As you wander around town on a Saturday morning or take your sweetheart out for a nice lunch, you may see a blue and white KIDS PLUS sign in a window that says, “We support Cook County KIDS PLUS cards.” Those businesses give year-round discounts to anyone who purchases a card for $15 to support county youth activities. So, what does KIDS PLUS do that is so important?
KIDS PLUS, together with Community Education and Extension, provides support for a youth program coordinator, an AmeriCorps member, programs facilitated by staff and volunteers, and mini grants for youth to participate in leadership opportunities. That’s a pretty good value for $15 a year that stays in the community to support local kids while providing you discounts at participating businesses.
Our mini-grants have given youth the opportunity to travel abroad and participate in leadership trainings in Washington, D.C. KIDS PLUS also provides adult mentors for ISD 166 Middle School Student Council and funds youth leadership workshops twice a year. The workshops are open to all youth in Cook County and provide an opportunity for students to learn about themselves while participating in service-learning opportunities.
The program coordinator and AmeriCorps member work closely to develop and supervise programs after school, Middle School Student Council , Summer Kids Camp and Incredible Exchange. After-school enrichment programs have included cooking, art, biking, archery and science. The leaders work hard to listen to the youth and coordinate volunteers to run the programs. Beyond enrichment programs they offer a free After School Lounge, which is a safe, adult-supervised, fun place for 3rd-8th grade students to be safe. Thetime afterschool before parents arrive from work has been identified as the highest risk period for unsupervised youth.
How many youth are really affected by KIDS PLUS? During the 2008-2009 school year, 144 different youth were reached after school. There were 619 youth visits to After-School lounge. Last summer’s Kids Camp helped 51 families with childcare and provided summer activities for 71 different kids. TheIncredible Exchange program, which introduces beginning work skills for 11-14-year-olds, had 19 participants and at least 11 adult mentors and logged over 500 community volunteer hours.
As times get tough, budgets shrink. By the end of February 2010, the After School Lounge alone has had 632 student visits. The numbers of programs and participants continue to increase as the program’s budget decreases. The programs help keep youth busy, grow as individuals and learn how to be a responsible part of a community. For example, kids have been playing games twice a month at the Care Center.
KIDS PLUS is now asking for your support. We need community members to buy a $15 card to support youth and the KIDS PLUS card businesses.
A fun way to support KIDS PLUS and its activities is to join us in the first annual KIDS PLUS-sponsored Easter Egg Hunt and 5k Fun Run and Walk Fundraiser on Saturday, March 27th. We have prizes for finding special eggs, and all registrations for the 5K will be placed into a drawing for larger prizes. We are looking for volunteers to help set up, run, or take down the event. We hope to see you all there, walking and searching for the golden egg. Theorganizers wish to thank all the businesses and members of KIDS PLUS for their continued support!
For more information, please contact Ilena Berg, youth coordinator, at 387-2271 x 331; Courtney Blake, AmeriCorps member, at 387-2271 x 643; or any KIDS PLUS Board member: Holly Beaster, Diane Booth, Beth Kennedy, Annie Prinsen, Beth Schwarz or Amber Wright.
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