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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING MICAELA IBARRA ON HER 30TH YEAR OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE
WHEREAS, 86-year-old Micaela Ibarra has been a community leader and example of compassion and dedication to those in need for the past 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra is known as “Miquita” or “the grandmother of Pilsen,” has been a devoted volunteer providing services to the homeless and families in need in Pilsen; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra migrated to Chicago with her three children after becoming a widow in the early 1980’s; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra availed herself of services at St. Procopius Church where she was provided housing for 8 years and learned how to read and write for the first time; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra felt an enormous gratitude for the generosity she received and decided to pay it forward and began organizing the St. Procopius annual church festival; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra also volunteers six days a week organizing the food and clothing banks, helping with the soup kitchen and handing out meals to the homeless; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra learned the importance of civic engagement and became a United States Citizen on March of 2008; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra became a national icon when a photograph was taken of her with a United States flag wrapped around her; and
WHEREAS, this photograph was reproduced by various national news outlets and inspired a local Pilsen artist, Alejandro Medina, to paint a mural on the sides of the Poder Learning Center in Pilsen; and
WHEREAS, Micaela Ibarra is an active advocate for the rights of immigrants; and
WHEREAS, we can all learn from Micaela Ibarra’s compassion and dedication to helping the homeless and families in need; and
WHEREAS, this Hispanic and Latino/a Heritage Month, we celebrate the selfless and heartfelt contributions of Micaela Ibarra to her community and the dedication she continuous to exert to community service despite her age.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby honor Micaela Ibarra on her community leadership in St. Procopius Church and in the neighborhood of Pilsen; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this text be spread upon the proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Micaela Ibarra in honor of this auspicious occasion.
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