Latest news with #UnitedWayofLakeCounty
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Backpacks being filled as part of Stuff the Bus program; ‘We want to get them to the kids who need them the most'
By the time a group of nine volunteers from the Great Lakes Credit Union finished filling backpacks with school supplies as part of the United Way of Lake County's Stuff the Bus program, they had provided enough for seven classrooms — 196 altogether. 'It makes me really happy,' Jessie Flores, one of the volunteers, said. 'The kids need these essential tools to be successful in school. Every student needs these. They are our present, and they are our future.' Flores and her colleagues put notebooks, pencils, folders crayons, scissors, earbuds, stylus pens and more into the backpacks on Tuesday at the United Way office in Gurnee as part of an effort to put more than 3,000 backpacks in the hands of Lake County students in time for the upcoming school year. Bobbi Selvik, United Way's manager of community engagement, said items like earbuds and stylus pens were added more recently because of the increase in the use of technology in education. 'Most of the kids have tablets or another electronic device provided by the school,' Selvik said. 'They use the stylus-like pens. It makes it easier for them. So do the earbuds. We want every child to start school with the same resources as any other child.' Jennifer Strom, United Way's director of marketing and communications, said last year the organization oversaw the distribution of 3,775 backpacks and 300 teacher kits to four school districts and a host of community organizations who put them in the hands of under-resourced students. 'That's what the teachers use when the kids run out,' Strom said, referring to the teacher kits. 'Every year, we look to do as much as we can. We want to get them to the kids who need them the most.' Starting the annual program on May 1 — it began in 2018 — Strom said United Way takes direct donations in the form of supplies from donors, as well as financial contributions. The money is used to purchase supplies and backpacks. Once those are in hand, Strom said volunteers come into the office to complete the packages. Donations are accepted through July 30, and both the school districts and community organizations will receive them by Aug. 15. Selvik said a calendar is developed to ensure the backpacks are ready for each school before the first day of class. One school got its supply on Tuesday. Volunteers helped 'Stuff the Bus,' which was actually a car this time around. Patrick Basler, the Great Lakes Credit Union's chief experience officer, said the organization has participated in Stuff the Bus each year of its existence. The 90-year-old financial institution started serving the enlisted and civilian personnel at Naval Station Great Lakes. Now, it has 23 branch offices in Lake, Cook, Kane and McHenry counties. 'This aligns with our mission of community give-back,' Basler said. 'This is one of our volunteer programs. Schools provide the foundation of financial empowerment and education. Students need to understand the daily financial basics and what to do over the long term.' Among the school districts receiving backpacks directly are Waukegan Community School District 60, North Chicago School District 187, Round Lake School District 116 and Mundelein School District 75. For larger districts, Selvik said United Way supplements the overall backpack effort. With approximately 14,000 students in District 60, Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said United Way is one of many sources that help supply backpacks, which will be distributed at its annual resource fair on July 26. 'It helps supplement the work we do to ensure students have the supplies they need to start the school year ready to succeed,' Plascencia said in an email. 'We're grateful for United Way and the generosity of its partners. Efforts like this truly make a difference in our schools and community.' Joining the school districts as recipients of the backpacks are a number of community organizations that are regular partners of United Way. Selvik said they include the Lake County Health Department, HACES, the Lake County Housing Authority and the Family First Center of Lake County.
Chicago Tribune
10-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Incoming county United Way head warns of potential impact of federal cuts; ‘I don't think our communities know … what the next three and six months are going to look like'
United Way of Lake County's new incoming president and CEO Quinton Snodgrass warned cuts to federal funding could hurt nonprofits and charities across the county, and the tens of thousands of Lake County households that rely on them. Snodgrass, whose career in nonprofits spans over two decades, is taking the nonprofit's lead on April 1 in what he calls a time of 'flux' for many nonprofits. He succeeds Kristi Long, who announced in November she would be retiring after serving 23 years as president and CEO. He has served as UWLC's vice president of resource development for the last eight years after moving up from Chicago, and has had a 20-plus-year career in leadership work at local, national and international health and human services organizations. Snodgrass said he appreciates the 'wholly local' aspect of United Way, with its efforts impacting 'people that I live with.' UWLC has two primary focuses; youth education and the 211 program. Its education-related work includes afterschool and summer programs, literacy development and college readiness, Snodgrass said, among other efforts. UWLC partners with schools to get connected with families, and offers kindergarten prep and classes for young students and parents alike. The 211 program, launched in 2019, acts as a connection point to numerous other resources in Lake County, to make it easier for residents in need to find and connect with services. Snodgrass said it is an issue the pandemic highlighted, with many people who had never needed services before finding themselves struggling with 'basic services,' including food, rent and education assistance. The program is largely funded by state and county money, as well as a 'large coalition' of individual and corporate donors, Snodgrass said. But while United Way isn't reliant on federal funds, the same isn't true for other nonprofits and charities in Lake County, including many with which UWLC regularly works. 'There's lots and lots of programs that people in Lake County use where if they're disrupted, people are going to feel it,' he said. 'And when we make referrals to programs for people to get assistance, we'll feel it because the assistance won't be there.' The impact will be felt across Lake County, Snodgrass warned. According to UWLC data, about 86,000 Lake County households, roughly a third of the county's 260,000, are struggling financially in some way. About 8% of households fall under the federal poverty line, which is better than the state average, but 25% fall into the 'ALICE' designation. ALICE stands for 'Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,' sometimes called the 'working poor,' Snodgrass said, although he considers the term a misnomer. 'These are not people living off of federal stipends,' he said. 'They're trying to do everything right.' These are individuals or families who sit in the gap between the federal poverty line — about $32,000 a year for a family of four — and UWLC's household survival budget for Lake County, which is about $92,000 for a family of the same size. Snodgrass said people are often surprised to learn what Lake County's survival budget is, but between housing, food, child care and more, costs add up. The calculation is also based on 2022 data, meaning it doesn't account for any price increases since then. 'There's a disconnect between what people think it takes to survive, what the basic survival income is … versus what that income really is,' he said. While families under the poverty limit are eligible for a variety of benefits and services, as their income passes the poverty line, they lose that support, Snodgrass said. These are households still 'struggling every month to balance that paycheck.' That gap above the poverty line is really only covered by charities, nonprofits and townships, Snodgrass said, and if federal funding is cut, some 65,000 Lake County households could face the consequences. 'Without those funding pieces, and without agencies that are able to provide those services, people are having to make choices between, 'Do I cover my food, or do I have a car?'' he said. 'That's the sweet spot where the impacts are going to hurt, and they're going to hurt people that are working but below survival income.' One of the issues with public understanding in Lake County is the difference between people's image of the county and its reality, something Snodgrass understands personally. Prior to moving to Lake County, he said he largely imagined Lake Forest and other affluent communities when thinking about Lake County. 'But it's not,' he said. 'There's a lot of families here that need assistance, and I think it's a matter of getting that word out and building advocates who will talk in their communities, will talk in their companies, will talk to their legislators and really lean into this and understand what the issues are.' Discussion around federal cuts is highly political, but Snodgrass emphasized that UWLC is a nonpartisan organization. Its work isn't a political issue, he said. 'Being able to pay for your rent, being able to feed your children and being able to have access to childcare isn't about politics,' Snodgrass said. 'It's something that everyone needs to have.' Some residents will be in for an unfortunate shock if federal funding is cut, Snodgrass said, as family members lose services. He warned of the 'ripple effects' residents would see. Future instability could mean more difficulty funding solutions that have already come to bridge the existing gaps, and companies could start drawing down support. Snodgrass hoped to continue to inform the community about the importance of UWLC's work, as well as keep its community and corporate partnerships strong as it enters a 'changing time.' The current environment makes it all the more important, 'to engage, lean in and learn about what's happening in our local communities, regardless of how people fall down into politics,' he said. 'I don't think our communities know exactly what the next three and six months are going to look like,' Snodgrass said. 'Funding is going to be a challenge.'
CBS News
23-02-2025
- CBS News
Jury selection in 2022 Highland Park parade shooting trial begins Monday
Jury selection begins Monday for the man accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens more during the 4th of July parade in Highland Park back in 2022. The entire process in court will likely stir up a lot of traumatic emotions for survivors. Many of them plan to be in court and some could even be called as witnesses. The suspected shooter is facing seven counts of first-degree murder and dozens of other charges related to the 2022 mass shooting. He was offered a plea deal involving 55 charges of murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, with the rest of the charges dismissed. He would have been sentenced to natural life imprisonment under that deal but rejected it last June. A total of 48 people were also wounded in the shooting. Among them was Cooper Roberts, then 8, who was left paralyzed from the waist down. For anyone who needs support during the trial, the United Way of Lake County offers 24/7 help by dialing 211. Jury selection begins Monday morning in Waukegan.
