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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Established in 1860, the Boys & Girls Clubs of | ||||||
| 3 | America believe that who you are, where you are from, or the | ||||||
| 4 | circumstances that surround you should not determine your | ||||||
| 5 | access to opportunities; clubs in Illinois are committed to a | ||||||
| 6 | focus on solutions and policies that will have the greatest | ||||||
| 7 | impact on the youth of this State and the fight to strengthen | ||||||
| 8 | them; Illinois's youth have a voice that should be heard, and | ||||||
| 9 | working together will close the opportunity gap for all youth | ||||||
| 10 | in Illinois; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, The Boys & Girls Clubs have a mission to enable | ||||||
| 12 | all young people, especially those who are most in need, to | ||||||
| 13 | reach their full potential as productive, caring, and | ||||||
| 14 | responsible citizens; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs have | ||||||
| 16 | been active in the State from Carbondale to Chicago for an | ||||||
| 17 | average of 46 years; at least three clubs have now provided | ||||||
| 18 | more than a century of service in their communities; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs | ||||||
| 20 | provides services to over 63,000 youths at about 100 facilities | ||||||
| 21 | throughout the State with the support of programs such as Teen | ||||||
| 22 | REACH and 21st Century Community Learning Centers and funding | ||||||
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| 1 | from community foundations, grants, and the generosity of | ||||||
| 2 | private donors; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, The Teen REACH program is unique to Illinois and | ||||||
| 4 | represents a partnership between the State of Illinois, through | ||||||
| 5 | the Department of Human Services, and the Illinois Alliance of | ||||||
| 6 | Boys & Girls Clubs that is now entering its 20th year of | ||||||
| 7 | working together to provide great futures for the youth of | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Every $1 invested in a Boys & Girls Club returns | ||||||
| 10 | $11 to its community and to those served; the Illinois Alliance | ||||||
| 11 | of Boys & Girls Clubs spends $29 million annually to provide | ||||||
| 12 | programs to help kids in school, strengthen families, teach | ||||||
| 13 | valuable life skills, and build strong communities that result | ||||||
| 14 | in a $317 million benefit to its youth members and to Illinois | ||||||
| 15 | communities; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Since 1947, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have | ||||||
| 17 | awarded the National Youth of the Year Award to an exceptional | ||||||
| 18 | young person, the highest award that can be earned by club | ||||||
| 19 | members; youths between the ages of 14 and 18 are first | ||||||
| 20 | selected at the club level, then at the state level; selected | ||||||
| 21 | youths go on to represent their club at the regional and | ||||||
| 22 | national levels; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Since 2013, the Boys & Girls Clubs have also | ||||||
| 2 | awarded a Military Youth of the Year award to a youth receiving | ||||||
| 3 | services and living on a military base, and April is the Month | ||||||
| 4 | of the Military Child; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Youth of the Year candidates are given the | ||||||
| 6 | opportunity to demonstrate and learn leadership skills, | ||||||
| 7 | service to their communities, academic excellence, and healthy | ||||||
| 8 | lifestyles, all while gaining invaluable experience as public | ||||||
| 9 | speakers and ambassadors; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs is | ||||||
| 11 | holding their annual Illinois Youth of the Year celebration on | ||||||
| 12 | April 9th & 10th in concert with National Boys & Girls Club | ||||||
| 13 | Week of April 8-12, 2019; therefore, be it
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| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 15 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 16 | we commend the Illinois Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs on its | ||||||
| 17 | dedication to the youth of Illinois and applaud all of the 2019 | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois Youth of the Year nominees for their determination to | ||||||
| 19 | excel and serve as an example to other youths throughout the | ||||||
| 20 | State; and be it further
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| 21 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies be given to the State | ||||||
| 22 | nominees and to their Boys & Girls Club chapters.
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