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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly | ||||||
3 | recognize that foster youth and alumni are some of the State's | ||||||
4 | most precious, valuable, and vulnerable citizens; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The mission of the Foster Care Alumni of America | ||||||
6 | (FCAA) is to connect the alumni community and to transform | ||||||
7 | policy and practice, ensuring opportunity for people in and | ||||||
8 | from foster care; it seeks to serve and act on behalf of the | ||||||
9 | rights, needs, and well-being of current and former foster | ||||||
10 | youth; and
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11 | WHEREAS, FCAA-IL is one of 23 state chapters that the FCAA | ||||||
12 | has around the country with members dedicated to its mission; | ||||||
13 | and
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14 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Children and Family | ||||||
15 | Services (DCFS) protects children who are reported to be abused | ||||||
16 | or neglected; it works to increase their families' capacity to | ||||||
17 | safely care for them and provides for the well-being of | ||||||
18 | children in DCFS care; they provide appropriate, permanent | ||||||
19 | families as quickly as possible for those children who cannot | ||||||
20 | safely return home; they support early intervention and child | ||||||
21 | abuse prevention activities, and they work in partnerships with | ||||||
22 | communities to fulfill this mission; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, The services that DCFS provides include a | ||||||
2 | Statewide Youth Advisory Board whose mission is to advocate and | ||||||
3 | educate all youth in care; the Statewide Youth Advisory Board | ||||||
4 | is committed to youth empowerment, development, leadership, | ||||||
5 | and achievement across the State of Illinois; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, FCAA-IL, working together with DCFS and their | ||||||
7 | Statewide Youth Advisory Board, are proud to host the second | ||||||
8 | Annual Illinois Foster Youth and Alumni Legislative Shadow Day | ||||||
9 | on May 16, 2018; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The purpose of this day is to connect current and | ||||||
11 | former foster children with a State legislator to educate them | ||||||
12 | on the legislative process; the legislators spend their day | ||||||
13 | mentoring them; this process helps reshape the impression of | ||||||
14 | who youth in foster care and alumni are and connects | ||||||
15 | legislators to the youth that they impact directly and | ||||||
16 | indirectly; and
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17 | WHEREAS, The actions of founding FCAA-IL members April | ||||||
18 | Curtis, Jeremy Harvey, and James McIntyre, Acting Director | ||||||
19 | Walker of DCFS, and current and former DCFS Statewide Youth | ||||||
20 | Advisory Board members represent shining examples of those in | ||||||
21 | our communities doing positive things for foster children, past | ||||||
22 | and present, and are responsible for the creation of the Annual |
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1 | Illinois Foster Youth and Alumni Legislative Shadow Day; | ||||||
2 | therefore, be it
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3 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
4 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
5 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize May 16, 2018 as the third | ||||||
6 | Annual Illinois Foster Youth and Alumni Legislative Shadow Day | ||||||
7 | and acknowledge the dedication, hard work, and significant | ||||||
8 | contributions made to the well-being of current and former | ||||||
9 | foster children; and be it further
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10 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
11 | presented to all participants in recognition of their efforts.
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