SALUTE TO THE 116th ANNIVERSARY OF HENRY BOOTH HOUSE
WHEREAS, Henry Booth House, a remarkably outstanding and comprehensive social service agency, is entering its 116lh year of dedicated service to the communities in eighteen South Side Chicago wards; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1898 by the Chicago Ethical Humanist Society, Henry Booth House, named after Judge Henry Booth who was the society's first President, initially focused on the development of ethical principles, education and quality of life in service to economically-challenged Irish and German immigrants who required citizenship training, learning English as a second language, literacy training, employment preparation, parenting, and family planning; and
WHEREAS, Since those early days, Henry Booth House has evolved to reach a more culturally diverse population with a variety of services at four locations that include healthcare, social services, nutrition counseling, childcare, and Head Start programs, serving more than 4,000 families; and
WHEREAS, As the largest provider of Head Start Community Site services in the city, the Henry Booth House Head Start is a comprehensive child development program tailored to meet the cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs of three to five year old children, providing medical, dental, hearing & vision, nutrition, disability and special needs of children in the early stages of life, with a mission to get participating children ready for school and life in a safe, secure and nurturing preschool setting; and
WHEREAS, Henry Booth House also offers services of doulas who function as pregnancy and labor coaches to ensure at-risk women enjoy healthy pregnancies, deliveries and post partum care; Family Case Management that focuses on families from pregnancy through the first year of life to reduce low birth weight babies and infant mortality; Healthy Start and Healthy Families programs to promote positive parent child interactions with an emphasis on the health of the family with the goal of preventing infant mortality and child abuse, as well the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program that educates mothers on the proper nutrition for babies and young children from birth to three years of age; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Robert W. Fioretti, Alderman of the 2nd Ward that is one of the wards in the Henry Booth House service area, has apprised this august body of the significant milestone of this outstanding eleemosynary institution; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED That we, the Mayor and members of the City of Chicago City Council, gathered together on this 2nd Day of April, 2014, do hereby salute the Henry Booth House for its exemplary 116 year history of noteworthy service to the community and this city and extend our sincere wishes for its continuing success in fulfilling its vital civic mission for many decades to follow.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Scott H. Perkins, president and chief executive officerof Henry Booth House.