April 2022 Newsletter
Annual Meeting with State Senator Melinda Bush!
The Alliance is looking forward to welcoming YOU, our members, to our Annual Meeting on June 17th at 8AM at University Center on the College of Lake County’s Campus. Members will have the opportunity to attend in-person as well as online. Those attending in person will be able to network and connect with others as we celebrate the start of our new fiscal year. Special thank you to the Lake County Community Foundation and the University Center for hosting us.
During the Annual meeting, the Alliance will present our new board slate as well as host an intimate conversation with State Senator Melinda Bush. The Senator is retiring this year, and this is our opportunity to thank her for all she has done for the sector as well as learn from her as the Alliance community steps up our advocacy activities in the upcoming fiscal year. If you have a specific question, you would like the Senator to answer, please email it to me.
Please RSVP and let me know if you will be joining us in person or online and I look forward to seeing you soon!
RESPOND
In April, RESPOND members learned more about the educational opportunities available for those living in Lake County, regardless of citizenship status, who want to enhance their math, reading, and writing skills. RESPOND members hosted a conversation with Carmen Nieto, Lake County Community College Outreach & Recruitment Coordinator, Yesenia Mata, Student Lake County Community College Success Coordinator and Griselda Quezada, Student Lake County Community College Success Coordinator.
Missed the program? Check out our Member Videos to watch!
May Meeting on 5/4 at 11:30 AM
RESPOND members will pick up additional skills to better support those experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis and learn about free mental health first aid training. The Alliance is excited to welcome Lake County Health Department Behavioral Health Service M.H.F.A. Coordinator, Phillip DeRuntz, M.Ed. CBT.
RESPOND Leadership meeting on 5/6 at 11:00AM
Help to shape the RESPOND community by encouraging collaboration and increasing your skills as well as those of fellow frontline and social workers. All are welcome.
Alliance Meeting
The Alliance virtual meetings are tailored to the needs of leaders throughout Lake County’s social service sector. The meetings are an opportunity to learn best practices, share resources, and connect with each other. During the April meeting, we hosted a conversation on how low level offenders may have opportunities to participate in diversion programs and avoid a criminal record. Members welcomed Lake County States Attorney Kevin Rinehart, Lauren Callinan, Chief of Domestic Violence Division and Kevin Malia, Chief of Rehabilitative Services and learned more about these programs to educate clients on opportunities to participate and how to support their success.
Missed the program? Check out our Member Videos to watch!
Download Program Powerpoint
Next Alliance Meeting: May 20, 2022 at 8AM (register here)
With all of the talk about the great resignation, hear from an expert on how to support and keep the new workers on your team. The Alliance is excited to welcome Candace Fisher, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Certified Coach and Director, Organizational Development at HR Source. Candace works with members to help develop the talent in their organizations. This includes facilitating training sessions, coaching individual managers and teams and designing organization-specific performance management systems. She also facilitates training sessions at HR Source and, as part of our HR Hotline team, advises members on a variety of organizational issues such as employee relations, supervisory and management concerns and change management. In her spare time, Candace volunteers at a local humane society and has earned the moniker, “Crazy Cat Lady” at the Association.
The Alliance is excited to partner with HR Source to offer a special membership rate.
Annual Meeting
Don't miss the Alliance for Human Service's Annual Meeting featuring an intimate conversation with State Senator Melinda Bush. Members will also vote on the 2023 Alliance Board of Directors. You can join us in person or online. The Alliance community thanks the Lake County Community Foundation and University Center for hosting the community. Please RSVP and let us know who will be attending and how as well as the representative for the agency for voting purposes.
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 at 8AM
Location: University Center, 1200 University Center Dr, Grayslake or Online
Poverty Simulation
The Alliance for Human Services is excited to partner with CASA of Lake County, PADS of Lake County, Catholic Charities, Love Inc of Lake County, and our host St. Joseph Catholic Church for our poverty simulation.
Date: April 30, 2022 9:00AM-11:30AM
Location: St. Joseph Catholic Church-121 East Maple Avenue, Libertyville, IL, 60048
Register: https://bit.ly/PovertySimApr30
During this Poverty Simulation, participants will take on the identity of someone else and feel what it means to live a ‘month’ in poverty. Throughout the month you will face some of the daily stresses and challenges a person in poverty faces.
The Alliance offers this opportunity to learn and better understand the needs of our neighbors experiencing trauma and how to best provide them with the resources they need to thrive.
Book Club
The Alliance is excited to announce our next book club conversation. We are reading Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario to help us build our understanding of the trauma of the immigration process and the resilience of those that make the journey particularly from the Latinx lens. Our three facilitators will be:
Carla R. Gutierrez, LCSW, Department Director, Youth Counseling Department, Catholic Charities and Alliance Board Member
Esmeralda Maldonado, Customer Service Assistant Manager, Waukegan Public Library
Gabriela (Gaby) Strobehn, Case Manager for Family Caregiver, Family Service of Lake County
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at Noon. Join here!
Looking forward to the conversation!
Community Announcements
School Resource Fair
Don't miss the opportunity to connect with school social workers and others at the annual resource fair hosted by Alliance for Human Services; Mothers' Trust Foundation; Lake County Regional Office of Education; and SEDOL. To reserve a table for your agency, please fill out this form.
Date: May 10, 2022, 9AM-12PM
Location: College of Lake County
ZCenter is hiring a Director of Services
The Director of Services is part of the leadership team and responsible for all ZCenter services to clients and community and ensuring that these services are delivered with the highest quality and effectiveness to our clients and the community. With the entire staff, the Director of Services will be responsible for quality service delivery throughout the agency. They will demonstrate a commitment to the mission and philosophy of ZCenter geared toward ending the cycle of violence, helping to eradicate the effects of sexual assault, and empowering survivors by validating their experiences, and helping them to understand their response to the trauma. Because this position will need to provide supervision to counseling staff, we require an LCSW and will consider an LCPC based on skills and experience. For more information and to apply see our LinkedIn button on our website at, zcenter.org
