SALUTE TO GAYLORD M. THOMAS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 70th BIRTHDAY
WHEREAS, For more than two decades Gaylord M. Thomas, an outstanding citizen and member of his community, has been a driving force for violence prevention and intervention efforts in the African American and Latino neighborhoods in this city as well as the cities of Dekalb and Rockford here in Illinois along with the cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, Muskegon, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, Gaylord Thomas was born on March 27, 1947 and raised in this city's Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side where he attended Salem Lutheran Church and the Chicago Public Schools, served his country in combat during the Vietnam conflict, and matriculated at DePaul University. As a father of six children and a grandfather, he still resides in that same community where he serves as an Elder in the Park Manor Neighbors organization; and
WHEREAS, The impressive contributions of Gaylord Thomas to community growth, development, and health of African-American youth has reached beyond his home community. He was instrumental in the founding and development of Safe In My Brother's Arms (SIMBA) and Safe In My Sister's Arms (SIMSA) Circle, a religious-based rights-of-passage camping ministry for at-risk African-American males and females; and
WHEREAS, In 1995, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) partnered with this organization to establish the Shekinah Chapel where Thomas was one of the Founding Fathers and continues to serve on its board. Today SIMBA/SIMSA has chapters in five other cities as well as Chicago that offer young African American men and women a safe space to examine their lives, their choices, and their futures, thanks in no small part to the pioneering efforts of Gaylord Thomas; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Roderick Sawyer, Alderman of the 6th Ward, has informed this august body of this preeminent citizen's significant civic contributions; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED That we, the ...
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