Bill Text: IL HR0455 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates Gretchen S. Vapnar on the occasion of her retirement from the Community Crisis Center after 44 years of service.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-10-28 - Resolution Adopted [HR0455 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HR0455-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 congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the | ||||||
4 | occasion of her retirement from the Community Crisis Center | ||||||
5 | after 44 years of service; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for people in crisis | ||||||
7 | since 1975; she assisted in the establishment of both the | ||||||
8 | Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault in 1977 and the | ||||||
9 | Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 1978; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar served as a children's worker and | ||||||
11 | Assistant Director of the Community Crisis Center (CCC) before | ||||||
12 | being named Executive Director in 1980; during her service at | ||||||
13 | the CCC, she successfully managed the growth of the Center's | ||||||
14 | shelter from a house for 14 to a historic school building, | ||||||
15 | serving 40 women and children each night; she increased the CCC | ||||||
16 | staff from five to 68 full-time and part-time employees; she | ||||||
17 | increased the budget of $40,000, which was used as down payment | ||||||
18 | on the house and for salaries and programs, to $2.9 million in | ||||||
19 | 2019; and
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20 | WHEREAS, In 1982, Gretchen Vapnar established Illinois' | ||||||
21 | first abuser treatment program for men, one of the first | ||||||
22 | domestic violence programs to recognize the need to change the |
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1 | behavior of the abusers; she created new protocols and training | ||||||
2 | for staffs of hospitals, police departments, fire departments, | ||||||
3 | and the courts to benefit the victims of violence; and
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4 | WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Gretchen Vapnar responded to the | ||||||
5 | community's need and request for "one-stop-service" by housing | ||||||
6 | the community's Food Pantry and Clothing Center and, later, a | ||||||
7 | Health Center and Dental Clinic, all under CCC's roof; she | ||||||
8 | ensured that the Center prioritized "availability" when | ||||||
9 | serving the community and made staff available at the shelter | ||||||
10 | and on the hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 | ||||||
11 | days a year for 44 years; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar aggressively worked to raise | ||||||
13 | funds to "keep the doors open" during two recessions, a | ||||||
14 | two-year State budget shutdown, and other economic challenges | ||||||
15 | by conducting three successful capital campaigns to renovate | ||||||
16 | the shelter, presenting an annual gala and auction, operating | ||||||
17 | Reruns Resale Shop, appealing regularly to donors, applying for | ||||||
18 | grants, and creating the Legacy of Caring; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has earned recognition and | ||||||
20 | resources for the CCC by receiving the Beatrice Award for | ||||||
21 | Excellence in Management in 1989 and the Impact 100 Chicago | ||||||
22 | Award in 2016; she has received recognition from local | ||||||
23 | organizations, including the YWCA, Club Guadalupano, the Ecker |
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1 | Center, and the City of Elgin; she has received awards from | ||||||
2 | many statewide groups, including the Wendell Jones Award from | ||||||
3 | the Northwest Alliance on Domestic Violence and the Human | ||||||
4 | Dignity Award from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic | ||||||
5 | Violence; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has cultivated and supported | ||||||
7 | employee recruitment and retention by providing training and | ||||||
8 | staff development opportunities, opportunities for promotion, | ||||||
9 | and annual staff awards and recognition; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar is leaving her legacy of | ||||||
11 | leadership and innovation with the staff and board of the | ||||||
12 | Community Crisis Center, which is now a nationally-recognized, | ||||||
13 | multi-service agency that provides domestic violence and | ||||||
14 | sexual assault programs, a crisis hotline, an economic | ||||||
15 | assistance program, abuser intervention, a children's program, | ||||||
16 | a shelter, and a source for community and professional | ||||||
17 | training; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Gretchen Vapnar has advocated for her belief that | ||||||
19 | domestic violence is "a human problem, not just a woman's | ||||||
20 | problem" and promoted the philosophy that "A time of crisis is | ||||||
21 | a time of opportunity" for those seeking help and has provided | ||||||
22 | the support to effect change; therefore, be it
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1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
2 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
3 | we congratulate Gretchen S. Vapnar on the occasion of her | ||||||
4 | retirement from the Community Crisis Center after 44 years of | ||||||
5 | service, and we commend her dedication to educating the public | ||||||
6 | about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, economic | ||||||
7 | crisis, and homelessness; and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | presented to Gretchen Vapnar as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
10 | respect.
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