Bill Text: IL HR0774 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Congratulates Rita Fletcher on her retirement from the Bartlett Park District. Commends her service to the community for the past 37 years. Wishes her success in her next chapter.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-13 - Resolution Adopted [HR0774 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0774-Introduced.html

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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Rita Fletcher on the
4occasion of her retirement from the Bartlett Park District
5after 37 years of service; and
6 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher earned her bachelor's degree in
7parks and recreation administration from Eastern Illinois
8University and her master's degree in recreation
9administration from Aurora University; and
10 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher worked in parks and recreation for
11over 39 years, during which she built an exceptional
12reputation within the community as a standard for how to
13perform park district operations efficiently, effectively, and
14in a fiscally responsible manner; she initially served the
15Bartlett Park District as recreation supervisor before being
16promoted to assistant superintendent of recreation in 1996,
17superintendent of recreation in 2002, and executive director
18in 2005; and
19 WHEREAS, During her tenure, Rita Fletcher remained attuned
20to community feedback in terms of planning activities and
21events and developing the Bartlett Park District through
22instituting effective community surveys to better guide the

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1board and staff, spearheaded an effort to pass a successful
2$18 million bond referendum in 2010, organized the Halloween
3Boo Drive-Thru event and a mass vaccination site that resulted
4in the 3,100 vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
5oversaw the district's use of over $3.2 million dollars in
6parks and facility grants to go towards a number of
7improvements, including the development of Riley's Run in 2007
8and the renovations of Beaver Pond in 2008, Schrade Gym in
92014, and Apple Orchard Community Park in 2022; and
10 WHEREAS, Under Rita Fletcher's leadership, the Bartlett
11Park District received the Certificate of Achievement for
12Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance
13Officers Association for 20 consecutive years, was named a
14finalist for the National Recreation and Parks Association
15(NRPA) Gold Medal Award in both 2009 and 2010, and has been
16deemed an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency since 1999;
17and
18 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has belonged to and held leadership
19positions in several professional organizations, including
20serving the NRPA and its Joint Distinguished Agency Committee,
21the Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency Committee, as a
22board member of the Northwest Special Recreation Association
23(NWSRA), as president and treasurer of the Suburban Park and
24Recreation Association (SPRA), and the Illinois Parks and

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1Recreation Association (IPRA), where she served on its
2facility management board from 2000 to 2005, its certification
3board from 2002 to 2007, and its board of directors, serving as
4chair in 2017; and
5 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has actively participated in the
6Bartlett community, including being involved in the Bartlett
7Parks Foundation, the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce, Rotary
8Club, the Character Counts Coalition, and several youth
9athletic organizations; she has also cultivated great working
10relationships with the Village of Bartlett, the Bartlett
11Police and Fire Departments, the Elgin Area School District
12U-46, and the local library district; and
13 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has served as a panel speaker on
14the subject of girl power at many state conferences, sharing
15useful tips on career advancement, leadership, and how to be a
16successful, inspiring female leader; and
17 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has received a number of awards for
18her work, including the 2002 IPRA Professional of the Year
19Award and the 2011 NRPA Great Lakes Network Distinguished
20Professional Award; and
21 WHEREAS, In retirement, Rita Fletcher leaves a fun-loving
22legacy of community engagement, partnership, and health;

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1therefore, be it
2 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we congratulate Rita Fletcher on her retirement from the
5Bartlett Park District, commend her service to the community
6for the past 37 years, and wish her success in her next
7chapter; and be it further
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