RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 8, 2024
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners recognizing Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program
Body
WHEREAS, founded in 2009, Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program (Polished Pebbles) focuses on developing effective communication skills in young African American and Latinx women from lower income communities with the goal of increasing their chance of success in school and in their future careers; and
WHEREAS, Polished Pebbles seeks to eliminate the assumption that poverty in minority communities leads to unsuccessful young women that are incapable of communicating and thus advancing in the world. By equipping participants not only with communication skills but also knowledge pertaining to the options that exist for them, Polished Pebbles is building hope; and
WHEREAS, Polished Pebbles is a recipient of the Gold Star Mentoring Program Award, receiving recognition for mentoring excellence from MENTOR Illinois. Assisting girls from ages seven to seventeen, Polished Pebbles has served over 10,000 young women since its creation, reaching approximately 1500 girls annually since 2022; and
WHEREAS, now in its 15th year, Polished Pebbles offers a number of programs and opportunities to young women (and their moms) including school based mentoring, “Every Girl is a CEO”, the “Pink Hard Hats Project”, and the “Mommy and Me Entrepreneurship Program”; and
WHEREAS, on July 29th, the “Pink Hard Hats Project” visited the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago’s (District) Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. Greeted by Board of Commissioners President Kari K. Steele, the young women participated in a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to speak with a diverse group of District employees; and
WHEREAS, the District acknowledges the incredible work that Polished Pebbles is performing and encourages Polished Pebbles to consider the District as a resource for future engagement with its members; 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 our staff, do hereby recognize the Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program; 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.
Dated: August 8, 2024