RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman, a native Chicagoan with a long history of volunteerism, has been presented with the Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service, the state's highest honor for volunteer service; and
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman additionally received the 2015 Key Volunteer of the Year/Lifetime Award honoring her lifetime commitment to volunteerism and community service; and
WHEREAS, The awards represent the pride and appreciation of local communities, and are bestowed the State of North Carolina to officially recognize those who have selflessly devoted themselves to the cause of helping others; and
WHEREAS, A resident of Chapel Hill, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman was ceaselessly devoted decades of her life to serving the needy of Orange County; and
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman has generously given of her time and energy to collect donated food for the Inter-faith Council for Social Service, a not-for-profit agency that serves tens of thousands of meals annually; and
WHEREAS, For 15 years, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman served as the Board President of the Meals on Wheels program; and
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman has volunteered with a number of other organizations, including Freedom House, a half-way house and detoxification center for recovering alcoholics; and
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman even earned the nickname "The Bread Lady," for her individual efforts to collect bread and produce from the Harris Teeter grocery store which she then loaded into her car and distributed to various shelters, half-way houses and not-for-profit homes; and
WHEREAS, Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman attended Saint Columbanus Grade School and Rosary College, where she was named President of her Senior Class; and
WHEREAS, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman has always been a leader and her passion for volunteer work began in Chicago working on behalf of the Easter Seal Society and Share, a support group for parents of disabled children; and
WHEREAS, Before moving to North Carolina, Mary Alice Ryan Eckman also distinguished herself by serving as President of J.P. Fisher 8s Company Electrical Contractors in Chicago and as the Assistant Treasurer of the Irish Fellowship Club for 21 years; and
WHEREAS, The Office of the Governor of the State of North Carolina bestowed these prestigious awards upon Mary Alice Ryan Eckman at ceremonies held in April and May of 2015, attended by thousands of persons in Durham; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this twenty-ninth day of July, 2015, do hereby congratulate Mary Alice Ryan Eckman on being named the recipient of these prestigious honors and do hereby pay tribute to her outstanding legacy of volunteerism; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mary Alice Ryan Eckman.
