Archive for March, 2010
McHenry County College’s Equality Club will hold a amateur stand-up contest at the MCC conference center that will feature amateur comedians from the McHenry County area. Aspiring comedians should prepare a five minute routine and call Talia at 815-455-8772 to register. The winner of the contest will receive a professional slot opening for Comedian Matt Drufke. Admission to the event will be $5 and all door receipts will benefit Turning Point, McHenry County’s only domestic violence agency and shelter. The contest kicks off at 7:00 pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 at the MCC conference center and feature emcees Matt Drufke and Lewis Rhine.
For questions and further details please call Talia at 815-455-8772.
March 30 2010 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center – Huntley will host a free workshop and expo for active women April 10, for those interested in leading a healthy lifestyle.
From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees may take part in free activities, such as group workouts, an indoor sprint triathlon, health expo, roundtables, workshops, a fashion show, yoga and cycling.
Attendees are encouraged to donate food, personal care items, new children’s clothing, or to make a monetary donation to Turning Point. Donations will be collected at the entrance to the expo.
You can read the whole story in the NW Herald.
March 30 2010 | Events and In the news | No Comments »
During the health care debate, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said “Being a woman should not be a pre-existing condition.” Some thoughts from the White House on health care for women:
“ A greater percentage of women are more likely than men to be uninsured or underinsured and to struggle to make ends meet. In addition, those women who manage to get coverage are more likely to pay higher premiums than men. Women who suffer from preexisting conditions are often denied coverage altogether.
For all women, the advent of health care reform is a victory. For domestic violence victims, it is a lifeline.
Domestic violence causes 2 million injuries and more than 1,200 deaths every year . These women are not strangers - they are our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, our co-workers, and our neighbors. For victims of domestic violence, access to health care is critical. They need treatment for immediate injuries and ongoing care for related health problems. They need to be able to talk to their health care provider about the cause of their injuries without fear of losing their health insurance. Most importantly, they need our compassion and support.
Yet until last night, insurance companies in eight states and the District of Columbia could still discriminate against victims by declaring domestic violence a preexisting condition. Domestic violence victims in those states faced the real risk of being denied health care at the very time when they needed it the most. Because of last night’s vote, domestic violence victims in those states will no longer face discrimination.”
You can read it all here.
March 29 2010 | In the news | No Comments »
Seniors at three Crystal Lake high schools are joining forces to give back to the community before graduation.
Prairie Ridge seniors traditionally have done a legacy project each year, but this year they are aiming higher. And they are getting help from their peers at Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake South high schools as part of a district-wide initiative to help seniors get the most out of their final year.
Student leaders have set an ambitious agenda for this year’s project. They have scheduled a food drive to help restock the shelves of local food pantries. A garage sale is planned to raise money for Haiti relief. A 5-kilometer run/walk in May will benefit the Be The Match Foundation, a nonprofit that supports a national bone marrow program. That mission is especially personal as one senior this year likely will need a bone marrow transplant in the future.
In addition, there is a dance to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and events to fund some landscaping improvements and create baggo sets for students to use during lunch at Prairie Ridge High School.
Read the story at the NW Herald.
March 29 2010 | Events and In the news | No Comments »
Turning Point is working on a critical security upgrade to it’s facility. We’ve secured a grant of $48,000 but that amount must be matched with an additional $10,000 from Turning Point. Can you help? Parties who might be interested in helping us with a donation can contact MaryAnne Weltch in our development office. (815) 338 8081
March 23 2010 | Fundraising | No Comments »
Our friend Kelli at the Cuckoo’s Nest in downtown Cary (on Route 14, across from the Train Station) hosts another Meat Raffle for Turning Point Saturday May 1 from 2-5 PM!.
The last one was a blast and raised $550 for Turning Point!
March 23 2010 | Events and Fundraising | No Comments »
A great article sent to me from Brian, a Turning Point crisis line volunteer:
“Responding to growing evidence that people who abuse animals often go on to attack humans, states are increasing the penalties for animal cruelty and developing better methods for tracking convicted offenders. …
And in the last three years, Arkansas, Illinois, Oregon and Washington, D.C., have enacted laws that require or authorize child or spousal abuse investigators and animal control officers to inform each other when they find something potentially amiss in a home. Eight states now have such laws.
Law enforcement officials often do not pursue charges against animal abusers because of limited resources, opting instead for noncriminal remediation that results in animals remaining in the custody of their abusers. ”
You can read the whole, fascinating article here.
March 23 2010 | In the news | No Comments »
We’ve had a few groups drop off Easter Baskets for our Turning Point kids!
These pictured are for the shelter residents and donated & assembled by our friends at Sage products in Cary. They filled Laundry Baskets (ALWAYS useful in the shelter!) with items for kids of all ages and their moms, too! Not just treats and toys but useful items too. Below some “mom’s baskets” wait in theshelter pantry.
Oh yeah! They also brought a check for $400 raised at their recent basketball tournament! Way to go SAGE!
March 22 2010 | Volunteers | 1 Comment »
“It’s been two years since the Arlington Heights resident was gunned down by her ex-boyfriend outside her Elmhurst real estate office. Since her death, her parents, family and friends have forever changed the landscape of domestic violence by introducing “Cindy’s Law,” which allows judges to order abusers to be electronically tracked via ankle bracelets transmitting their whereabouts to police.
Her younger brother, Michael Bischof, became the catalyst for changing Illinois state law to protect domestic abuse victims. He led bipartisan efforts to pass legislation named for his sister that Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed in August 2008, only six months after Cindy was killed.”
Thanks to Melissa McGraw for calling my attention to this Daily Herald article. But many counties have still not been able to implement the new program due to budget constraints….
March 22 2010 | In the news | No Comments »
From today’s Northwest Herald:
WOODSTOCK – McHenry County is among five counties statewide participating in a grant-funded pilot program tracking statistics in child-abuse court cases.
The program seeks to gather and track a handful of statistics so that judges, administrators and others can compare themselves to other judicial circuits or consider areas to improve, McHenry County Court Administrator Dan Wallis said.
“It’s one of those things where we’re testing our reality,” Wallis said. “We can sit back and say everyone’s peddling fast, but it’s not until we look at the data that we know how we’re doing.”
The whole story is here.
March 18 2010 | In the news | No Comments »
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