[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S66]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF CHICAGO

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to congratulate the Union League 
Club of Chicago and its Boys and Girls Clubs. This month they celebrate 
an important milestone.
  The Union League Club of Chicago was founded in 1879, adopting the 
motto ``commitment to country and community.'' Throughout its long and 
distinguished history, the Union League Club of Chicago has maintained 
a strong tradition of civic involvement. Over the years, Club members 
have been a part of politics and society, advocating on issues ranging 
from election reform to the death penalty. The Union League Club of 
Chicago also helped develop community support for cultural institutions 
as they were coming into the community, including Orchestra Hall, the 
Field Museum, and the Harold Washington Library Center.
  In 1920, recognizing a critical need in the community, the Union 
League Club of Chicago established the Union League Boys Club, a club 
designed to serve the large population of underprivileged children in 
Chicago.
  Today, the club opens the doors of its four Chicago area facilities 
to disadvantaged youth who are in communities with some Chicago's the 
lowest educational attainment levels and highest dropout and poverty 
rates. In addition to providing wholesome social and recreational 
opportunities, the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs offer a wide 
variety of structured programs that emphasis character building and 
empowerment.
  The clubs provide a safe and inviting refuge for young Chicagoans, 
free from the negative influences of drugs, gangs, and violence. 
Studies have shown that afterschool programs, like those offered by the 
Union League Boys and Girls Clubs, can reduce urban crime rates by 
keeping teens off the streets and providing positive alternatives.
  At each club, members are served balanced snacks and meals and given 
nutritional guidance they can use when not at the club. The clubs also 
provide an environment in which students can tackle their homework, 
with assistance when they need it and access to personal computers. Not 
surprisingly, club members average significantly higher grade point 
averages than their peers.
  A full-time professional staff, assisted by part-time workers and 
volunteers, provides high school students with career guidance and job 
training to help young club members become responsible citizens. Each 
year, the clubs award scholarships to help members pay for college or 
trade school.
  In the summer, members take advantage of the 250-acre summer camp 
owned by the clubs. Located a short distance north of the Illinois-
Wisconsin border, the camp gives Chicago youth an opportunity to 
experience and enjoy the outdoors.
  This month, the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs realize a 
remarkable achievement. For the first time in its 87-year history, the 
Clubs will enroll the 10,000th member in a single program year.
  Mr. President, I join the Chicago community in commending the Union 
League Club of Chicago and its Boys and Girls Clubs for outstanding 
commitment to the welfare of the community and for enriching thousands 
of young lives--in the past, today, and for decades to come.

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