Bill Text: IL SR0893 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Janice Mitchell.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-10 - Resolution Adopted [SR0893 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SR0893-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Janice Marie Mitchell, who passed away | ||||||
4 | on November 15, 2021; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell was born to Ola Mae Babers and | ||||||
6 | LuArthur Washington in Natchitoches, Louisiana on February 1, | ||||||
7 | 1963; she attended Weaver Elementary School, Natchitoches | ||||||
8 | Junior High School, and Natchitoches Central High School; | ||||||
9 | growing up, she was a member of the Second Baptist Church, | ||||||
10 | Junior Usher Board, 4-H Club, Junior ROTC, and later ROTC; she | ||||||
11 | served as Commander of the 378th Chemical Company of the U.S. | ||||||
12 | Army Reserves Unit; she attended Southern University and A & M | ||||||
13 | College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she obtained a | ||||||
14 | bachelor's degree in Social Work in 1986; she then graduated | ||||||
15 | from The University of Chicago with a master's degree in | ||||||
16 | Social Work in 1988; she married Daniel "Danny" Mitchell in | ||||||
17 | Natchitoches on May 27, 1989; and
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18 | WHEREAS, After moving to Urbana, Janice Mitchell worked | ||||||
19 | for various youth-serving organizations, including the | ||||||
20 | Cunningham Children's Home, the Illinois Department of | ||||||
21 | Children and Family Services, the Regional Office of | ||||||
22 | Education, and Urbana School District 116; in 2010, she became | ||||||
23 | founder and CEO of Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center, |
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1 | Inc. (UNCC), which is a year-round community center that | ||||||
2 | serves between 50 and 100 Pre-K to 12th grade students during | ||||||
3 | after-school and summer programming hours; during the COVID-19 | ||||||
4 | pandemic, UNCC's doors remained open all day to provide a | ||||||
5 | space for students to engage in virtual learning in a | ||||||
6 | supervised, supportive environment; she also started a cake | ||||||
7 | decorating business called "Mitchell's Sweet Creations"; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell served as a parent volunteer in | ||||||
9 | the local schools and created programs to teach underserved | ||||||
10 | youth about their rich heritage as well as provide academic | ||||||
11 | and social-emotional enrichment; she founded "Prairie Tracks", | ||||||
12 | "Brothas & Sistas" and "Sankofa Summer Exposures" programs for | ||||||
13 | students at Prairie (Dr. Williams) Elementary and Urbana | ||||||
14 | Middle School; she took students on trips to museums, theme | ||||||
15 | parks, and college campuses all over the United States and | ||||||
16 | Canada; she facilitated the provision of scholarships and | ||||||
17 | laptops to several groups of graduating high school seniors in | ||||||
18 | Champaign County; she decorated multiple venues for various | ||||||
19 | occasions and worked alongside Urbana High School staff to | ||||||
20 | assist pregnant teen girls in attaining their diplomas; she | ||||||
21 | started the Urbana High School Equity & Social Justice Club, | ||||||
22 | founded the College & Career Readiness Program as an extension | ||||||
23 | of the center, and started the first youth praise dance | ||||||
24 | ministry at Jericho Missionary Baptist Church; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell was an active member of the | ||||||
2 | Champaign County Housing Authority Board for 10 years; she | ||||||
3 | attended Jericho Missionary Baptist Church where she served as | ||||||
4 | usher board president and in countless other roles for over 25 | ||||||
5 | years; in 2019, she was a founding member of the Greater | ||||||
6 | Philadelphia Baptist Church in Urbana where she served in the | ||||||
7 | usher ministry and as church clerk; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell enjoyed sewing, cooking, | ||||||
9 | traveling back home to Louisiana to spend time with her | ||||||
10 | family, shopping in nearby major cities, and spending time | ||||||
11 | with close friends; she was well known for her loving nature | ||||||
12 | and unwavering service to her community, her faith, and her | ||||||
13 | nation; she will be most remembered for her spirit of | ||||||
14 | excellence, her passion for education, and her legacy of love; | ||||||
15 | and
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16 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell was preceded in death by her | ||||||
17 | parents and her sibling, Mary Lee; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Janice Mitchell is survived by her husband of 32 | ||||||
19 | years, Danny; her children, Jeniece and Everette Mitchell; her | ||||||
20 | siblings, Ida, Susie, Gerlean, John, Shawn, and Glenda; her 28 | ||||||
21 | nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; and her | ||||||
22 | godchildren, Lentroy Anderson, Tina Findley, Rakeem Sallee, | ||||||
23 | Donald "Ducky" Stewart, Celina White, and most recently baby |
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1 | Erique "EJ" Wright; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
4 | Janice Marie Mitchell and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
5 | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
6 | further
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7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
8 | presented to the family of Janice Mitchell as an expression of | ||||||
9 | our deepest sympathy.
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