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| | HR1197 | | LRB099 21619 GRL 48055 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
| 3 | | Representatives recognize foster youth and alumni as one of the |
| 4 | | State's most precious, valuable, and vulnerable citizens; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, The mission of the Foster Care Alumni of America |
| 6 | | is to connect the alumni community and to transform policy and |
| 7 | | practice, ensuring opportunity for people in and from foster |
| 8 | | care and seeks to serve and act on behalf of the rights, needs, |
| 9 | | and well-being of current and former foster youth; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, The Foster Care Alumni of America has 17 State |
| 11 | | Chapters; Illinois is the state affiliate of the National |
| 12 | | Foster Care Alumni of America; FCAA-IL has members around the |
| 13 | | State dedicated to the same mission; and
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| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Children and Family |
| 15 | | Services protect children who are reported to be abused or |
| 16 | | neglected and to increase their families' capacity to safely |
| 17 | | care for them and provide for the well-being of children in its |
| 18 | | care; provide appropriate and permanent families as quickly as |
| 19 | | possible for those children who cannot safely return home; |
| 20 | | support early intervention and child abuse prevention |
| 21 | | activities; and work in partnerships with communities to |
| 22 | | fulfill this mission; and
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| | HR1197 | - 2 - | LRB099 21619 GRL 48055 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Children and Family |
| 2 | | Services includes a Statewide Youth Advisory Board whose |
| 3 | | mission is to advocate and educate all youth in care; the |
| 4 | | Statewide Youth Advisory Board is committed to youth |
| 5 | | empowerment, development, leadership, and achievement across |
| 6 | | the State of Illinois; and
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| 7 | | WHEREAS, FCAA-IL, working together with the Department of |
| 8 | | Children and Family Services and their Statewide Youth Advisory |
| 9 | | Board, are proud to host the first Annual Illinois Foster Youth |
| 10 | | and Alumni Legislative Shadow Day on May 4, 2016; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, The purpose of this day is to connect current and |
| 12 | | former foster children with a State legislator to educate them |
| 13 | | on the legislative process and spend their day mentoring them, |
| 14 | | help reshape the impression of who youth in foster care and |
| 15 | | alumni of foster care are, and connect legislators to the youth |
| 16 | | that they impact directly and indirectly; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, The actions of FCAA-IL Illinois Chapter founding |
| 18 | | members April Curtis, Jeremy Harvey, and James McIntyre, DCFS |
| 19 | | Director George Sheldon, and current and former DCFS Statewide |
| 20 | | Youth Advisory Board members represent shining examples of |
| 21 | | those in our communities doing positive things for foster |
| 22 | | children, past and present, and are responsible for the |
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| | HR1197 | - 3 - | LRB099 21619 GRL 48055 r |
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| 1 | | creation of the first Annual Illinois Foster Youth and Alumni |
| 2 | | Legislative Shadow Day; therefore, be it
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| 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 4 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
| 5 | | recognize May 4, 2016 as the first Annual Illinois Foster Youth |
| 6 | | and Alumni Legislative Shadow Day and the dedication, hard |
| 7 | | work, and significant contributions to the well-being of |
| 8 | | current and former foster children; and be it further
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| 9 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
| 10 | | presented to all participants in recognition of their efforts.
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