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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING YOUTH CROSSROADS, INC. ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR FOUNDING
WHEREAS, the members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners congratulates Youth Crossroads, Inc. on their 50th Anniversary since their founding; and
WHEREAS, in 1971, a group of community organizers from Berwyn received state funding to create a three-year project known as the Youth in Crisis Project; and
WHEREAS, the Youth in Crisis project provided crisis intervention for houseless youth, drug abuse counseling, and support services for underserved teens in the west suburbs; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, organizers from the Youth in Crisis Project incorporated the non-profit charitable organization West Suburban Youth Outreach, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, by 1978, the agency moved into its own facility in the City of Berwyn. Over the next three decades the agency continued to grow and expand their services; and
WHEREAS, the new services provided included reaching youth in trouble with police, involved with gangs, or experiencing problems at home, in school, or in the community; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, the agency changed its name to Youth Crossroads, Inc. to better reflect the evolution and expansion of services aimed at preventing problems rather than only reacting to issues that had reached the crisis stage; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, Youth Crossroads, Inc. formed the Youth Leadership Program to focus on local teens; and
WHEREAS, shortly after, in 2009, Youth Crossroads, Inc. created its Community School Initiative and After-School Program for middle school students; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, Youth Crossroads, Inc. began providing school-based counseling to better serve youth; and
WHEREAS, in 2022 Youth Crossroads, Inc. relaunched community services to reach youth outside of school districts; and
WHEREAS, Youth Crossroads, Inc. created a workforce development program to give high school students and young adults the tools and training needed to get good paying jobs and develop careers that they can be proud of; and
WHEREAS, Youth Crossroads, Inc. also created a violence prevention program aimed to reduce gun violence in communities; and
WHEREAS, since its creation, Youth Crossroads, Inc. has served tens of thousands of youths and young adults and their families from Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, and surrounding communities, and has partnered with more than 100 community organizations to create a network of sources and resources to address the issues facing youth and their families; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, do hereby honor and celebrate Youth Crossroads, Inc. on their 50th anniversary in April of 2024.
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