MEMORIAL-M. SIEMER/A.J. BARKS

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0825

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SR0825 - 104th General Assembly

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SR0825
LRB104 22138 ECR 38345 r
1
SENATE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3
to learn of the deaths of Matthew Alan "Matt" Siemer and Alicia
4
Jean "A.J." Barks of Chicago, who passed away on December 13,
5
2025 and December 20, 2025, respectively; and

6

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer was born to Mark A. and Pamela R.
7
(Helvey) Siemer on October 29, 1982, and A.J. Barks was born to
8
Melvin and Jean Gerler Barks on August 31, 1983; and

9

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer, who believed deeply that health care
10
should be rooted in compassion, dignity, and trust, served
11
Mobile Care Chicago for 13 years, including nine years as
12
executive director; he led the nonprofit organization in its
13
mission to deliver free, comprehensive health care directly to
14
children and families in underserved communities across
15
Chicagoland through mobile medical and dental clinics; and

16

WHEREAS, Under Matt Siemer's leadership, Mobile Care
17
Chicago significantly expanded its reach and impact across the
18
region; before he became executive director, the organization
19
served just over 2,500 children in 2015, but by 2025, the
20
nonprofit had grown to aiding more than 8,000 children across
21
Chicagoland, with many receiving care multiple times
22
throughout the year, reflecting obtainment by patients in

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LRB104 22138 ECR 38345 r
1
consistent treatments and follow-up care; and

2

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer also envisioned a broader future for
3
mobile health care, developing the concept of the Mobile
4
Community Health Incubator, a collaborative initiative
5
designed to help nonprofit organizations launch and sustain
6
mobile clinics by sharing infrastructure, knowledge, and
7
operational support; through his concept, the Incubator's
8
Community Dispatch, Mobile Care Chicago now supports partner
9
organizations working to expand access to mobile health care
10
across Chicago; and

11

WHEREAS, Through his leadership, compassion, and
12
commitment to service, Matt Siemer helped transform the lives
13
of thousands of children and families across Chicagoland, and
14
his legacy will live on in the improved health of the children
15
served by Mobile Care Chicago and in the growing movement to
16
ensure that high-quality health care be accessible to every
17
child, regardless of where they live; and

18

WHEREAS, A.J. Barks worked for Chicago Women's Health
19
Center (CWHC), a feminist health collective founded in 1975
20
that provides health care and health education to women, trans
21
individuals, and young people in a respectful environment
22
where people pay what they can afford; she began as a volunteer
23
in 2012, answering front desk phone calls and welcoming

SR0825
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LRB104 22138 ECR 38345 r
1
clients with a smile; she proceeded to lead fundraising
2
initiatives as development director, expanding support for
3
each of the collective's programs and staff; she ultimately
4
served as interim executive director from August 2022 through
5
November 2025, and she had recently transitioned into a
6
co-executive director role at the time of her passing; and

7

WHEREAS, A.J. Barks initiated invaluable partnerships on
8
behalf of CWHC that continue to support program sustainability
9
and growth, including the Illinois Association of Free and
10
Charitable Clinics and the Public Health Institute of
11
Metropolitan Chicago; in her time as interim executive
12
director, CWHC's average in clients seen per year grew from
13
5,300 to 6,500; under her guidance, the majority of CWHC
14
clients were from low-income backgrounds and members of queer
15
and gender-expansive communities; her leadership strengthened
16
CWHC's ability to provide a variety of services on a sliding
17
scale and/or at no cost, and the collective continues to
18
uphold her commitment to meeting clients' needs and to
19
decreasing barriers to health care and education; and

20

WHEREAS, A.J. Barks showed deep commitment to
21
relationships and knew them to be the foundation of a feminist
22
community; she held a brilliant balance of minding everyday
23
details while guiding long-term, large-scale projects; she
24
reminded CWHC's community that, with a plan, people working

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1
together can make anything happen, and so much of CWHC's work
2
has evolved due to her leadership, vision, care, and
3
creativity; and

4

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer and A.J. Barks were loving partners
5
whose shared passion for and dedication to helping the
6
underserved will not soon be forgotten; and

7

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer and A.J. Barks were preceded in death
8
by his grandparents, Gregory A. and Ann C. (O'Gorman) Siemer
9
and John and Barbara (Boettcher) Helvey, and her grandparents,
10
Pirl C. and Opal F. Fadler Barks and Albert N. and Zadie B.
11
Gamble Gerler; and

12

WHEREAS, Matt Siemer and A.J. Barks are survived by his
13
parents; her parents; his siblings, Maggie, Missy, and Marcia;
14
her siblings, Shelly and Blake (Alathea); many extended family
15
members, including nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and
16
cousins; countless friends; and their dogs, Korra and Opal;
17
therefore, be it

18

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
19
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
20
Matthew Alan "Matt" Siemer and Alicia Jean "A.J." Barks and
21
extend our sincere condolences to their families, friends, and
22
all who knew and loved them; and be it further

SR0825
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LRB104 22138 ECR 38345 r
1

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2
presented to the families of Matt Siemer and A.J. Barks as an
3
expression of our deepest sympathy.

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