TO 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.
Whereas, it is with great pride that the members of the South Carolina 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 representatives from private, county, and state agencies 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 twenty years, the Coordinating Council has tackled a wide variety of issues, including parenting education; the prevention of teen pregnancy, youth substance abuse, violence, and childhood obesity; the coordination of indigent services, transportation, and community involvement in criminal justice; access to appropriate food for ill and elderly adults; and community planning about mental-health services and homelessness; and
Whereas, over two million dollars has come to the county through the Coordinating Council's work 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 volunteerism, 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, some agencies providing new services have been created and others have been expanded, bringing an additional initial investment of $343,000 to the county; and
Whereas, due to the success of the Coordinating Council, similar organizations have been organized across the region; and
Whereas, the structure of the Coordinating Council has remained the same since Mrs. Harris' leadership from 1993 to 1997: the residing District 53 legislator serves as chairperson. Anthony Harris chaired from 1997 to 2000, Mary Beth Freeman from 2001 to 2004, and Ted Vick from 2004 to the present. 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.