Lightford announces $31.5 million in grant opportunities for historically underserved communities

SPRINGFIELD – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) joined the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in announcing two funding opportunities to support Restore, Reinvest, and Renew programming.

A total of $31.5 million in grants is currently available, including $28.3 million to support service delivery and $3.1 million for assessment and planning.

“The work being done through the R3 Program is the most significant part of legalizing cannabis in Illinois,” said Lightford, member of the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Board. “Putting funding into poor and disadvantaged communities will finally start to reverse the dire effects of the war on drugs.”

Areas eligible for funding were identified using community-level data on gun injury, child poverty, unemployment, and state prison commitments and returns, combined with disproportionately impacted areas previously identified by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (View map of eligible areas).

Organizations that serve residents of, or are based in, designated eligible R3 zones will be able to apply. Eligible organizations include nonprofit organizations, local units of government, tax-exempt faith-based organizations, businesses, and other community organizations. Application materials with instructions on how to apply are available here: https://r3.illinois.gov/. The deadline for all applications is Monday, July 20, 2020.

To ease the application process and increase access to available grant funding, ICJIA offers technical assistance to organizations via online workshops.

 

Lightford promotes the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship for high school graduates

• Black Caucus
• Education

SPRINGFIELD – High school graduates seeking post-secondary education are encouraged by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) to apply for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (ILBCF) Scholarship. 

“Many families are unable to pay out of pocket for college tuition,” Lightford said. “Education is expensive, and I encourage students to take advantage of applying for this scholarship opportunity.” 

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Scholarship has been a catalyst for many low-income students who would not be able to afford certain expenses upon arriving at the higher learning facility.

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Lightford steps down as Black Caucus Chair after five years

• ILBC

SPRINGFIELD – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement after stepping down as Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sunday.

“It has been an honor to serve as the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Chair for the last five years. I worked very hard to lay a foundation that will be passed on and built upon. The ILBC is strong and will continue to advocate for the Black community across the state.

“My time to move on from this leadership role has come, and I am proud to pass the torch to the next legislator chosen to carry on the work I began with this phenomenal group of legislators. I am committed to the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and its mission, and will remain a supportive, engaged leader.

“This is the perfect moment for me to take on an exciting new venture that will lead me to my ultimate goal of doing philanthropic work.

“It will continue to be my great pleasure to serve as senator of the 4th Legislative District as I have for the past 21 years. In my capacity as Senate majority leader, I will continue to work with the governor and his team to lead the charge to ensure that in the aftermath of COVID-19, the Black community will be treated fairly in a system that for far too long has ignored and exacerbated every systemic inequity we face.

“I embrace the challenges ahead with gratitude for the lessons of the past and a focus on the fight for our collective future.”

 

Education Resources and Supports for Families

• Education
• COVID-19

School Attendance

The Illinois Board of Education has released tighter guidelines on attendance as students are remote learning. School districts are encouraged to make contact with students on a daily basis through video chat, phone, texts, email or packet collection.
Read more about ISBE’s Student Attendance guide here: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Student-Attendance-Guidance-5-4-20.pdf

Wellness Checks

ISBE also partnered with the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services to release guidance on wellness checks. If a teacher is unable to make contact with a student for over a week, they should attempt to make contact with their parent or guardian. If the wellbeing of a student is still unknown, schools and districts should do everything possible to conduct a wellness check visit. These visits are only intended to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the child.

Learn more here: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/DCFS-ISBE-Student-Wellness-Visit.pdf

Affordable Internet Options

Internet Essentials from Comcast

Comcast is offering its Internet Essentials program for $9.95 per month. You may qualify if you are eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and others. New customers will receive two months of free service.
Learn more and apply here: https://www.internetessentials.com/

Access from AT&T

AT&T is offering its Access service for $10 or $5 per month, depending on service speeds. New customers who order before May 23 will receive the first two months free.

Learn more and apply here: https://m.att.com/shopmobile/internet/access/

Spectrum Internet

Spectrum Internet is offering free internet for two months to new customers with K-12 or college students. Its Wi-fi hotspots will be made available to the public for free.

Learn more here: bit.ly/spectrumcovid19

Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

DCEO has put together a map of free Wi-Fi hotspots that can be used for activities like e-learning.
View the map for drive-up hotspots here: https://bit.ly/2SXJZgl

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