WEBVTT

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My name is Danielle Luevano . I am the

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Operations and Programs Manager at the

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Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs .

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What brings me out today is the 2023

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gold star family tree lighting ceremony .

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We bring all the gold star families of

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Illinois together to place an ornament

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on a tree uh for a ceremony each year .

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The significance of this ceremony and

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the tree is a physical reminder for the

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gold star families . This year's tree

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is the first tree with only gold star

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families on it from Illinois . There

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are 349 Illinois names on this gold

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star tree for Illinois service members

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who have given the ultimate sacrifice .

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The camaraderie that begins to build in

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these families between the families and

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the Illinois Department of Veterans

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Affairs is just amazing . We put on

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these events as a small token as a

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thank you to these families . They

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don't get enough recognition . And so

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we try to show them that recognition

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throughout the year and instead of just

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one day a year . And so we build this

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healthy bridge between the gold star

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families and the Illinois Department of

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Veterans Affairs .