SUBSTITUTE
ORDINANCE,;
SECTION 1. Pursuant to Section 2-8-040, which allows erection of honorary street name designations, the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation shall take the necessary action for standardization of North Wood Street between West Rice Street and West Walton Street (832 to 932 North Wood Street) as .
HONORARY SAM BELL WAY
SECTION 2. • This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval. •
Daniel La Spata Alderman, 1st Ward
Sam Bell was 44 years old when he was killed while riding a bicycle in Chicago on September 8,2022.
Sam was the youngest of four siblings from Galesburg, Illinois. He moved to Chicago in 2000 after graduating from Eastern Illinois University; Sam stayed connected to almost everyone he ever met. He had a way of keeping groups of people in touch with one another. He had large groups of friends from high school, college, Chicago, work, and volunteering. Sam worked for Canon Business Solutions for many years. His network of colleagues quickly became life-long friends'. ¦¦
Sam dedicated his life to helping other people: He volunteered passionately with the Midtowh Educational Foundation for over 15 years. He started as a tutor for kids once a week, but Sam stayed In touch outside of those tutoring sessions and became a huge advocate for these kids. He helped build the Auxiliary Board, working on retaining hundreds of tutors and keeping them engaged in the group. Sam organized an annual kick ball tournament for MEF. While not a huge money-maker, this event was a great introduction to MEF for many young professionals in Chicago. Most recently, Sam was the co-chair of the Advancement Council for the boy's home. He organized a golf fund raiserthat set records in fundraising $250,000 for the organization. In addition, Sam organized a "Seniors" dinner that created a support system for graduating seniors as they entered college and started seeking career opportunities. Sam wanted these kids...
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