[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 93 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE OPENING OF THE CENTER ON HALSTED

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                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the opening 
of the Center on Halsted, a new gay and lesbian community center at 
3656 N. Halsted, in the heart of the northside of the Fifth District. 
This new facility will give the surrounding community a state of the 
art building for youth services, mental health services and community/
cultural programming and more.
  The Center on Halsted has actually served Chicago's gay and lesbian 
community for more than three decades. Unfortunately, though, they had 
to make do with temporary facilities for a number of years. Today, the 
community has a place to call home.
  This grand opening has been a long time in coming, with planning 
dating back to 2001. I am proud to have worked closely with the 
leadership at the Center on Halsted, Mayor Daley, Alderman Tunney, and 
many other local leaders to make the dream of a new center a reality.
  The Center on Halsted focuses their programming into three areas: 
mental health, youth and community outreach, and cultural programming. 
One of the center's goals is to provide role models for young members 
of the gay and lesbian community.
  The three-story facility is a proud home for a proud community, and 
the end product is almost as remarkable as the hard work of all the 
people who made it happen. The roof deck, computer lab, theater 
facilities, Whole Foods, cafe, and more will make the Center on Halsted 
a welcoming location for its neighbors and an engine for economic 
development on the northside of Chicago.
  Madam Speaker, I am thrilled that the Center on Halsted has opened 
its doors. I want to congratulate everyone involved on a job well done, 
and I know the center will be an important part of Chicago for a long 
time to come.

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