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| | HR0190 | | LRB097 11220 KXB 53048 r |
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1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
3 | | Representatives are pleased to honor Rafael Mendez Jr. on his |
4 | | work as the homeless liaison for the Waukegan School District; |
5 | | and
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6 | | WHEREAS, Rafael Mendez Jr. was born October 14, 1958 in |
7 | | Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the second of five children of Rafael and |
8 | | Ruth Mendez; he was educated in Waukegan public schools and |
9 | | received a General Education Degree in 1978; he has worked as a |
10 | | dishwasher, apparel store salesman, grocery clerk, |
11 | | carpenter/plastering apprentice, and metal heat treating tech; |
12 | | and
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13 | | WHEREAS, He now works for the Waukegan School District, |
14 | | where he has been a truant officer, security officer, and |
15 | | residency officer, and currently holds the position of homeless |
16 | | program liaison; and
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17 | | WHEREAS, Since 2002, he has worked extensively with the |
18 | | homeless students of Waukegan; his duties include: |
19 | | (1) identifying the homeless population and |
20 | | coordinating activities, entities, and agencies that |
21 | | benefit homeless students; |
22 | | (2) ensuring that homeless children and youth enroll in |
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1 | | and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in the |
2 | | schools they are eligible to attend, including Head Start |
3 | | and preschool programs; |
4 | | (3) initiating referrals to health care, dental, |
5 | | mental health, and other appropriate services; |
6 | | (4) informing parents or guardians of homeless |
7 | | children and youth about the available educational and |
8 | | related opportunities and providing them with meaningful |
9 | | ways to participate in the education of their children; |
10 | | (5) promoting awareness of the educational rights of |
11 | | homeless children and youth by posting public notices in |
12 | | schools, family shelters, and soup kitchens; |
13 | | (6) advising parents, guardians, and any unaccompanied |
14 | | youth of the mediation process involving enrollment |
15 | | disputes and fully informing them of procedures for |
16 | | accessing all transportation services required by the |
17 | | McKinney-Vento Act; and |
18 | | (7) allocating funds to provide school uniforms, |
19 | | backpacks, school supplies, access to field trips, outdoor |
20 | | education, and assistance with summer school fees; and
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21 | | WHEREAS, The endless giving of his time and dedication to |
22 | | homeless students goes well beyond his assigned duties; he |
23 | | organized "Coats 4 Kids" in 2002, resulting in thousands of |
24 | | donations of new winter coats, hats, and gloves by public and |
25 | | private corporations and employee groups from surrounding |
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1 | | communities; and
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2 | | WHEREAS, In 2004, he was presented with a certificate of |
3 | | appreciation from the Illinois State Board of Education in |
4 | | recognition of exemplary service to the Illinois |
5 | | McKinney-Vento Homeless Student Programs; and
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6 | | WHEREAS, In addition to his valuable work, he has kept |
7 | | alive his love for music as a guitar player, songwriter, |
8 | | singer, and recording artist, with frequent performances |
9 | | throughout Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan; |
10 | | and
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11 | | WHEREAS, His wife, Rachelle, also works for the students of |
12 | | Waukegan, as a third grade teacher; he is an active member of |
13 | | the Trinity Christian Center in Zion and is quite proud of the |
14 | | fact that he is a lifelong "home-grown" resident of Waukegan; |
15 | | therefore, be it
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16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
17 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
18 | | we honor and thank Rafael Mendez Jr. for his hard work and |
19 | | dedication to the homeless students of Waukegan, and commend |
20 | | him for for the many ways in which he has enriched the lives of |
21 | | the people of Illinois; and be it further
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