12.16.2004 Last Day for Toys for Tots Applications!
11.15.2004 Dorothy Pace, Former KCRC Board Member, Dies
11.01.2004 Toys for Tots Applications Available; Volunteers Needed
10.14.2004: KCRC Represented in ‘Lights On Afterschool!’ Rally
09.30.2004: ‘Everyday People’ Benefit a Smash Success
09.23.2004: Don’t forget the ‘Everyday People’ R&B Concert on September 29th!
09.17.2004: Pat Hudson Retires, Honored at KCRC Party
09.07.2004: Renovation of K3CRC Web Site Starts
09.02.2004 Gerri Ripple Steps Up to Head Youth Supervisor
09.01.2004: Dave Spencer Appointed Youth Program Coordinator
08.23.2004: TeenREACH After-School Program Begins Today
08.13.2004: Ron Jackson Takes Over as K3CRC Director
Last Day for Toys for Tots Applications
December 16, 2004, is the last day you can submit an
application for receiving a toy from Toys for Tots. See our November 1 News item in this section for more
information.
Dorothy Pace, Former KCRC Board Member, Dies
Former KCRC board member Dorothy Jean Hafford Pace passed
away at her home today at age 56. A
local community leader for more than thirty-four years, Mrs. Pace was an
elementary school teacher in the Pembroke Consolidated Schools for five years
and served as executive director of St. Martin De Porres Daycare Center in
Kankakee for over twenty-eight years.
Her other contributions to education and the community include: serving
as child development associate for the National Association for the Education
of Young Children; twenty years of service on the Kankakee School District
Foster Grandparents Advisory Council; twenty-seven years with the SCORE
organization of Kankakee, serving as the organization's first president,
chairing its first Debutante Ball, and, more recently, serving as treasurer;
thirty years with the Kankakee County NAACP, serving as membership chairman for
ten years; more than twenty years as a member of the board of directors for
Kankakee Eastside Junior Football League; participation in the Greater Kankakee
Elk's Temple 1376 from the time it was formed in 1992, serving continuously as
the local daughter ruler and as a state trustee for several years and attaining
the highest honors awarded by the national organization; and being a volunteer
for the National Association of Black Cardiologists and the Lane College Alumni
Association, having received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from
Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. She
also received a master's degree from Governors State University.
Married in 1972 to Theodis E. Pace of Kankakee, she is
survived by her husband, two daughters (Thamara Pace of Atlanta, Georgia, and
Thalaura Pace of Chicago), her mother (Idella Hafford of Brownsville,
Tennessee), five brothers and three sisters-in-law (Joe Hafford and John and
Josephine Hafford, of Chicago, Otis and Angela Hafford of Memphis, Tennessee,
Leon Hafford of Brownsville, Tennessee, and David and Michelle Hafford of
Snellville, Georgia), six sisters (Marie Browning of Ellenwood, Georgia, Willie
Mae Willett of Memphis, Tennessee, Louise Bennett and Sarita Lynn Hafford, of
Brownsville, Tennessee, Lee Hafford of Chicago, and Ida Brown of Smyrna,
Georgia), her mother-in-law (Bertha Green of Kankakee), three aunts, one uncle,
and 42 nieces and nephews. Her son,
William Louis Pace, is deceased.
Toys for Tots Applications Available
Distribution Volunteers Needed
If your family
qualifies for receiving a toy from Toys for Tots, you can submit an application
at KCRC Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through
December 16, 2004. Be sure to bring a
picture ID, a copy of the child's birth certificate, and proof of low income (a
check stub or Social Security letter).
If you would like to volunteer to help distribute the toys,
give us a call. For information, or to
volunteer, call 953-9704 or 545-8744.
KCRC Represented in ‘Lights On Afterschool!’ Rally
Pat Hudson honored; Rosa Varela is youth speaker
At the recent ‘Lights on Afterschool!’ rally held at the
J.C. Penney Concourse of Northfield Square Mall, retired KCRC Executive
Director Patricia Hudson was presented one of three ‘Afterschool Success
Awards’ in connection with KCRC’s TeenREACH program in Kankakee. (Rosa Varela, also with the KCRC TeenREACH
program, was scheduled as the youth speaker for the event but, at the last
minute, was unable to attend due to a family emergency.) Over one hundred children, parents, and
business and community leaders attended the rally, one of 7,269 ‘Lights On!’
events held this past week as part of the ‘5th Annual Lights on Afterschool
Rally’ nationwide. ‘Lights on After
School!’ is the largest annual nationwide rally for after school programs; it
brings public awareness to the importance of keeping after-school programs’
lights on and doors open. For more
information about the rally, go to http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa_2004/index.cfm.
For more information about the local rally, go to http://www.daily-journal.com/content/?id=60981
‘Everyday People’ Benefit a Smash Success!
Over 700 tickets sold! All proceeds to KCRC!
The ‘Everyday People’ benefit concert held last night
(September 29th) at the Paramount Theatre was a smash success, both in turnout
and performances! Click the On the Town
button for more details.
Don’t forget the ‘Everyday People’ R&B Concert on
September 29th!
The ‘Everyday People’ R&B benefit concert at the
Paramount Theatre is less than a week away.
All proceeds go to the Community Resource Center Youth Programs. Click the On the Town button for more
details and ticket info.
Pat Hudson Retires, Honored at KCRC Party
Pat Hudson officially retired last month from her position as Kankakee
Community Resource Center Director, passing her baton along to Ron Jackson,
former Youth Program Coordinator at the Center (see August
13th article, below). One of the
original architects of the conversion of the old Illinois National Guard Armory
into a community center, she served as a volunteer from its 1993 opening until
she was named executive director in 1996, a position she handled ably for
another eight years. Pat is credited
with helping to keep the Community Resource Center an effective, low-cost
program, while turning the renovated building into a haven for children after
school to do their homework, participate in arts and crafts, shoot some hoops,
or take part in various other mentor-supervised activities. Although Pat still plans to come in one or two
days a month, her everyday presence will be missed by staff, volunteers, and
the youngsters she served, alike.
A going away
party was held for her Thursday evening (September 16th) at the Center, and 50
of her fans showed up to thank her for all her work and wish her well in her
retirement. “'We're going to miss her a
great deal," board member Pam Lee said; but, Pam added, "she looks a
whole lot less stressed out now."
Pam also noted that Pat’s business acumen was an important factor in raising
money and keeping the budget tight. — She combined both caring and character,
being both tough and gentle when needed.
"For some
reason, these kids took to my heart," Pat said. Ron explained, she always
"treated the children as if they were her children." And, he added, "I've seen her scare off
bullies twice her size." Ron, who
also serves as a columnist for The Daily Journal, once compared her to
Patton, a comparison Pat took as a compliment.
When Ron initially showed up at the Center, also as a volunteer, Pat
first put him to work duct-taping holes in windows. Now, thanks to community support, the building has all new
windows. "This would not have been
possible without tons and tons of community support," Pat says of the
success of the Center.
Another of her admirers, Tony Perry said he remembered when
she was his secretary 28 years ago: "She was one of those people who put
in 15-hour days." He added,
"I have absolute, utmost respect for this beautiful, wonderful lady."
Pat has been not only a bank secretary, but also the manager
of a band and has run a fast-print company.
However, her plans for the future include reading, doing a lot of
puzzles, and travel. It’s a rest well
deserved, and everyone here at KCRC wish her well.
Renovation of K3CRC Web Site Starts
On September 5, 2004, Richard G. Mills joined the Kankakee Community
Resource Center staff on a part-time basis, bringing with him (on-line) three
sample Web pages as a suggestion for upgrading the K3CRC Web site and keeping
it current. The site had news items
that were over a year old, and no one had had the time to keep it up to
date. Ron Jackson, the new director of
the Center, liked what he saw and set Mills off to work on revamping the site.
Basing his design upon the one created by Michael L. Schultz
and Jason C. Deno of Invent
Horizon, Mills
began renovating the K3CRC Web site that afternoon, and has been working on it
more-or-less nonstop ever since! There
is a new Macromedia Flash animation on the homepage, created by Mills, with a
music background he also produced, arranged, and recorded using a computer
program and his attached MIDI keyboard.
And, if you’ve been here before, you’ll notice a lot of new
buttons, some of which are not yet available.
One that is already available, however, is the Calendar
button. It will take you to another
special new addition — the K3CRC calendar of events, posted on Yahoo’s e-mail
site and viewable in a frame on the K3CRC Web site’s Calendar page. The Calendar page also has a “Full-View”
button, which will open the Yahoo calendar in a regular, resizable browser
window for easier viewing if necessary.
(Users should be aware that K3CRC and its Web site is in no way
affiliated with Yahoo.com and is not responsible for any of the content or
links on the Yahoo site.)
More content is being added or updated every day. Keep coming back for new features...and new
news.
(Mills is employed by Kankakee City Senior Services. He has taught computer literacy, pre-college
writing, and high school math as a part-time instructor for KCC and does
free-lance writing, computer consulting, and Web design.)
Gerri Ripple Steps Up to Head Youth Supervisor
Gerri Ripple officially starts as Head Youth Supervisor here at KCRC
this month, after joining KCRC as a volunteer youth supervisor in May of this
year. She will continue her duties of
tutoring, mentoring, snack preparation, filing, reporting, and supervising
daily activities for the youth program.
Newly appointed Youth Program Coordinator Dave Spencer (see September 1st article, below) says that Gerri is also
“the glue that holds everything together around here!” Gerri’s other volunteer activities include
the Bourbonnais Park District Sleepy Hollow, the Ecology Club, Kohl Center
Thanksgiving Dinner, Leo’s Club, Kankakee County Teen Court Board, River Valley
Assisted Living Easter Program, Join Hands Day, Natural Helper, Cops vs. Bears
KCRC fundraiser game, Red Surge, Everyday People concert, and I-KAN-ROE Family
Fun-a-Thon. She is a member of the
BBCHS senior class of 2006, and partakes in various extra curricular
activities, including the BBCHS Band, Clarinet Choir, Marching Band Equipment
Team, and Symphony Band. She has been
on the BBCHS Honor Roll every quarter for the past four years, has won the
Schreffler Funeral Home “Most Compassionate Student” Award of 2001, is a member
of Who’s Who, and was the Kankakee Area Career Center Student of 4th Quarter
2004. She plans to attend college after
being graduated from high school, major in criminal justice, and then start a
career as a corrections officer. She
says her motto is, “Always keep your head up in order to see whom you might
help,” and tells us that her work here at KCRC has been “a life-changing, great
experience. The work is fun, and I love
the kids!”
Dave Spencer Appointed Youth Program Coordinator
Dave Spencer began serving as KCRC Youth Program Coordinator today
(September 1), taking over the position previously held by Ron Jackson, who was
appointed KCRC Executive Director (see August 13th
article, below). Dave is no stranger to
KCRC, having served the Center as a volunteer for a year and a half before
becoming its part-time Youth Program Coordinator Assistant, a position he held
for two and a half years. Dave is only
some 12 hours away from earning his B.A. in social studies and has previously
served as a YMCA Sports Coordinator, as well as working at Collins Square,
which provides handicapped assistant living, and volunteering at Good Shepherd
Manor. Dave is excited to take on this
full-time position because, in his own words, “I enjoy working with the kids
and want to make a difference in the community and for the kids.” Ron Jackson says he’s happy to turn over the
Youth Program Coordinator reins to such a capable and proven dedicated
worker. Welcome back, Dave, in your new
position!
TeenREACH After-School Program Begins Today
The Community Resource Center’s TeenREACH after-school
program began today, August 23, and will run through May 27, 2005. Normal hours are Monday through Thursday from
2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Kankakee School District early-dismissal
and no-school days, the hours are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. See the Calendar page for detailed scheduling and the Programs
page for more information about the TeenREACH program.
Ron Jackson Takes Over as K3CRC Director
August 13, 2004, sees Ron Jackson taking over as Director of the
Kankakee Community Resource Center, where he had been serving as Youth Program
Coordinator since 1999. Ron has a B.A.
in Business from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, but the majority of
his knowledge is derived from his personal experiences. From a three-year stint in two
not-so-pleasant foster homes to his military service as a former Marine to his
18 years in corporate America, he shares his acquired wisdom in order to offer
encouragement to young and old alike.
Ron is also an author, columnist, and motivational speaker who offers
empowerment seminars for women and youth organizations as well as an
eight-session mentoring program for Youth Advocates. As an active community organizer and published author, Ron
believes in the power of one person to make a difference. He speaks and writes of the simple things in
life — time, work, patience — as well as the more difficult issues such as
racism, ignorance, education, relationships, and success.
In addition to his books and seminar materials, Ron Jackson
has been a regular contributor to The Daily Journal newspaper of Kankakee,
Illinois, since 1998. His columns
appear in The Sunday Journal’s Think editorial section. In the summer of 2003, Ron was appointed to
the Board of Directors for the Kankakee Public Library, and he has
recently begun speaking in prisons, where his mission is to educate and
enlighten while delivering a message of hope.
He has also been a guest on several radio talk shows, where he has had
the opportunity to share his unique perspective the programs’ listeners. Ron's keynote speeches and seminars are
heavy on audience participation & fun.
Ideal for youth to adults, these interactive sessions inspire
individuals to unlock the millions of possibilities available to them and make
their reality happen. We know he will
bring this same commitment to the directorship of the Kankakee Community
Resource Center.
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