[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF LAUREN VERDICH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 7, 2023

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of LGBTQ 
activist, community advocate, and friend Lauren Verdich.
  During the mid-1980s, Lauren became part of a group of volunteers at 
the AIDS Memorial Quilt Display at Navy Pier who came together to 
provide hot meals to homebound Chicagoans with HIV/AIDS. She helped to 
found Open Hand, an organization which served meals to people impacted 
by HIV/AIDS, and which still lives on today as part of Heartland Health 
Alliance.
  She pursued her passion for cooking by starting Lauren's Catering in 
1986, donating tens of thousands of dollars' worth of goods and 
services to nonprofits over the years. She was a founding member of the 
Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1995. To 
honor all of her achievements, Verdich was inducted into Chicago's LGBT 
Hall of Fame in 2015.
  I was honored to have her join my LGBT Advisory Committee and help 
educate me on the needs of the LGBT community in my district. She was a 
strong force, a fearless advocate and a friend who will be missed.
  She is survived by her spouse Gail Morse; son Jordan Wolski and their 
son Zachery Wolski; daughter Dana Bennett; sisters Roberta Heinrich, 
Andrea Reich and Linda Mankoff; brother Steven lsaacson; loving nieces 
and nephews; countless friends and those whose lives she touched.

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