Sen. Durbin visits Palatine Opportunity Center

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spent about an hour at the Palatine Opportunity Center last week, greeting clients, congratulating Harper College GED students for their dedication to their studies and reading to preschoolers.

His visit to the Opportunity Center, which offers myriad services to residents, also gave Durbin a chance to hold a brief round-table discussion with Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen, some POC board members, community volunteers and a group of Latina women leaders who participate in a program called ROLE (Reaching Out Lifting to Excellence).

The senator’s visit started out with a welcome from Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz.

He asked students were their families are from, and shared his own family’s immigration story. The preschoolers enjoyed having him be their guest reader, and thanked him by sharing a new song that they learned this year.