RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 16, 2017
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners honoring Esther Wong
Body
WHEREAS, Esther Wong co-founded the Chinese American Service League (CASL) with nine friends in 1978; and
WHEREAS, the CASL provides social support services from early childhood development through elder care, including housing, job training, cooking classes, financial education and a daycare for both children and the elderly; and
WHEREAS, since its founding, Esther has served as a member and vice-president on the CASL Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, Esther was appointed Executive Director of the Chinese American Service League in 2002, managing day-to-day operations and the organization’s more than 20 programs, serving until her retirement in December of last year; and
WHEREAS, Esther has overseen significant infrastructure improvements that have allowed CASL to better serve the community; and
WHEREAS, under Esther’s leadership, the CASL has been instrumental in the boom and growth of Chicago’s Chinatown, helping bring in small businesses, restaurants, parks and even a brand new library; and
WHEREAS, the CASL has become Chinatown’s largest employer serving over 17,000 Chicagoans annually; and
WHEREAS, outside of CASL, Esther has always been an active volunteer in the community, serving on the Board for the Coalition for Limited English Speaking Elders and Chicago Jobs Council since 2009 and 2004, respectively, and has belonged to the Coalition for a Better
Chinese American Community since 2000. Esther has been a Board member of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development since 2010, served as Vice Chair from 2013 to 2014, and became Co-Chair in 2017. She is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Academy of Certified Social Workers; and
WHEREAS, an accomplished social worker, Esther has received many accolades for her active involvement in serving the community. In 1987, Mayor Harold Washington awarded her the Mayor's Commission on Women's Affairs' Woman of the Year Award. In 2004, the Asian American Coalition of Chicago presented the Community Services Award to Esther in recognition for her outstanding leadership and dedicated services to Asian Americans of Illinois; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, hereby honor Esther Wong for her years of dedicated service to the Chinese American community in Chicago and the greater community at large; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Esther Wong.
Dated: March 16, 2017
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; MARTIN J. DURKAN; JOSINA MORITA; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel, RMH:akw