Record #: R2019-165   
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Intro date: 3/13/2019 Current Controlling Legislative Body:
Final action: 3/13/2019
Title: Congratulations extended to Reverend Charles T. Rubey on 40th anniversary of Catholic Charities' Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide Program
Sponsors: Hopkins, Brian
Attachments: 1. R2019-165.pdf

CONGRATULATING REVEREND CHARLES T. RUBEY ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOVING OUTREACH TO SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE PROGRAM

 

 

WHEREAS, Sunday, April 28, 2019, marks the 40th Anniversary ofthe founding of the Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide Program of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago by the Reverend Charles T. Rubey;

 

WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed of this milestone by the Honorable Brian Hopkins, Alderman of the 2nd Ward; and

WHEREAS, the Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide Program was established in 1979 by Father Ruby as a specialized ministry to bring together people to support one another at a time in their lives when they felt irreparably broken; and

 

WHEREAS, the Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide Program represents one of Father Ruby's greatest contributions to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the mental health field, and to the thousands of people who have participated in this unique counseling and self-help program since its inception forty years ago;

 

WHEREAS, in 1972, Father Rubey embarked on a distinguished career at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago after having been appointed to the organization by John Cardinal Cody; and

 

WHEREAS, upon earning a Master's degree in Social Work in 1977, Father Ruby became Director of Mental Health Services for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, a post he held for eleven years while concurrently working in other positions of leadership within the organization; and

WHEREAS, Father Rubey introduced strategic planning to the organization and saw Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago through its first national accreditation process through the Council on Accreditation, an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization; and

 

WHEREAS, Father Ruby has served as a Board Member for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Consultant for the Institute for Juvenile Research, Consultant for the Center of Suicide Research and Prevention, President of the Illinois Association of Suicidology, and Division Director of the American Association of Suicidology; and

WHEREAS, the Loving Outreach to Suicide Survivors Program epitomizes Father Rubey's special gift for creating community, be it by counseling individuals and families; connecting people with wraparound systems of care; or bringing together different parts of a complex social service Agency, like the Archdiocese, that recently celebrated its hundredth anniversary serving the City of Chicago; and

 

WHEREAS, the Loving Outreach to Suicide Survivors Program has become a service model replicated across the globe at the specific request of the World Health Organization in countries such as China, Korea, and Hong Kong; and

WHEREAS, Father Rubey and the Loving Support to Suicide Survivors Program have received local, national, and international recognition from the American Association of Suicidology, Mayor Richard M. Daley, President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, the World Health Organization, and Suicide Prevention International; and

 

 

WHEREAS, Reverend Charles T. Rubey has made it his life's work to heal the hearts and spirits of persons and families across Chicagoland and the world that have lost loved ones to suicide, recognizing his gift to help others find strength in times of weakness and healing in times of hurt; now therefore

 

BE IT RESOLVED, that, we the Mayor and the members of the City Council of Chicago, on this thirteenth day of March 2019, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2019 as "Loving Outreach to Suicide Survivors Day" throughout Chicago, in honor of the dedication and leadership Reverend Charles T. Ruby has shown in carrying out this significant work; and, the positive impact it continues to have on the quality of life of the citizens of Chicago and across the world; and

BRIAN HOPKINS Alderman, 2nd Ward

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be presented to Reverend Charles T. Ruby as a sign of our deep respect for his life of service.