Working to squash gang activity in Elgin
The Elgin Street Gang Intervention and Prevention Task Force invites all interested Elginites to the Heritage Ballroom of the Centre at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to hear Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda. His presentation will be about the who, what and where of gang activity.
The meeting and ones to follow on the first and third Thursdays through March at the same time and place are the Elgin Latino Political Action Team's response to a surge of activity last summer. A steering committee was selected from the people who attended the first organizational meeting this fall, when a gang consultant from Chicago spoke to a group of 60 people interested in resolving the problem. Neighborhood organizations, social service groups, churches and city council members Juan Figueroa and Bob Gilliam are on the panel, chaired by George Irizarry.
On Jan. 17, Joel Perez of Elgin Recreation Center/God's Gym has invited a former gang member to address the attendees. He will tell how he was lured into joining a gang and what it took and how he got out.
Call Irizarry at (847)888-7891.
Helping head start
First Community Bank continues its successful Community of Readers for the fifth year, starting Thursday through Feb. 2. During that month, new and gently read preschool and grade-school books will be received at the bank, at Tyler Creek and 165 S. Randall Road.
"Research from the National Commission on Reading indicates that a child's early education success is tied to their introduction to books and beginning to read at home prior to starting school," said Karen DeBack, First Community's administrative assistant and founder of the program says.
Over the course of the program, more than 30,000 books have been given to families.
After the drive is over, Mitch Esterino of Wrona Brothers will get a group of volunteers to sort the books, box them up and send them to agencies all over town. Some go to Tim Waterman at Elgin Area School District U-46, who gives them to social workers and the SAFE program for distribution. Others go to the Crisis Center and the Well Child Center to be sent home. A special rocking chair has been donated to the Crisis Center by Karen and her mother to encourage moms and their children to enjoy a snuggle while they read.
Call Karen DeBack at (847) 622-8800, ext. 307, or kdeback@firstcombank.com.
Days of their lives
Another great help to families to get their children off to a strong start in education is a free calendar, either in English or Spanish, called Kindergarten Ahead. It has three or four suggestions per week to help parents and caregivers who want to give their child a boost before school starts. All the activities are no cost and require no equipment (or batteries!).
The Kids Matter Committee of the United Way of Elgin, with research done for the Illinois Early Learning standards, designed the calendar, and Luis Cabrera, retired U-46 administrator, translated it into Spanish.
Copies are available at the Gail Borden Public Library, pre-school centers all over town, both Elgin hospitals, the U-46 Welcome Center, and the Kane County Health Department. If you can't locate one, call Diane O'Connor at the United Way at (847) 742-2259.
Freedom tapestry
The multifaceted program called Tapestry of Freedom starts at the Gail Borden Library in February with the Black History Festival. It goes on to Women's History in March (Mike Alft is the chair of this group!), Cultural Diversity in April, and culminates with a two-month exhibit of "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation" in April and May.
The library is asking for two kinds of community help. The first is artifacts -- treasures -- that pertain to Elgin's diverse cultural history or even to Abraham Lincoln directly. These can be photos, stories, or actual "Antique Roadshow" type items. Miriam Lytle, project grant writer and coordinator, would like to talk to you about the loan and the security measures the library will take to insure the safety of your items. You can reach her at (847) 608-5027.
The library also needs volunteers to staff the exhibit. If you can be a docent (with script provided), ticket taker, seamstress (to make bonnets and Lincoln-era outfits), or are willing to serve refreshments, Jennifer Ford would like to hear from you. She can be reached at (847) 695-4668 or jford@gailborden.info.
You also may want to mark on your new 2008 calendars. President and Mrs. Lincoln will stop at the library for a Presidential Reception the evening of April 26. Caren Nickelsen and her committee are working hard to make this a unique and fun event!