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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to congratulate Rita Fletcher on the
4 occasion of her retirement from the Bartlett Park District
5 after 37 years of service; and
6 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher earned her bachelor's degree in
7 parks and recreation administration from Eastern Illinois
8 University and her master's degree in recreation
9 administration from Aurora University; and
10 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher worked in parks and recreation for
11 over 39 years, during which she built an exceptional
12 reputation within the community as a standard for how to
13 perform park district operations efficiently, effectively, and
14 in a fiscally responsible manner; she initially served the
15 Bartlett Park District as recreation supervisor before being
16 promoted to assistant superintendent of recreation in 1996,
17 superintendent of recreation in 2002, and executive director
18 in 2005; and
19 WHEREAS, During her tenure, Rita Fletcher remained attuned
20 to community feedback in terms of planning activities and
21 events and developing the Bartlett Park District through
22 instituting effective community surveys to better guide the
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1 board and staff, spearheaded an effort to pass a successful
2 $18 million bond referendum in 2010, organized the Halloween
3 Boo Drive-Thru event and a mass vaccination site that resulted
4 in the 3,100 vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
5 oversaw the district's use of over $3.2 million dollars in
6 parks and facility grants to go towards a number of
7 improvements, including the development of Riley's Run in 2007
8 and the renovations of Beaver Pond in 2008, Schrade Gym in
9 2014, and Apple Orchard Community Park in 2022; and
10 WHEREAS, Under Rita Fletcher's leadership, the Bartlett
11 Park District received the Certificate of Achievement for
12 Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance
13 Officers Association for 20 consecutive years, was named a
14 finalist for the National Recreation and Parks Association
15 (NRPA) Gold Medal Award in both 2009 and 2010, and has been
16 deemed an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency since 1999;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has belonged to and held leadership
19 positions in several professional organizations, including
20 serving the NRPA and its Joint Distinguished Agency Committee,
21 the Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency Committee, as a
22 board member of the Northwest Special Recreation Association
23 (NWSRA), as president and treasurer of the Suburban Park and
24 Recreation Association (SPRA), and the Illinois Parks and
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1 Recreation Association (IPRA), where she served on its
2 facility management board from 2000 to 2005, its certification
3 board from 2002 to 2007, and its board of directors, serving as
4 chair in 2017; and
5 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has actively participated in the
6 Bartlett community, including being involved in the Bartlett
7 Parks Foundation, the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce, Rotary
8 Club, the Character Counts Coalition, and several youth
9 athletic organizations; she has also cultivated great working
10 relationships with the Village of Bartlett, the Bartlett
11 Police and Fire Departments, the Elgin Area School District
12 U-46, and the local library district; and
13 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has served as a panel speaker on
14 the subject of girl power at many state conferences, sharing
15 useful tips on career advancement, leadership, and how to be a
16 successful, inspiring female leader; and
17 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has received a number of awards for
18 her work, including the 2002 IPRA Professional of the Year
19 Award and the 2011 NRPA Great Lakes Network Distinguished
20 Professional Award; and
21 WHEREAS, In retirement, Rita Fletcher leaves a fun-loving
22 legacy of community engagement, partnership, and health;
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1 therefore, be it
2 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3 HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 we congratulate Rita Fletcher on her retirement from the
5 Bartlett Park District, commend her service to the community
6 for the past 37 years, and wish her success in her next
7 chapter; and be it further
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