League of Women Voters Forum on the Mental Health Board Referendum at MCC

 

The League of Women Voters of McHenry County will present a forum on the Mental Health Board Referendum at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 22.  McHenry County voters will have their say on this referendum on the March 19 primary ballot.  The event will be held in person in the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College and will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Speakers at the forum will include County Board members Carolyn Campbell and Michael Skala, as well as Suzanne Hoban, Executive Director of the Family Health Partnership Clinic, and John Buckley, Executive Director of Independence Health & Therapy.

“Our Mental Health Board is one of the jewels of McHenry County, providing vitally needed funding for an array of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance abuse disorders, and mental health issues,” said Paula Ekstrom, President of the League.  “These services often help people, and their families, who are uninsured or under-insured.  This forum will provide full details on the pros and cons of this referendum, so that the voters can make an informed choice.  That’s our organization’s mission, and we’re proud to help out.”

If the referendum passes, the portion of property tax which funds the Mental Health Board will be replaced by a 0.25% sales tax with exclusions of groceries, medicine, or medical equipment.

A flyer in support of the Mental Health Board Referendum.

The Luecht Auditorium is in Building B (park on the south side) of McHenry County College, at 8900 Northwest Highway, between Woodstock and Crystal Lake.

For more information on the event see http://tinyurl.com/2tx8demy.  

For further information on the referendum, please see the FAQ on the website of the McHenry County Clerk, at http://tinyurl.com/4jdmpczz.

To watch the forum livestream on Facebook, please visit:  http://tinyurl.com/mrye59m2. 

For more information on the Mental Health Board of McHenry County, please visit:  https://www.mc708.org/.

Celebrating Black History Month—The Underground Railroad in McHenry County

McHenry County, was the home to several fierce abolitionists who worked as secret conductors on the Underground Railroad?  Presenters Gloria Van Hof and Pamela Althoff, two local historians, know the true stories of the heroes and heroines who helped enslaved Blacks escape to freedom, often at great risk to themselves and their families. They knew the safehouses and the secret routes that freedom seekers followed on their path through McHenry County.

The McHenry County Juneteenth Organization is pleased to announce an Underground Railroad presentation in recognition of Black History Month on Monday, February 19 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College, 8900 Rt. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Van Hof and Althoff will provide a narrative of eight Underground Railroad sites, six in McHenry County, one in Kane County, and one in Wisconsin.

                Gloria Van Hof.

Van Hof will also present the program on Thursday, February 8 at the Boone County Museum of History, 314 South State Street in Belvidere at 6 pm.

Althoff and Van Hof, who conducted the first McHenry County Underground Railroad tour in 1993, have presented numerous lectures at historical societies, schools, and universities.  Come and hear these heroic stories from two experts and find out how close this American story is to your home.

 

The program is sponsored by the McHenry County Juneteenth Organization. 

Registration, which is free to the public, is required at http://tinyurl.com/2d3ar3pb and visit the McHenry County Juneteenth Organization web page

 

Two Programs Celebrate Martin Luther King This Year in McHenry County

McHenry County has doubled its public observations honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this year.  And that’s a very good thing.

First is Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  sponsored by the McHenry County Juneteenth Organization and McHenry County College this Wednesday, January 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the college’s Leucht Auditorium.  The program, which will be hosted by Rev. Dr. Norval Brown, will include light refreshments followed by a screening of the documentary,  How Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World.

After the screening, Rev. Brown will lead a brief audience interaction emphasizing the importance of continuing Dr. King’s work. When asked if he felt Dr. King’s work was still relevant today, Rev. Brown said, “His work was and still is important, for there are those in our nation and in other nations who continue to live under a rod of oppression. The fluidity of time calls for the writing of a new narrative.”

                                Rev. Dr. Norval Brown of Cary United Methodist Church.

Rev. Brown, lead pastor of the Cary United Methodist Church, is a powerful speaker who recently stirred audiences at the first McHenry County Juneteenth Festival on the historic Woodstock Square on June 17, 2023, where he offered both the invocation and benediction. 

The program will also include introductory remarks by MCC President Dr. Clint Gabbard and the Juneteenth Organization’s founder and driving force Gloria Van Hof, a member of the McHenry County Board.

The program is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged to be sure seats are available.

For more information see the Facebook event at http://tinyurl.com/32yvwunn or register to attend at http://tinyurl.com/bdf2md4h.  

Next will be Faithbridge’s 14th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Crystal Lake Elara Convention Center, 800 South Rte. 31, in Crystal Lake on Monday, January 15 from 7:30 to 9:00 am.

After a vegetarian breakfast, Terell Carter, Executive Director and President of Rise Community Development Corporation will be the Keynote Speaker.  What it Means to Belong will be a dynamic talk about aspects of housing, race, and gender.   Terrell began his tenure with Rise in 2021 and brought over 20 years of construction, affordable housing development, non-profit management, and community engagement experience.  He previously served as a St. Louis, Missouri as a police officer, served as vice president and chief diversity officer for a liberal arts university in southern Illinois as well as full-time professor and program director for Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas; served as Executive Director for two St. Louis non-profits, and has been on community organization boards.

The program will also feature reflections and prayers by diverse local faith leaders, and musical salutes.  

FaithBridge is an interfaith organization of religious communities, not-for-profit corporations, and individuals in McHenry and Lake Counties promoting mutual respect and cooperation.

Tickets for the event can be purchased for $25 per adult or $15 for youth at http://tinyurl.com/5b7vpjzh.  A limited number of seats may be available for purchase the morning of the event.