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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to honor Kendall Ciesemier of
4 Wheaton North High School for her efforts in beginning the Kids
5 Caring 4 Kids organization; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Inspired by the number of orphaned and
7 impoverished children in Africa after watching an episode of
8 the Oprah Winfrey show, Kendall Ciesemier sponsored a young
9 girl from Zambia with her own money; and
 
10     WHEREAS, After doing research, she found that there are
11 nearly 12 million children in Africa who have lost one or both
12 parents to AIDS, other diseases, or violence; in 2004, Kendall
13 started the foundation, Kids Caring 4 Kids, to raise money for
14 AIDS orphans in Africa; and
 
15     WHEREAS, After her own physical hardships and 2 surgeries
16 she carried on her mission, and asked that rather than people
17 sending her flowers and gifts during her recovery, that money
18 be sent to Africa; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Since its inception, the foundation has raised
20 more than $740,000; in September of 2007 she was recognized by
21 former President Bill Clinton at Wheaton North High School; he

 

 

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1 took her to a taping of "Oprah" where she learned that there
2 was an anonymous donation of $500,000 to the foundation; and
 
3     WHEREAS, In April of 2009, the foundation launched an "i
4 care 2" kit, which consists of a letter from Kendall, an
5 informational DVD, a T-shirt, and step-by-step guide to giving;
6 it is hoped that this kit will empower other kids to do
7 something special; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In June of this year Kendall was selected by
9 Build-A-Bear Workshop as a member of the 2009 class of Huggable
10 Heroes, recognizing leaders under the age of 18 who make a
11 difference in schools, communities, and beyond; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Kids Caring 4 Kids has worked with other
13 organizations to feed more than 600 orphans, widows, and AIDS
14 patients in Zambia; it has helped build the Hope for Life
15 Center in Kenya, provided clean water in Zambia, built a dorm
16 in Ngulini, a Kenyan community with nearly 30 orphan girls,
17 helped support an orphan care center in South Africa, built
18 bikes for kids in Zambia, and rescued child laborers in Ghana;
19 and
 
20     WHEREAS, In addition to committing most of her time to the
21 foundation, Kendall is a sophomore at Wheaton North High School
22 where she serves as class president, plays tennis, competes on

 

 

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1 the varsity speech team, and works with special needs students;
2 therefore, be it
 
3     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
5 honor Kendall Ciesemier and commend her hard work and devotion
6 to the concerns of others; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 presented to Kendall Ciesemier as a symbol of our respect.