Bill Text: IL HR0369 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Congratulates the staff, board of directors, and volunteers of Links North Shore Youth Health Service on the occasion of the organization's 40th anniversary.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2013-05-21 - Resolution Adopted [HR0369 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0369-Introduced.html


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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the staff, board of
4directors, and volunteers of Links North Shore Youth Health
5Service on the occasion of the organization's 40th anniversary;
6and
7 WHEREAS, In the wake of the cultural changes of the late
81960s, local social service agencies were seeing more teens
9dealing with issues related to sexuality, and there were few
10resources available; responding to these emerging community
11needs, a group of community leaders including clergy,
12physicians, and local professionals decided to act; and
13 WHEREAS, Links - North Shore Youth Health Service opened
14its doors on May 7, 1973 as a reproductive health care clinic
15in the basement of Northfield's Josselyn Center; it moved into
16its current space in Northfield in 1986; and
17 WHEREAS, While Links was initially offered to young women
18in high school, it has expanded over the years; in 1997, a
19separate clinic for young men was opened, which provides
20testing and treatment for the most common sexually transmitted
21infections; Links now provides services for teens and young
22adults up to age 25; between 500 and 600 clients a year go to

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1Links for services ranging from reproductive health care to
2counseling; and
3 WHEREAS, Links' Community Education program began in 1974
4with "Links on Wheels", a program where trained volunteers gave
5educational presentations about birth control and "venereal
6disease" to young people through schools and community groups;
7today, the Community Education Program offers 15 different
8programs to grades 5-12, covering responsible decision-making,
9healthy relationships, stress management, and practical issues
10such as the prevention of substance abuse, acquaintance rape,
11sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancy; and
12 WHEREAS, The Pride Youth Program, which provides support
13and education for teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
14or transgender (LGBT), was founded in 1993 after a local high
15school student pointed out that there were no community
16services available to address the needs of this population; the
17Pride Youth Program now reaches over 200 LGBT youth a year,
18with weekly meetings in Northfield, Palatine, Evanston, and
19Gurnee; and
20 WHEREAS, From its tenuous beginnings, Links has
21transformed into a highly regarded community resource, where
22its 3 programs serve nearly 12,000 teens and young adults each
23year; therefore, be it

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1 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate the staff, board of directors, and volunteers
4of Links on the occasion of the organization's 40th anniversary
5and wish them continued success and happiness in the future;
6and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Links as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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