Kane County Reporter

Last week, over 100 high school students from the 33rd Senate District participated in Senator Don DeWitte's Fall 2024 Youth Advisory Council at Judson University in Elgin. The event featured speakers such as Kane County States Attorney Jamie Mosser, Former Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, and Judson University President Dr. Gene Crume. Students engaged in brainstorming sessions to draft potential legislation, which will be further developed and reviewed in a mock session next spring.

Senator DeWitte emphasized the value of the Youth Advisory Council: "The Youth Advisory Council offers high school students a tremendous opportunity to connect with peers with similar interests from other nearby schools, and to collaborate on issues that are important to them."

In addition to the council event, Senator DeWitte announced his third annual new and gently-used coat drive. Running from September 30 to November 16, coats will be collected at several locations within the district for distribution to those in need. DeWitte highlighted the importance of this initiative: "As the weather turns crisp, I’m hoping people will look through their closets and donate new or gently used coats that will be given to those who could really use them this fall and winter."

The collection points include:

- Sen. DeWitte’s District Office: 641 South 8th Street, West Dundee

- St. Charles Municipal Building: 2 E. Main Street, St. Charles

- Salvation Army of St. Charles: 1710 S. 7th Avenue, St. Charles

- Algonquin Village Hall: 2200 Harnish Dr., Algonquin

Coats collected will benefit organizations such as Kids in Need-McHenry County, Lazarus House in St. Charles, the Elgin Wayside Center, and the Salvation Army.

Additionally, Senator Donald DeWitte has been named a Champion of Free Enterprise by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce for his support of business-friendly legislation during the 103rd General Assembly. Illinois Chamber President and CEO Lou Sandoval praised DeWitte's efforts: "Senator DeWitte has consistently proven himself to be a trusted advocate for the business community."

Upcoming events hosted by Senator DeWitte include a Senior Expo on October 15 at Crystal Lake Park District Grand Oaks Building and an IPASS on Demand event on October 28 at Algonquin Township Building.

Applications are now open for the Illinois Girls Lead Program, which offers job shadowing opportunities for girls in grades 5 through 12 with women leaders in state government. Applications are due by October 20.

The Illinois State Board of Education is also accepting nominations until October 15 for its Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards.

Lastly, changes to Illinois Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) testing went into effect on September 1st. These updates include removing parallel parking from the test and allowing drivers to use checklists during pre-trip inspections.

For more information about these events or initiatives, visit Senator DeWitte's website or contact his office directly.