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HR0553 |
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LRB096 13434 KXB 28163 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
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| Representatives are pleased to honor Kendall Ciesemier of |
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| Wheaton North High School for her efforts in beginning the Kids |
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| Caring 4 Kids organization; and
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| WHEREAS, Inspired by the number of orphaned and |
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| impoverished children in Africa after watching an episode of |
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| the Oprah Winfrey show, Kendall Ciesemier sponsored a young |
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| girl from Zambia with her own money; and
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| WHEREAS, After doing research, she found that there are |
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| nearly 12 million children in Africa who have lost one or both |
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| parents to AIDS, other diseases, or violence; in 2004, Kendall |
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| started the foundation, Kids Caring 4 Kids, to raise money for |
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| AIDS orphans in Africa; and
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| WHEREAS, After her own physical hardships and 2 surgeries |
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| she carried on her mission, and asked that rather than people |
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| sending her flowers and gifts during her recovery, that money |
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| be sent to Africa; and
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| WHEREAS, Since its inception, the foundation has raised |
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| more than $740,000; in September of 2007 she was recognized by |
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| former President Bill Clinton at Wheaton North High School; he |
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HR0553 |
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LRB096 13434 KXB 28163 r |
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| took her to a taping of "Oprah" where she learned that there |
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| was an anonymous donation of $500,000 to the foundation; and
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| WHEREAS, In April of 2009, the foundation launched an "i |
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| care 2" kit, which consists of a letter from Kendall, an |
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| informational DVD, a T-shirt, and step-by-step guide to giving; |
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| it is hoped that this kit will empower other kids to do |
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| something special; and
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| WHEREAS, In June of this year Kendall was selected by |
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| Build-A-Bear Workshop as a member of the 2009 class of Huggable |
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| Heroes, recognizing leaders under the age of 18 who make a |
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| difference in schools, communities, and beyond; and
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| WHEREAS, Kids Caring 4 Kids has worked with other |
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| organizations to feed more than 600 orphans, widows, and AIDS |
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| patients in Zambia; it has helped build the Hope for Life |
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| Center in Kenya, provided clean water in Zambia, built a dorm |
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| in Ngulini, a Kenyan community with nearly 30 orphan girls, |
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| helped support an orphan care center in South Africa, built |
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| bikes for kids in Zambia, and rescued child laborers in Ghana; |
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| and
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| WHEREAS, In addition to committing most of her time to the |
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| foundation, Kendall is a sophomore at Wheaton North High School |
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| where she serves as class president, plays tennis, competes on |
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HR0553 |
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LRB096 13434 KXB 28163 r |
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| the varsity speech team, and works with special needs students; |
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| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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| honor Kendall Ciesemier and commend her hard work and devotion |
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| to the concerns of others; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| presented to Kendall Ciesemier as a symbol of our respect.
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