and raised in Chicago; | ||||||
8 | she attended St. Dorothy Grade School and Lorette Academy in | ||||||
9 | Woodlawn; she received her bachelor's degree from the College | ||||||
10 | of St. Francis and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in | ||||||
11 | Biology from St. Bonaventure University in New York; she became | ||||||
12 | a Franciscan sister in 1947; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Sister Whitehead began her career in education as | ||||||
14 | a high school teacher at St. Mary's in Columbus, Ohio; she | ||||||
15 | later taught at St. Francis Academy in Joliet; in 1968, she | ||||||
16 | served as an administrator for her congregation; from 1976 | ||||||
17 | until 1979, she worked as a counselor at the University of | ||||||
18 | Notre Dame, where she ministered to the spiritual needs of the | ||||||
19 | students; during her time at Notre Dame, she developed an | ||||||
20 | interest in criminal justice; she later attended the Benedict | ||||||
21 | Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she gained practical | ||||||
22 | experience in jail ministry; as a result, she realized that in | ||||||
23 | addition to substance abuse treatment and mental health |
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1 | counseling, many jail residents needed a second chance for an | ||||||
2 | education; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Sister Whitehead returned to Joliet, began her | ||||||
4 | work with the Will County Jail, and founded the Center for | ||||||
5 | Correctional Concerns in July 1979; a not-for-profit agency, | ||||||
6 | the Center is funded largely by grants and donations; she | ||||||
7 | headed the Center from 1970 until 1988, when she left to work | ||||||
8 | in Appalachia as an adult education and family literacy | ||||||
9 | teacher; she returned to the Center in 1999 and continues to | ||||||
10 | minister to the men and women in the Will County Adult | ||||||
11 | Correctional Facility; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Under Sister Whitehead's leadership, the Center | ||||||
13 | has greatly expanded; it is fully staffed with administrators, | ||||||
14 | counselors, teachers, and volunteers; in its 40-year history, | ||||||
15 | more than 2,500 students have earned their high school | ||||||
16 | equivalency diplomas; the pass rate of the Center's students is | ||||||
17 | 30 percent higher than those in similar area agencies; the | ||||||
18 | Center offers literacy training for non-readers and enrichment | ||||||
19 | classes; when necessary, the Center also offers a Spanish Tutor | ||||||
20 | and a Spanish version of the test; although education is the | ||||||
21 | Center's first priority, spiritual counseling and guidance, | ||||||
22 | along with substance abuse counseling and treatment, are also | ||||||
23 | provided; the Center also works with lawyers, public defenders, | ||||||
24 | and social service agencies on behalf of the incarcerated; |
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1 | therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
3 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
4 | we commend Sister Vivian Whitehead for the success and | ||||||
5 | long-term impact of the Center for Correctional Concerns and | ||||||
6 | its work helping incarcerated men and women find hope and | ||||||
7 | purpose; and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | presented to Sister Whitehead as an expression of our esteem | ||||||
10 | and respect.
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