News You Can Use

POC welcomed new Executive Director Seth Moland-Kovash following the retirement of Kathy Millin, celebrated the holiday season through a turkey giveaway, a teen Chicago field trip, and the ICompete Winter Wonderland event serving over 520 attendees with Photos with Santa. The newsletter also highlighted growth in the Learning Lab's ESL classes and progress toward the annual appeal fundraising goal, with a preview of the upcoming Whiskey & Roses spring fundraiser.

The Summer 2024 newsletter highlighted the Young Professionals Board's Sippin' on Sunshine fundraiser, which raised over $13,000 for POC's Youth Development and Family Engagement programs, and previewed the upcoming ICompete Summer Camp running July 8 through July 26 across six age-group camps. The newsletter recognized major grant awards including a second $25,000 grant from the Megan Butz Legacy of Hope for the Skyward Bound mental health program for young adults — with a third year already committed for 2025 — along with support from the Schaumburg Township Mental Health Board and Palatine Township for wraparound services including the clothing closet and crisis center. The Learning Lab reported strong growth, now welcoming guests from over 14 countries ranging in age from 18 to 87, with more than ten participants earning driver's licenses over the past year. The advocacy section highlighted POC's statewide coalition work on healthcare access, newcomer funding, and undocumented work permit authorization, including a Springfield visit by six immigration case workers. Finally, the Roots Community Garden announced its permanent relocation to Falcon Park Recreation Center, where Palatine Park District and Fremd High School installed six raised beds that opened for planting on May 25, with evening and Saturday morning hours beginning in June.

The September 2023 newsletter covered a busy stretch of late summer and fall programming at POC. ICompete's three-week summer camp served 60 campers with 15 outings including trips to Brookfield Zoo, Rainbow Falls, and Harper College, along with daily breakfast and family engagement nights — made possible by a broad group of sponsors including CCSD15, Palatine Township, and the Russell Johnson Foundation. The Young Professionals Board celebrated the success of its Summer Nights and Beer Flights fundraiser at Brothers' Field, which raised over $8,000 for youth development programs. The newsletter also announced two upcoming fundraising events — a Farm to Table dinner at Soulful Prairies in Woodstock (already sold out) and the J&D Golf Outing at Palatine Hills Golf Course on September 22. On the community side, the Roots Community Garden reported a strong harvest of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, and other produce despite an early-season drought, with 20 high school students among the volunteers and family events led by garden coordinators Kim Haas and Thomas Border. Finally, readers were invited to volunteer vehicles, decorated tables, or candy donations for the October 20 Candy Crawl at Falcon Park, expecting 500 to 600 children.