1Honoring the life of Evelyn R. Stypula, Acting Chair of the
2Governor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities.

3WHEREAS, Evelyn Stypula, who served as the Acting Chair of
4the Governor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities
5and was one of the Commonwealth's leading advocates for people
6with disabilities, died on February 20, 2013; and

7WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula was born on September 26, 1945, with
8cerebral palsy and other severe physical deformities; and

9WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula's late father, Charles Stypula,
10encouraged her to do whatever it took to accomplish her goals;
11and

12WHEREAS, At the age of 13, Ms. Stypula volunteered for United
13Cerebral Palsy of Pittsburgh; and

14WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula followed her dreams and earned a
15bachelor of science degree in special education, a bachelor of
16science degree in elementary education from Edinboro University
17and a master of education degree in rehabilitation from the

1University of Pittsburgh; and

2WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula founded and served as President of Big
3Heart Bridges, a group to support those with disabilities; and

4WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula was a member of the Advisory Committee
5of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Allegheny County
6365 Committee and the Three Rivers Center for Independent 
7Living; and

8WHEREAS, In 2007, Governor Ed Rendell appointed Ms. Stypula
9to the Governor's Advisory Committee for People with
10Disabilities; and

11WHEREAS, In 2010, Ms. Stypula was reappointed to the
12Governor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities; and

13WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula was serving as the Acting Chair of the
14Governor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities at
15the time of her death; and

16WHEREAS, Amongst her many accomplishments, Ms. Stypula
17assisted in the creation of Pennsylvania's ACCESS Para-Transit
18system for people with disabilities in Allegheny County; and

19WHEREAS, As an advocate, Ms. Stypula reviewed campaigns in
20support of legislation for cross-disabled people and was a
21consultant for the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women;
22and

23WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula supported the needs of disabled members
24of her community by standing up for their basic rights,
25including transportation, housing and employment; and

26WHEREAS, Ms. Stypula believed that the most rewarding aspect
27of her career was being able to work for the Office of
28Disabilities, which was created by an executive order and
29assisted disabled individuals through advocacy initiatives; and

30WHEREAS, One of Ms. Stypula's favorite quotes was, "anything 

1and everything is possible"; therefore be it

2RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the life of Evelyn Stypula,
3express sorrow over the loss of this outstanding public servant
4and extend heartfelt condolences to her family.