Focus on the future in state of the county address
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant delivered her annual State of the County address at the August meeting of the County Board. In her address, BertinoTarrant emphasized the need for county government to prepare for continued residential and economic growth in the region.
“We are at a point where the decisions we make today will determine the direction of our county for years to come,” said County Executive Bertino-Tarrant. “As County leaders, we need to challenge ourselves to expand our vision and think proactively about how we address issues and changes in our communities.”
In her address, Bertino-Tarrant spotlighted several steps that Will County made in recent years to modernize government and empower communities, including increased public safety spending, transformational local investments through the American Rescue Plan Act, improved delivery of county services, the completion of several long-term capital plans, and the construction of Chicagoland’s first Renewable Natural Gas Plant at the County-owned Prairie View Land-
fill.
Bertino-Tarrant also highlighted her administration’s prioritization to implement more forward-looking strategies for transportation.
This includes launching the “Our Way Forward” long-term transportation plan, which aims to reduce congestion, improve safety for all modes of transportation, and expand access.
The address also spotlighted Will County’s recent expansion of the Access Will County Dial-a-Ride Service, which empowers seniors and residents with disabilities in areas that previously did not have transportation service to connect with all of Will County.
“Transportation is not just moving cars from point A to point B,” added Bertino-Tarrant. “It’s about access. It’s about connecting people to opportunities. Whether that’s someone driving to work, or taking the train, or biking on our beautiful local trails, or utilizing paratransit, everyone deserves access to safe and convenient transportation.”
The proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Budget was also presented during the meeting. Bertino-Tarrant proposed a balanced budget
aimed at maintaining existing services and preparing County offices for a continued pace of growth. The budget prioritizes public safety, which makes up 67 percent of the County’s operating budget.
Bertino-Tarrant outlined several steps her administration has taken to reduce operational spending and plan for future needs. This includes the County’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan, which is aimed at forecasting long-term spending on capital assets.
“We must continue to be mindful of these responsible budgeting strategies while being forwardthinking,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “I’m proud to present a balanced budget today that puts us on a positive path for the future. In passing a budget, we’re not just getting through the next year. We’re making decisions that guide how county government prepares for the future.”
The proposed budget will now be reviewed by the County Board, who must approve a new budget at its November meeting before the fiscal year begins December 2024.
Plainfield North senior earns perfect ACT score on first try
Plainfield North High School senior Anushka Menon earned a perfect “36” on the ACT college entrance exam, on her first try.
Less than half of one percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score.
“I was shocked, happy, and relieved all at the same time,” Menon said.
Menon said she couldn’t believe the news.
“I kept looking at the screen as if my score would somehow go away or change, and when I told my parents, they didn’t believe me either,” she added.
Then she did it again with the SAT, landing in the 99th percentile with a score of 1530 out of a possible 1600.
Menon studied daily for more than a month using ACT prep books from the library.
“Luckily, the SAT and ACT are similar in terms of the grammar rules and math concepts, so I was able to use some background knowledge when preparing for the ACT,” Menon said.
Menon credits her family and teachers for her academic success.
“None of this would’ve been possible without my amazing teachers at Plainfield North, and my family who has been a constant support all these
years,” Menon said.
Menon participates in the school’s National Honor Society, math team, Science Olympiad, speech team, and badminton.
She also organized Plainfield North’s first World Culture Fair along with her sister and a friend.
“This was an exciting experience for me as we had been planning this event for almost a year, and I’m hoping this year’s culture fair will be just as memorable,” she said.
Menon has a passion for science and helping people and plans to study engineering in college.
“If I were to give advice to anyone setting a seemingly impossible goal, I would tell them to go for it, no matter what anyone says,” she said.
DuPage Community Transformation Partnership grants more than $1 Million to support social service not-for-Profit organizations
The DuPage County Board and representatives from DuPage Foundation welcomed grant recipients who were awarded $1.03 million in Immediate Intervention grants by the DuPage Community Transformation Partnership (DCTP).
The grants will help fund the work of 16 social service notfor-profit organizations serving DuPage County residents in the areas of food insecurity, housing instability, mental health, and substance use disorder.
The DCTP was established in 2022 and is a $10 million grant program between DuPage County and DuPage Foundation to support social service not-for-profit organizations helping DuPage County residents.
The following organizations were selected to receive funding:
Food Insecurity Grants: $197,000
• DuPage Senior Citizens Council: $70,000
• Hope’s Front Door: $20,000
• Milton Township Food Pantry:
$22,000
• People’s Resource Center: $85,000
Housing Instability Grants: $473,144
• Catholic Charities: $113,700
• DuPagePads: $75,000
• ICNA Relief: $20,000
• Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans: $100,000
• WeGo Together for Kids: $34,444
•World Relief Chicagoland: $130,000
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Grants: $362,633
• Alive Center: $19,700
• DuPage Health Coalition: $50,000
• Easter Seals DuPage & Fox
Valley: $50,000
•Mercy Housing Lakefront: $51,933
• NAMI DuPage: $126,000
• Samara Care: $65,000
Total DCTP Immediate Intervention Grant Distributions: $1,032,777
Visit dupagefoundation.org/ grants/dupage-community-transformation-partnership-grantees. html to see project descriptions for each of the grantees.
“The Immediate Intervention grant program was designed to have the highest level of impact in our communities and provide relief quickly to those in need,” said DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy. “Each year, the selec-
tion process allows us to effectively assess what the most pressing issues are in our County and direct our grant dollars directly to address those service or funding gaps. Collaborating with DuPage Foundation streamlines the process and ensures that we can make an important difference in these critical areas including mental health, substance use, housing instability, and food insecurity.”
In January 2022, the DuPage County Board executed an agreement to allocate federal funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to DuPage Foundation for a multi-year grant program. The DCTP Fund will award $10 million in grants to ad-
dress immediate and long-term needs in the community in response to the COVID-19 health emergency.
DCTP Immediate Intervention grants not only provide grantees financial resources to respond to the immediate needs of clients, they also allow agencies to quickly increase their organizational capacity to deliver efficient services and resources within the target service areas.
“We are incredibly proud of the impact this partnership is having on our community,” said DuPage Foundation President & CEO Mike Sitrick. “Despite being a county of tremendous resources, the needs in DuPage remain significant and
urgent. We are honored to be leading with DuPage County in addressing them on behalf of our residents. The DCTP partnership is an outstanding example of the power of coordinated impact.”
The DCTP Committee is comprised of DuPage County and DuPage Foundation staff, Board members, and volunteers who review applications and select the grantees.
To date, area not-for-profits have applied for and received funding for more than $6.8 million in Immediate Intervention and Transformational grants from the DCTP.
For more information, please visit dupagefoundation.org/DCTP.
Plainfield North senior earns perfect ACT score on first try
Plainfield North High School senior Anushka Menon earned a perfect “36” on the ACT college entrance exam, on her first try.
Less than half of one percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score.
“I was shocked, happy, and relieved all at the same time,” Menon said.
Menon said she couldn’t believe the news.
“I kept looking at the screen as if my score would somehow go away or change, and when I told my parents, they didn’t believe me either,” she added.
Then she did it again with the SAT, landing in the 99th percentile with a score of 1530 out of a possible 1600.
Menon studied daily for more than a month using ACT prep books from the library.
“Luckily, the SAT and ACT are similar in terms of the grammar rules and math concepts, so I was able to use some background knowledge when preparing for the ACT,” Menon said.
Menon credits her family and teachers for her academic success.
“None of this would’ve been possible without my amazing teachers at Plainfield North, and my family who
has been a constant support all these years,” Menon said.
Menon participates in the school’s National Honor Society, math team, Science Olympiad, speech team, and badminton.
She also organized Plainfield North’s first World Culture Fair along with her sister and a friend.
“This was an exciting experience for me as we had been planning this event for almost a year, and I’m hoping this year’s culture fair will be just as memorable,” she said.
Menon has a passion for science and helping people and plans to study engineering in college.
“If I were to give advice to anyone setting a seemingly impossible goal, I would tell them to go for it, no matter what anyone says,” she said.
