Bill Text: IL SR0399 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Arnetha Gholston of Chicago.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-09 - Resolution Adopted [SR0399 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SR0399-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
learn of the death of Arnetha Gholston of Chicago, who passed
away on February 14, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was born on July 15, 1958; she
was raised in rural Alabama and on Chicago's West Side; her
first teacher and mentor was her mother, Amanda Gholston, who
instilled in her the tenets of hard work, religion, family
values, and taking care of those in need in the neighborhood;
she was educated in the Chicago public schools; she earned her
certification as a paralegal from Roosevelt University and her
associate's degree from Kennedy-King Jr. College; she
graduated from the Illinois Metropolitan School of Business;
she earned her recreational pilot license from Griffin Aviation
School of Flying and also had her real estate license, loan
officer license, and State of Illinois Food Handlers Sanitation
License; she was a first aid mental health specialist and
received a certification for working with veterans with PTSD
through the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI); and
WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston began working in the family real
estate business at a young age, where she learned the value of
owning property; with a partner, she opened a floor maintenance
service company and hired many of the people from her

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neighborhood; she opened a business incubator, offering
mentoring and space for people interested in developing their
businesses; and
WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston became interested in the plight
of veterans after meeting her husband and partner, Daniel B.
Habeel, a devoted Muslim and disabled veteran; she worked with
him to develop the Muslim American Veteran Association (MAVA)
and the Auxiliary of the organization, where she became the
first National Auxiliary Commander; and
WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was the Executive Director and
co-founder of the RTW Veteran Center, where she worked
alongside her husband; the veteran center was labeled the
"Miracle of 55th Street" by one reporter, and as she continued
her work, she became known as the "Mother Theresa of 55th
Street"; one of the center's most popular programs was the soup
kitchen, known as "Ms. Arnetha's Kitchen," where she worked as
many as 15 hours a day, seven days a week, preparing meals,
serving homeless veterans and others breakfast, lunch, and
dinner; during her time at the center, she served over 300,000
meals; and
WHEREAS, As a community activist, Arnetha Gholston
belonged to many organizations and received awards and honors
from a variety of groups, including the Muslim community; she

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was invited to participate and to speak at many different
events and institutions, including the United Nations; and
WHEREAS, Arnetha Gholston was a devoted mother to her two
children and embraced and loved all six of her husband's
children; she was a grandmother to nine grandchildren;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Arnetha Gholston and extend our sincere condolences to her
family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Arnetha Gholston as an expression of
our deepest sympathy.