STAFF NEWS
There were a few milestones that took place this past year. Congratulations to the following staff that celebrated special employment anniversaries in 2010.
ONE YEAR
Nathan Cobb, Housing Specialist
Darrin Taflinger, Housing Specialist
FIVE YEARS
Rebecca Cox, Legal Advocate
Josh Mercer, Legal/Children's
Advocate
Naomi Taylor, Prevention Educator
Tim Lobdell, HSTP Coordinator
TEN YEARS
Diane Mayfield, Victim Services
Director
Royal White, Housing Programs
Manager
FIFTEEN YEARS
Chad Braatz, Solid Waste Coord.
TWENTY YEARS
Tim Manock, Weatherization
Coordinator
Tina Lovejoy, CSBG/LIHEAP
Coordinator
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EDUCATIONAL
SCHOLARSHIPS
OFFERED BY WIRC-CAA
The WIRC-CAA will offer five $1,500 scholarships to individuals desiring to further their educational training through an Illinois community college, vocational school, college or university. Applicants should be pursuing employment in a high need field and must be a resident of Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, or Warren counties. Scholarship recipients may apply the $1,500 towards tuition and fees, textbooks and supplies, or campus room and board.
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of financial eligibility, scholarship potential, and commitment to civic affairs, career goals and personal interviews. Applications will be available beginning February 21, 2011 from high school guidance counselors, college financial aid offices, the WIRC-CAA website at http://www.wirpc.org/ and the WIRC-CAA office, 223 South Randolph St., Macomb, IL, 309-837-2997. Completed applications must be received at the WIRC-CAA by 4:00 pm, March 25, 2011.
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TCR&WMC
Tri-County Resource & Waste Management Council
NEW HOME FOR YOUR USED ELECTRONICS
In just 11 months, all residential televisions, computers, monitors and printers will be banned from your trash and must be recycled in accordance to PA 095-0959.
The Tri-County Regional Collection Facility, along with Vintage Tech, has been recycling the following list of residential e-waste for several years.
- Televisions
- Computers
- Monitors
- Printers
- All types of memory sticks
- Printer cartridges
- All laptops and accessories
- All hard drives
- Power cables
- All networking equipment (hubs, routers, servers, switches, etc.)
- Fax machines
- Photocopiers
TCRCF HAS NEW PARTNER
The Tri-County Regional Collection Facility (TCRCF) is pleased to announce a new partner in the recycling loop - Warren Achievement Industries of Monmouth. Warren Achievement received a Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant to de-manufacture electronics.
The TCRCF will collect the electronics, Warren Achievement will de-manufacture the electronics and Vintage Tech will process the CRT tubes and sell all of the commodities generated from the de-manufacturing processes.
This coordinated effort provides jobs for people with disabilities, new homes for area used electronics, and protects the ground water supply from the heavy metals that are in the electronics.
HARD DRIVE SECURITY
If you are worried about the security of the hard drive in your recycled computer, rest assured that Warren Achievement will either erase or destroy the hard drive in a secure area that is monitored by cameras on a 24/7 basis.
Warren Achievement also partners with the TCRCF's paint recycling program.
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Communities Receive
Railroad Safety Grants
For the 2011 grant cycle, both Macomb and Abingdon were recipients of the Illinois Commerce Commission's Phase Seven Public Education and Enforcement Research Study grant (PEERS). The local police departments will be working on education and enforcement in the communities as the grant aims to educate citizens and students on railroad safety and specifically targets youth ages K-8 on how to be prudent around railroad tracks and trains. Read more...
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VICTIM SERVICES
OFFERS CRISIS
INTERVENTION
TRAINING
The WIRC-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA) Victim Services' Domestic Violence (DV) and Sexual Assault (SA) programs are looking for individuals who are committed to helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. As a volunteer for Victim Services, individuals can play a valuable part in assisting victims of DV and SA, while others may simply want to learn more about the problems of DV and SA.
Read more...
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Families with young children came to sit on Santa's lap and pick up gifts , food, hats and gloves that are provided through the Project Santa program. Pictured is volunteer Santa Tim and one of the program's youngest recipients.
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DIRECTIONS - Suzan Nash, Executive Director
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This year, the Project Santa Program was able to provide a merrier holiday to 179 families and 445 children in the four Community Action Agency counties. Through many generous donations, sponsorships and staff/volunteer hours, the program had a very busy and successful season. We certainly expected the need to be greater due to the current economy and we were not proven wrong. This was our busiest year ever and certainly, all of our donors and volunteers came through in a big way to help us meet the need. Read more...
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Illinois Energy Now Lighting Sale
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The State Energy Office at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced a special lighting sale for public sector buildings through its Illinois Energy Now program. The federal government has mandated that T12 lamps be phased out of production in 2012. This means all public facilities will eventually have to upgrade all of their T12 lighting. To help the public sector and public schools, the State's Illinois Energy Now program is offering its best incentives to upgrade to high-efficiency T8 or T5 lamps. Read more...
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Smart Energy Design Assistance Center Workshop
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Local governments seeking ways to cut their energy bills and become more energy efficient can find answers at an upcoming workshop. Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) faculty and staff from the University of Illinois School of Architecture at Urbana Champaign will be presenting a half day workshop on the following date and location. Local officials enrolled in the Certified County Officials program will receive three hours of credit.
WHEN:
March 2, 2011, 12:30 - 4:00 pm
WHERE: Spoon River College, Community Outreach Center
2500 E. Jackson Street, Macomb, IL
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: How to reduce energy costs through energy efficiency designs for both businesses and public entities.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Businesses of all sizes and public sector administrators or facility managers for public K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, park districts, libraries, local governments, water and waste water treatment facilities in the Ameren Illinois service territories.
REGISTER AT: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/fulton/
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Rehab Project on Macomb's West Side
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The City of Macomb has begun a rehabilitation project on the west
side of town along Jackson Street. Last year, the city secured funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) Flex Funding component to demolish five properties along Jackson Street. Funds will be used for the demolition, asbestos abatement, and greening of the site. The Flex Funding component of CDAP is very competitive and the city was very fortunate to obtain this funding. Project completion will likely be in spring, after landscaping is complete.
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Rehab Grant Applications Submitted
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The WIRC recently submitted four applications to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The applications were for the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) Housing Rehabilitation component. Applications were submitted for the following communities:
- Town of Astoria
- Village of Augusta
- Village of Avon
- Village of Kirkwood
If funded, the program will rehabilitate eight single-family owner-occupied homes in a targeted area of each community. The WIRC expects to be notified of grant awards by May 2011. Approximately 20 applications will be funded by DCEO.
The WIRC will begin preparing CDAP housing applications for next grant cycle this summer. If you would like the WIRC to prepare a housing application for your community or just have questions, please call Kevin Wiehardt at 309-837-3941 or email kevin@wirpc.org.
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Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
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Jillian is a typical teenager. She attends her local high school, makes good grades, has been active in several after school activities such as student council and volleyball, and is popular with her friends and classmates. She's been dating Matt for a few months and things seem to be going great. At least, that is what her family and friends thought. Jillian hasn't told them what has really been happening the last few weeks.
When she and her friends were thinking Matt really liked her because he called and texted her to say he was thinking about her and wanted to be with her all the time, later turned into constantly checking up on her, asking who she's been talking to, hanging out with her in class and much more. He tells her that she needs to check in with him several times a day. He meets her between classes and walks her to each one. He tries to check her text messages and phone numbers and has begun to keep her away from seeing her friends and even missing student council meetings. When he tries to get her to skip volleyball practice, she tells him she'll be kicked off the team if she misses.
Jillian kept Matt's behavior a secret until she finally told one friend but made her promise not to tell. Matt's abuse went from verbal to physical and he shoved her into a locker when he saw her
talking to a guy after school. He told her never to try that again. She was his and his alone. She had a bruise on her shoulder and marks on her arms where he grabbed her.
Sadly, Jillian is not alone in this type of relationship. Students as young as 13 have reported either being a victim or knowing someone who is a victim, of dating violence. The National Center for Victims of Crime reports:
- One in five teens in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner.
- Young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rates of relationship violence.
- Fourteen percent of teens report having been threatened with physical harm -- either to them or inflicted by their partner--to avoid a break-up.
- Twelve percent of respondents in a study on violence against women reported being stalked before the age of 18.
- A correlation between physical violence and coerced sex in teen relationships has also been found.
- Teens identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are as likely to experience violence in same sex relationships as youths in opposite sex dating.
February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. As adults, we need to become educated about the fact teens are experiencing violence in their relationships at an epidemic rate in this country. We must educate ourselves about the issue, be willing to open the conversation with other adults but especially with our children. We must be willing to hear things that are not comfortable to hear. We must be willing to have the conversation about healthy relationships more than one time. It must be an on-going conversation beginning before the time our children begin dating.
Victim Services can help. Call its 24 hour crisis hotline, 309-837-5555, for information. You're not alone.
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 NetWIRC Newsletter - Volume 21/Issue 1
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Western Illinois Regional Council
223 South Randolph St.
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 837-3941
patti@wirpc.org
Go to our website!
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