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Fall 2023 Newsletter
Update from the Vice Chair
As we enter fall, a season of gratitude and thanksgiving, it is my sincerest hope that you are energized by the season to serve your community.
I take this moment to reflect on all the life-changing work that Serve Illinois undertakes with the help of amazing communities across Illinois.
As the Vice Chair of the Commission, I was honored to serve as a judge for the Governor’s Hometown Awards at the Illinois State Fair in August. It was inspiring to hear about the amazing work that volunteers are doing across our magnificent state. The three finalist communities are making their communities a better place to work and live. The winner of this year’s award was The Village of Pleasant Hill’s Summer Food Program where each week, volunteers prepare 2 hot and cold meals for children in the surrounding area. There are no financial guidelines or paperwork to complete. Everyone is welcome! Congratulations to the finalists the City of Joliet, the Village of Flossmoor, and the Village of Plainfield. Your volunteer efforts are changing lives.
The Commission was proud to be a recruitment partner for the 9/11 Day meal pack at Chicago’s iconic Union Station Great Hall. Hundreds of volunteers came together to pack nutritious breakfast meals to be distributed by the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The goal was to pack 450,000 packages of oatmeal. The volunteers hit it out of the park by packing a record 481,328 meals. We hope that you will consider joining us next year for this fun volunteer event. A shout-out to Jacob Jenkins for keeping the party going and all the staff of Serve Illinois who came out! You bring new meaning to Serve Illinois.
It is my sincerest hope that you will join us for future events across Illinois. Next up is Veteran’s Day and Family Volunteer Day. Stay tuned to the Serve Illinois website for details.
Yours in Service,
Catherine Leonis
Vice Chair
Update from the Vice Chair
As we enter fall, a season of gratitude and thanksgiving, it is my sincerest hope that you are energized by the season to serve your community.
I take this moment to reflect on all the life-changing work that Serve Illinois undertakes with the help of amazing communities across Illinois.
As the Vice Chair of the Commission, I was honored to serve as a judge for the Governor’s Hometown Awards at the Illinois State Fair in August. It was inspiring to hear about the amazing work that volunteers are doing across our magnificent state. The three finalist communities are making their communities a better place to work and live. The winner of this year’s award was The Village of Pleasant Hill’s Summer Food Program where each week, volunteers prepare 2 hot and cold meals for children in the surrounding area. There are no financial guidelines or paperwork to complete. Everyone is welcome! Congratulations to the finalists the City of Joliet, the Village of Flossmoor, and the Village of Plainfield. Your volunteer efforts are changing lives.
The Commission was proud to be a recruitment partner for the 9/11 Day meal pack at Chicago’s iconic Union Station Great Hall. Hundreds of volunteers came together to pack nutritious breakfast meals to be distributed by the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The goal was to pack 450,000 packages of oatmeal. The volunteers hit it out of the park by packing a record 481,328 meals. We hope that you will consider joining us next year for this fun volunteer event. A shout-out to Jacob Jenkins for keeping the party going and all the staff of Serve Illinois who came out! You bring new meaning to Serve Illinois.
It is my sincerest hope that you will join us for future events across Illinois. Next up is Veteran’s Day and Family Volunteer Day. Stay tuned to the Serve Illinois website for details.
Yours in Service,
Catherine Leonis
Vice Chair
Data Snapshot
Focus on Service
Volunteer Spotlight
Daivyon Bates and DeTerrion Corneal - Volunteer Spotlight (October 2nd, 2023)
Daivyon Bates and DeTerrion Corneal are AmeriCorps members serving at the Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries Youth Service Programs. The two young men believe in mentoring and being positive role models in the lives of the youth they serve. Furthermore, these young men attend the youth’s basketball games and events throughout the year to provide support. Daivyon Bates and Deterrion Corneal provide a family environment for each youth they mentor and allow them to dream as well as understand that if they work hard, anything is possible.
Daivyon and DeTerrion are born leaders. They coach
and mentor the youth in the program who are aged 17 and up to a tough championship game win of 70-60 at the Dayton Spring Championship. Daivyon and DeTerrrion understand what it means to mentor through sports.
Taylor Stevens - Volunteer Spotlight (September 13th, 2023)
Taylor Stevens is the Captain/Team Leader for the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and a Local First board member. She spearheaded a professional clothing drive in 2022 that was HUGE; the goal was to help those in need of professional clothing to help them find a career path. Taylor created a cornhole/silent auction to help raise money for childhood cancer (Go June for June Benefit). She also volunteered to be on a panel for the Springfield Police Department conducting mock interviews to those going through training to become a police officer.
Nominate a Volunteer!
Do you know someone who is doing great work in your community?
Nominate them to be recognized for their volunteer efforts by Serve Illinois!
Email the Following Information to DHS.ServeIllinois@Illinois.gov:
- Nominator Name
- Nominee Name
- Nominee Address
- Picture of Nominee
- Description of Nominee's Volunteer Activities
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
AmeriCorps Member Recruitment Corner
Gardeneers
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Gardeneers sustains school garden programs, focusing on Chicago's south and west sides. Our team of garden educators goes to our partner schools at least once per week, where we lead hands-on lessons on nutrition, community, and nature.
Potential members can contact Leah Goldbloom at Leah@gardeneers.org
Up2UsSports
Up2Us Sports is the nationwide leader in engaging and training sports-based youth development coaches, practitioners, and organizations to address the most pressing issues facing youth in under-resourced urban communities. Up2Us Sports does this through the following programs: Up2Us Coach, Up2Us VISTA and Up2Us Training.
Potential members can contact Jalesa Haggard at jhaggard@up2ussports.org
or call 773-507-2932
Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC)
Established in 1995, Belleville AmeriCorps is a partnership between Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville School District #118, Belleville School District #175, and the city of Belleville. AmeriCorps members serve as tutors, volunteer coordinators, mentors, and summer camp counselors. Through service, AmeriCorps members: increase the academic success of elementary-aged children through tutoring; provide positive recreational and enrichment activities for youth after school and during the summer; recruit, support, and train volunteers to serve organizations in the Belleville area; perform service projects throughout the Belleville area; and develop leadership skills by participating in team-building and service-learning activities.
Potential members can contact Jay Stokes at AmeriCorps@swic.edu
or call 618-641-5711
Special Features
Oak Lawn Firefighters
On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Upstate Volunteer Programs Coordinator, Cecilia, visited the Oak Lawn Fire Department to recognize five individuals with Governor’s Certificates of Appreciation for their outstanding volunteerism efforts in the community and for demonstrating true leadership by assisting with fundraising efforts for worthy causes. Congratulations to Jeff Goworowski, Nicholas Engel, Michael Felton, Alexander Tessari, Alex Zwick, and the Oak Lawn Fire Department for the amazing work and support you provide to the community.
Governor's Hometown Awards
The 2023 Governor's Hometown Awards took place on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at the Illinois State Fair. After much consideration by the judges, the winner of the 2023 Governor's Hometown Award was The Village of Pleasant Hill’s Summer Food Program. For the next year, The Governor's Cup will be displayed at the Village of Pleasant Hill and will have their name engraved on it as the 2023 winner.
A special thank you to the judges and finalists: Community Risk Reduction (CRR) (Joliet Fire Department), Plant the Gem (Village of Flossmoor), and Plainfield Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) (Village of Plainfield).
Sensory Station
In August 2023, Serve Illinois partnered with the Illinois State Fair as a volunteer recruitment and management partner for the first-ever Sensory Friendly State Fair initiative. The Sensory Station was designed to create a quiet zone and provide individuals with a moment to regroup with the help of tools such as weighted blankets, noise-canceling headphones, calming pods, and quiet activities to aid children and adults who need help processing the sights, smells, noises, and crowds at the fair. The station was open all 11 days of the fair from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Over 20 volunteers were recruited and managed by Serve Illinois for this initiative.
9/11 Day of Remembrance
Do A Good Deed was the motto for 9/11 Day. For the past four years, Serve Illinois has proudly served as the recruitment partner for the 9/11 Day meal pack. Illinois is proud to host in Chicago, the 2nd largest 9/11 Day meal pack in the United States, started by the families and loved ones lost on that tragic day in our nation’s history. 9/11 Day of Remembrance is a federally recognized National Day of Service. On September 11, 2023, we joined 20,000 volunteers across 17 cities to pack more than 6 million meals for Americans in need. Illinois set a new four-year record by packing 481,328 meals. Serve Illinois is proud of our partnership with 9/11 Day, Meals of Hope, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and PR Chicago. For more information about 9/11 Day please visit www.911day.org
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