Location
Northern Illinois Food Bank
13950 W. Business Center Drive, Lake Forest IL 60045
(near 1-94 & Route 176, just east of Lambs Farm)

Register here.

Join us for a morning of connection, education and self-care.
SelfCare and Collective Resilience for Service Providers is a restorative session designed to nourish the heart, mind, and spirit of those who serve others. Participants will explore practical tools to build resilience, honor emotional well-being, and sustain purpose in challenging environments—while embracing whole-person care, radical acceptance, and radical hope.  

9:00am - Networking

9:20am - Tours of NIFB's food distribution center

9:50am - Presentation on Building Resilience Amidst Chaos

Meet our Speaker:

Manny Hernandez, Director of Operations & Community Health Worker with Family First Center of Lake County 
Manny Hernandez is a community health and behavioral wellness leader with extensive experience promoting mental health, emotional wellbeing, and health equity across Lake County, Illinois. As the Director of Operations at the Family First Center Behavioral Health Clinic, he oversees traumainformed, culturally responsive programs that support individuals and families in underserved communities.

With certifications in Mental Health First Aid (Adult & Youth), NAMI FamilytoFamily & Support Group, Strong Fathers, Stanford SelfManagement, the Diabetes Prevention Program, and DEEP, Manny brings a comprehensive toolkit to his work. His contributions include coping skills workshops, selfcare and wellness sessions, youth development services, immigrant trauma support, traumainformed fatherhood programming, mindfulnessbased TIERRA practices, the Wellness Compass initiative, and support for social service providers experiencing burnout or vicarious trauma. Fluent in English and Spanish, Manny is known for his ability to build genuine connections, create healing spaces, and design communitycentered programs grounded in resilience, cultural humility, and emotional wellbeing.