House Resolution

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE & HONOR THE CHESTERFIELD COUNTY COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR 20 YEARS OF FULFILLING THEIR MISSION TO STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEMS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE CITIZENS OF CHESTERFIELD COUNTY THROUGH IMPROVED COMMUNICATION, ADEQUATE LINKAGE AND COLLABORATION.

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that the members of the House of Representatives commend those who give of themselves so freely in promotion of the greater good, and

WHEREAS, the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council began in early 1993 when former legislator Jean Laney Harris convened a meeting of private, county, and state agency representatives to discuss their common problems, needed services, and limited resources, and

WHEREAS, a seed of true cooperation has grown into a thriving commitment to provide quality services to Chesterfield County residents through a unified effort of more than eighty groups and agencies working together to reach common goals, and

WHEREAS, during the past 20 years, the Coordinating Council has tackled a wide variety of issues, including parenting education; the prevention of teen pregnancy, youth substance use, violence, and childhood obesity; the coordination of indigent services, transportation, and community involvement in criminal justice; ill and elderly adults’ access to appropriate food; and community planning about mental health services and homelessness, and

WHEREAS, over two million dollars has come to the county through the Coordinating Council working on these projects, and

WHEREAS, in an effort to strengthen skills and knowledge within the community, the Coordinating Council has sponsored professional training and faith based conferences, promoted and recognized voluntarism, opened the Robert Smalls Family Center as a one-stop shop type of service center, and maintains the social service resource directory and other databases, and

WHEREAS, due to the existence and support of the Coordinating Council, agencies providing new services have been created and/or expanded, bringing an additional initial investment of $343,000 to the county, and

WHEREAS, due to Mrs. Harris’s leadership (1993-1997), the structure of the Coordinating Council has remained with the residing District 53 legislator (Anthony Harris, 1997-2000; Mary Beth Freeman, 2001-2004; Ted Vick, 2004-current) serving as Chairperson, and due to the success of the Coordinating Council, similar organizations have been organized across the region using that same structure, and

WHEREAS, the Coordinating Council is recognized as the strongest educational, advocacy and cross-system collaboration group for the support of the human service delivery system,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives THAT the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council for twenty years of successfully implementing their mission to strengthen the systems that provide services to the citizens of Chesterfield County through improved communication, adequate linkage, and collaboration.

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution passed in the House of Representatives, January 23, 2013