Political Quotes

“today I wish to congratulate Ms. Dee Braden on her retirement from the Coles County Council on Aging, CCCoA, after more than 41 years of service. One of Illinois' finest advocates for older residents, Dee started with CCCoA in 1976, as the RSVP volunteer recruiter and was quickly promoted to be its first executive director in 1978. Under Dee's leadership, CCCoA flourished and received the 2008 Governor's Award for Unique Achievement for its vision, innovation, and collaborative public and private partnerships in Illinois. To understand Dee's tireless commitment to Illinois' older population, one need only look at her long service record. Dee developed and orchestrated the first successful passage of a county- wide property tax referendum in Illinois to fund senior services and advocated for decades to enhance the quality of life of older adults in Coles County. For 10 years, she also fundraised for the LifeSpan Center, a 25,000-square-foot multipurpose intergenerational facility in Mattoon, IL. Dee devoted herself to bettering the quality of life for our older Illinoisans. Dee's many years of leadership and contributions to the elderly made her the deserving recipient of several awards, including the Coles County Zonta Woman of the Year Award for Community Service, the Epsilon Sigma Alpha Diana Award for her service, and the Illinois Governor's Award for Unique Achievement after she developed a countywide Elder Abuse Task Force.…”