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Contact My Office
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(847) 478-9909
The Laschen Center
294 Evergreen Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
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Dear Friends, 
With Veterans Day coming up next week, I wanted to take a moment to recognize the enormous sacrifice our veterans and current military personnel have made to protect our country's freedom and to simply, but sincerely say, "Thank You."
Cell Phones for Soldiers
This year, in observance of Veterans Day and the holiday season as  a whole, I am hosting Cell Phones for Soldiers Drive through my legislative office. Through this program we are able to provide up to two-and-a-half hours of free talk time to soldiers deployed overseas for every cell phone donated that is valued at more than $5. If you have a gently used cell phone you would like to donate, please feel free to stop by my full-time constituent service office located at 294 Evergreen Dr. in Vernon Hills from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, or give me a call at (847) 478-9909 for a member of my team to arrange for a pickup or drop off.
Buffalo Grove Veterans Day Celebration
Please join me this Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th at 1:30 p.m. for the Buffalo Grove Park District's annual Veterans Day Celebration located, at the Community Arts Center at 225 McHenry Rd. in Buffalo Grove. Refreshments will be served from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. I am honored to attend this event each year as we pay tribute to our local veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. I hope to see you there. I encourage you to take the time to thank any veterans you know or see because of the freedoms we enjoy due to their sacrifices.
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In The Community:
Superintendents Roundtable:
One of my favorite roundtable meetings is with my local school superintendents because improving education is so important to me. Recently, I held my fall semi-annual meeting of Superintendents in District 59. We had a very productive discussion on improvements we can make to our roundtables so they can become even better, school safety and security because of the related task force I am currently sitting on, and an update on the state budget. I requested an opportunity to learn more about school funding/budgeting and teacher evaluations, and as always I had volunteers eager to set up these learning sessions for me in the coming weeks.
Wheeling Taste of Town:
Last week, I attended Wheeling's annual Taste of the Town. This was my first time attending this great event, but will now mark it as an annual event on my calendar and encourage you to do the same. The event was well attended and the local restaurants went out of their way to bring some food samples to the attendees in innovative ways.
Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Get Connected Summit: 
Our office participated and attended the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber's 3rd annual Get Connected Summit. The focus of this year's event was on effectively utilizing social media for your business and improving networking skills. The Chamber did an excellent job connecting local small businesses to large state and local employers. Our Comptroller Leslie Munger gave the opening address and I gave the closing remarks.
Lake County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast: 
The Lake County Chamber asked me to deliver an update about the bi-partisan Small Business Owner's Caucus that I founded and my crowdfunding legislation. I also gave an update on the budget impasse and took questions. Congressman Dold provided the group with a federal update and Mayor Kovarik of Gurnee gave a local update.
Vernon Hills Park District's Fall Fest: 
Last Friday, my team and I participated in the Vernon Hills Park District's Annual Fall Fest celebration. Sen. Link and I have partnered in sponsoring a table at this event ever since I've been in office. Especially with Saturday's rainy weather, this sold out event allows children and their families to enjoy a fun, safe, indoor trick-or-treating experience as well as a variety of festive entertainment. Get your tickets early for this event next year.
GLMV Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast:
I finished up my round of Chamber visits on Monday attending the  GLMV Chamber's annual legislative breakfast, which had a great turnout. Attendees got to hear federal, state and county updates about the issues important to small business owners in Lake County and then ask the panel questions of interest to them. This will be the last year attending this event with State Rep. Ed Sullivan, so I wanted to point out how much I have enjoyed working with Ed to serve the constituents of Mundelein and the State of Illinois. Ed and I worked together in a bi-partisan fashion on countless pieces of legislation which I sponsored, as well as on numerous local issues directly affecting Mundelein. I will miss Ed in Springfield, as he was a pleasure to work with.
Northern Illinois Food Bank:
Thursday morning, I had the privilege of volunteering at the  Northern Illinois Food Bank's Park City location. Barrett and I helped pack over 375 holiday food boxes for needy families as well as sorting and labeling 19,000 lbs. of cheese that will be distributed to food pantries all around northern Illinois. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this great opportunity, you can sign up by visiting their website http://solvehungertoday.org/ways-to-give/give-time/volunteer-opportunities/. I look forward to volunteering again and supporting this important organization. My hope is that constituents and other legislators will want to join us on our next visit to the Food Bank before the holidays.
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Upcoming Events:
Environmental Citizens' Advisory Committee Meeting:
Education Citizens' Advisory Committee Meeting:
On Thursday, December 3rd, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., I will be hosting an Education Citizens' Advisory Committee Meeting in the Youth Services Meeting Room at the Vernon Area Public Library, located at 300 Olde Half Day Road in Lincolnshire.
During our meeting, local parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and anyone passionate about issues relating to education will come together to discuss the state of education in the community, share ideas for future legislation, identify concerns, and review education bills from the past year.
Save the Date: Latino Family Advisory Committee:
On Tuesday, December 8, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., I will be hosting a Latino Family Advisory Committee at a location to be determined in Mundelein. All constituents are invited to discuss issues of importance to members of the Latino community. If you're interested in attending, please call my constituent service office at 847-478-9909 or email me at repsente@gmail.com, and I will let you know as soon as a location is finalized.
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As always, if you have any thoughts that you would like to share with me, have an idea for an event, or require assistance with a state issue, please contact my full-time constituent service office on the second floor of the Vernon Hills Park District's Laschen
Community Center, located at 294 Evergreen Drive in Vernon Hills, by phone at 847-478-9909, or by email at RepSente@gmail.com. If you think someone else would like to receive my weekly ENews or would be interested in one of the events mentioned above, please feel free to forward this email to them and encourage them to subscribe.
Sincerely,
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