SR0911LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r SR0911 LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911 LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 congratulate Rita K. Fletcher on the occasion of her
4 retirement as a public servant in the field of parks and
5 recreation after an illustrious career; and
6 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher received a bachelor's degree in
7 parks and recreation administration from Eastern Illinois
8 University and a master's degree in recreation administration
9 from Aurora University; and
10 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has more than 39 years of service
11 in parks and recreation, and she has built a stellar
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; and
15 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher began her career as an athletic
16 coordinator at the Wheaton Park District; and
17 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher then worked at the Bartlett Park
18 District for 37 years, where she initially served as
19 recreation supervisor before being promoted to assistant
20 superintendent of recreation in 1996, superintendent of
21 recreation in 2002, and executive director in 2005; and
SR0911 LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911- 2 -LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r SR0911 - 2 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911 - 2 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
1 WHEREAS, Under Rita Fletcher's leadership, the Bartlett
2 Park District received the Certificate of Achievement for
3 Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance
4 Officers Association for 20 consecutive years, and the park
5 district has been deemed an Illinois Distinguished Accredited
6 Agency since 1999; and
7 WHEREAS, For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Rita Fletcher
8 managed a district-wide budget of approximately $16 million;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher served as a certification board
11 member of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA)
12 from 2002 to 2007 and as chair of the IPRA Board of Directors
13 in 2017; and
14 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has been active at the state level,
15 attending annual legislative conferences at the Illinois State
16 Capitol and legislative meetings with local legislators to
17 ensure that her community is always represented and its
18 priorities heard; and
19 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has been the recipient of several
20 awards in her field, including the IPRA Administration and
21 Finance Section Distinguished Service Award in 2012 and the
SR0911 - 2 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911- 3 -LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r SR0911 - 3 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911 - 3 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
1 IPRA Professional Award in 2013; and
2 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher has served on the National
3 Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Joint Distinguished
4 Agency Committee and the NRPA Great Lakes Regional Council
5 Committee and as a board member for the Northwest Suburban
6 Recreation Association (NWSRA), as president and treasurer of
7 the Suburban Park and Recreation Association (SPRA), as a
8 member of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, as a
9 member of the National Recreation and Park Association, and as
10 a trustee for the Bartlett Parks Foundation; and
11 WHEREAS, Rita Fletcher is also very active in her
12 community; she has been a member of her local Rotary Club since
13 2005, serving as president from 2007 to 2008; she has also been
14 involved with the Character Counts Coalition, the Bartlett
15 Parks Foundation, the Barlett Area Chamber of Commerce, and
16 the Youth Athletic Organizations for baseball, football,
17 soccer, swimming, cheerleading, and lacrosse; and
18 WHEREAS, Through this decades-long commitment to her
19 community, Rita Fletcher has cultivated strong working
20 relationships with the Village of Bartlett, the Bartlett
21 Police Department, the Bartlett Fire Department, Elgin Area
22 School District U-46, and the local library district; she has
23 also served as a speaker on the subject of girl power at many
SR0911 - 3 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911- 4 -LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r SR0911 - 4 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
SR0911 - 4 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r
1 state conferences, sharing useful tips on career advancement,
2 leadership, and how to be a successful, inspiring female
3 leader; therefore, be it
4 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
5 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Rita
6 K. Fletcher on her retirement from the Bartlett Park District,
7 and we wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors;
8 and be it further
SR0911 - 4 - LRB103 40253 ECR 72223 r