Sangamon Sun

Illinois state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) shared an opportunity for young people in his district and encouraged them to look into local Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) programs.

Davidsmeyer posted information about the programs in a Jan. 31 Facebook post.

"Local CEO programs are accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year," he said in the post. "This is a great opportunity for any young person who wants to learn and think outside of the box."

Davidsmeyer's post shared a link to a post by the Illinois Electric Cooperative, which gave more details about its CEO offerings for youths: the Morgan-Scott CEO, Green-Calhoun CEO and Pike CEO programs. The goal is to teach students life, business and leadership skills while building a bond within the community. Some of the lessons include public speaking, building a business plan, and launching a service-based business of their own.

Davidsmeyer has served in the state legislature for 10 years, his website biography said. He has lived in Jacksonville his entire life, except when he attended Miami University in Ohio. He served on the Jacksonville City Council in 2008.

The representative was sworn in for his current term on Jan. 11, and he was appointed assistant Republican leader by new House Republican Leader Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna); a release on Davidsmeyer's website said.

“I am honored and thankful to be able to serve the constituents of the 100th District,” Davidsmeyer said in the release. “The people of Illinois have faced many tough challenges in the past few years and there will be more challenges ahead. I will continue to fight for a return to sanity in state government.”