Lake County Gazette

It was the perfect day for Rep. Nick Sauer (R-Lake Barrington) to host Pierce Dewey, a young man in foster care who was shadowing Sauer as part of Youth in Care & Alumni Legislative Shadow Day.

“I’ve been showing [Dewey] around today, and we went over to the Capitol, and it’s actually great to have Pierce down here visiting Springfield today because we passed a resolution in the House to declare May as Foster Care Awareness month across Illinois,” Sauer said.

The event, organized by Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA), invited youth in foster care and foster care alumni to shadow state legislators, learning about the General Assembly, the operations of state government and the work that state legislators do.

Dewey noted that the General Assembly hosted 75 young people from nine regions of the state on May 12. 

“We’re here to see the state Legislature, meet a few people and check out the buildings,” Dewey said.

May is National Foster Care Month, which the Illinois government chose to recognize in cooperation with FCAA. The lawmakers who took part taught their shadows and learned about their experiences in the foster care system.

“It’s really good to get to know you and learn from you, and I look forward to keeping in touch,” Sauer told Dewey.