STEM diversity webinar for girls hosted by Fremd student's group set for Tuesday

Mission: MathMinds, founded by Fremd High School student Ruby Arun of Inverness, will host a Demanding Diversity: Redefining Success webinar from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, designed for girls eager to embrace STEM's diversity.

The group's mission is to inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Tuesday's program will explore why representation matters, how diversity fuels innovation, and why diverse teams excel in tackling major challenges.

Diversity and inclusion expert Rachel Jacobsen, executive assistant and office manager for CultureFit Technology Staffing, is the guest speaker.

The webinar is for girls in third through 12th grades. Register at missionmathminds.org/events/demanding-diversity-webinar.

Indigenous day

Chicago-area Indigenous groups and ally organizations, such as the Muslim Civic Coalition, will host a film screening Thursday of "Imagining The Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting" in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago.

This year, Indigenous Peoples Day falls on Oct. 9.

The documentary explores the impact stereotyping and marginalization of Native history have had on Native people. It chronicles the social movement to eliminate Native American mascots in sports. More than 2,000 high schools across the nation have Native American imagery as a mascot.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers, members from the Indigenous community, and an elected official. The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. at 740 E. 56th Place.

Limited tickets available. Register at bit.ly/ImaginingTheIndian.

Muslim business workshop

The Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce and the city of Naperville will host a free comprehensive workshop about doing business with the city as a large company, small business or individual vendor.

The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Naperville Bank and Trust, 555 Fort Hill Drive. It is open to the public. Register at bit.ly/doing-business-with-Naperville.

The session will include information about the city's procurement process and vendor needs in construction, public works, consulting and information technology. It also will include information about diversity and inclusion initiatives, a question-and-answer session and time for networking.

"We are thrilled to partner with the City of Naperville to host this workshop reflecting our shared commitment to fostering diversity and economic growth in the community," said Shafeek Abubaker, president of the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce.

Coming out

Elmhurst University will host two free lectures in October around National Coming Out Day.

On Oct. 10, the Rev. Ann Kansfield, the first woman chaplain for the New York City Fire Department, will present "Queer and Faithful."

Ordained in the United Church of Christ, Kansfield also serves as pastor of Greenpoint Reformed Church in New York City and is the author of "Be the Brave One," a collection of ministry adventures.

Her talk begins at 7 p.m. in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, 190 Prospect Ave. It is part of the university's Religious Literacy Project.

On National Coming Out Day, the university will host the annual William R. Johnson Intercultural Lecture with Michael Ziri, director of public policy at Equality Illinois, the state's civil rights organization for LGBTQIA+ people. Ziri's talk will highlight legislative initiatives focused on equality. It begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Frick Center, Founders Lounge.

The lecture is named for the Rev. Dr. William R. Johnson, an Elmhurst alumnus and the first openly gay person to be ordained by a mainline Christian denomination the United Church of Christ.

To RSVP, visit elmhurst.edu/cultural.

Affordable housing

Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties are partnering with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to apply for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing grant program, which supports communities in developing affordable housing.

CMAP is hosting an in-person and virtual public hearing on the application from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 19. The draft application will be available online for public review and comment Oct. 15.

Laotian gathering

Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin will host Lao Connection, an opportunity for Laotian community members to reconnect, share and learn about positive life experiences from one another on Oct. 29.

The program, from 1 to 3 p.m., will be held in the Main Library Meadows Community Rooms, 270 N. Grove Ave. It will be conducted in Lao and English and facilitated by Douangchay Hedstrom, owner of the Roll-n-Donut Café in Elgin. No registration required.

College child care

Harper College in Palatine will receive $499,620 from the U.S. Department of Education's Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program, which helps student parents access affordable child care.

Harper will use the funds to develop and implement a new subsidized child care services program for Pell-eligible student parents.

Childcare services will be provided by Harper's Early Childhood Laboratory School and multiple licensed child care providers throughout the 23 communities in Harper's district. The college also will offer parental education and family-oriented activities, connect program participants with family resources, and establish new and enhance existing community partnerships to support students.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates has been a strong supporter of expanding federal funding for the program. In 2021, Duckworth reintroduced the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools Reauthorization Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield, which would fully fund the program.

The fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill included $75 million - an increase of $10 million - for the program.

Autism heroes

Elgin police Officer Robbie Soberano and Community Outreach Specialist Maria Borrero recently were recognized by The Autism Hero Project at its 2023 "Include Me" gala.

Borrero was presented with the Community Hero Award and Soberano's family was featured in a video for their efforts in bringing autism awareness, acceptance, education, and inclusion to the community.

The Autism Hero Project partnered with the Elgin Police Department for the annual #HeroesUnite event in April and provided sensory kits for police squad cars.

• Share stories and news from the suburban mosaic at mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com.