SR0167 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0167 LRB103 31710 MST 60276 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate the Garden of Prayer Youth Center on celebrating 45 years of providing services to at-risk children throughout the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 1970, Reverend Shole and Doris Jordan purchased a 54 acre farm in Momence and became foster parents with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS); they opened their hearts and their home to children and families in need of food, clothing, shelter, and love; and

WHEREAS, In 1978, Doris Jordan established their home as a mission and named it the Garden of Prayer Deliverance Center; they dedicated 47 acres of their land and their farm house for the sole purpose of housing those in immediate need of food and shelter; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Shole Jordan, a Navy veteran, retired as a union welder from the General Motors Chicago Plant on 103rd Street, and Doris Jordan was retired from St. Luke Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago as a nursing aide; they decided to move to a new home in 1978 and left their farm and their farmhouse in the care of Vurnice Maloney to continue the mission of serving at-risk children and families; and

WHEREAS, In 1994, Vurnice Maloney, a registered nurse, retired from the Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee as a unit director and devoted her time and attention to the growth and expansion of the Garden of Prayer Youth Center; and

WHEREAS, With guidance from Lorine Samuels, Franklin and Vurnice Maloney incorporated the Garden of Prayer Youth Center as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization in March of 1995; and

WHEREAS, Vurnice and Franklin Maloney became licensed foster parents and provided emergency foster care to at-risk male teens involved with DCFS and Juvenile Justice; Vurnice Maloney expanded the reach of the Garden of Prayer Youth Center by establishing an adoption preservation program, a counseling service, a mentoring program, and a summer camp and by providing supplemental education services; she also implemented Teen REACH Afterschool programming serving students from Lorenzo R. Smith School in Pembroke and students from Momence Jr. High School; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Vurnice Maloney, the Garden of Prayer Youth Center received the Illinois Governor's Hometown and Governor's Cup Award in 2004; it received awards and recognitions from DCFS, the Illinois House of Representatives, and the city and county of Kankakee; and

WHEREAS, On October 1, 2006, Michael Maloney became the executive director of the Garden of Prayer Youth Center and continued the vision and mission of his grandparents and parents and established the organization as a licensed child welfare agency in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Michael Maloney, the Garden of Prayer Youth Center has become an accredited trauma-informed agency that has expanded to operate two therapeutic group homes for teens and two child care centers serving children ages six weeks to 12 years; it provides specialized and emergency foster care and parent mentoring and continues to provide summer camp and Teen REACH afterschool programming; and

WHEREAS, The Garden of Prayer Youth Center and its board of directors ensure that the agency consistently meets and exceeds the highest standards set by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC); the Garden of Prayer Early Education Centers are the only NAC accredited child care centers in Kankakee County awarded the Gold Circle of Quality; and

WHEREAS, The Garden of Prayer Youth Center is the largest African American-owned and led business in Kankakee County with over 70 employees and nine locations; it is the only African American child welfare agency located outside of Cook County and the City of Chicago; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Garden of Prayer Youth Center on celebrating 45 years of providing services to at-risk children throughout the State of Illinois, and we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Garden of Prayer Youth Center as a symbol of our respect and esteem.