Bill Text: IL HR0370 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Valeri DeCastris on her induction into the Italian American Hall of Fame by the Greater Rockford Italian American Association.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-16 - Resolution Adopted [HR0370 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0370-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are pleased to recognize milestone events in
the lives of the citizens of the State of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that Valeri DeCastris
has been inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame by the
Greater Rockford Italian American Association (GRIAA) in
recognition of her dedication and service to Rockford's
Italian-American community and her efforts at promoting and
preserving the Italian cultural significance of South
Rockford, the area where most early Italian immigrants settled;
this is the organization's highest honor; and
WHEREAS, GRIAA is a non-profit, volunteer educational
organization that has existed for over 40 years, and its
mission is to promote the Italian culture, sponsor social
events and activities, and perform works of charity and
philanthropy; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was born in Rockford to Valentino
and Patricia Macaluso DeCastris in 1956; her father was a
full-time professional musician, and her mother taught dance at
Arthur Murray Studios; her paternal grandparents immigrated
from Rockford's sister city of Ferentino, Italy; they lived in

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South Rockford next to the childhood home of the late
Representative E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi, Rockford's longtime State
Representative with whom she had family ties; her maternal
grandparents were of Sicilian origin and part of the great U.S.
migration northward from the south, leaving New Orleans,
Louisiana for Chicago and then South Rockford; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris and her husband, David Beccue,
received master's degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Springfield
respectively; she served as a research associate for a support
services agency of the Illinois General Assembly, as an adjunct
professor of physical sciences, and as an environmental
scientist for the State and private sectors; David is an
assistant site superintendent at Rock Cut State Park; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, restored her
paternal grandparents' home in South Rockford, which was built
in 1923, and relocated there from Springfield, becoming active
participants in the revitalization of the area they have named
the Ethnic Village; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has a distinguished record of
volunteer service throughout Illinois, serving in leadership
positions on several boards of local and statewide non-profit
organizations and helping to improve communities, including

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her hometown of Rockford; she has been an active contributor to
land use planning and business development in Rockford and has
volunteered her time for numerous civic projects; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is the recipient of a National
Make A Difference Day Award, the Spirit of Caring Award from
the Crusader Clinic of Rockford, and local awards from civic
and non-profit organizations for her community service to our
State; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris, along with David, established
the Ethnic Village Neighborhood Organization that has
beautified and improved South Rockford with grants and private
donations, creating Immigrants Park and installing flower
planters, hanging banners, flower baskets, and signage at the
neighborhood's gateway to downtown Rockford; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris has helped to keep the ethnic
traditions and contributions of Rockford's Italian-American
community alive; she initiated discussions that culminated in
Speaker Michael Madigan's inception of the Zeke Giorgi Memorial
Internship Program at the University of Illinois at
Springfield; she has written several articles on Rockford's
Italian-American community in local publications and the
press; and

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WHEREAS, In 2006, Valeri DeCastris spearheaded the
creation of an Italian Sister City partnership between Rockford
and Ferentino, Italy, made possible by the DeCastris/Giorgi
family connections in America and Italy; she established a
committee that sponsors adult and youth exchanges, educational
programs, and cultural exhibits; and
WHEREAS, For over two decades, Valeri DeCastris and David
have worked as ticket booth attendants at Festa Italiana, which
is sponsored by GRIAA and is Rockford's second-largest
festival; she has served on GRIAA's Board of Directors for
several years; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris was instrumental in the
inclusion of the Italian American immigrant experience in
Rockford's Midway Village Museum and Conference Center's
largest exhibition, "Many Voices, One Community," and is
featured in the museum; and
WHEREAS, Valeri DeCastris is an active volunteer in the
Rockford Catholic Diocese's designated Italian parish of St.
Anthony of Padua in South Rockford, where her family has been
members since the early 1900s; she assisted the City of
Rockford in securing a grant from the Illinois First Program
for decorative street lamps around the church, which evolved
into an award-winning bronze statuary "memory garden," where

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its school and gymnasium once stood; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate Valeri DeCastris on her induction into the
Italian American Hall of Fame by the Greater Rockford Italian
American Association and commend her efforts at preserving the
Italian heritage of Rockford; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Valeri DeCastris as an expression of our esteem
and respect.