Lt Governor Honors Young Leaders Making a Difference in IL Communities

Link: http://www.standingupforillinois.org/feature.php?id=245

Check presentation and award ceremony to honor young leaders who are making a difference in Illinois communities

(Chicago) - On Monday, Feb. 25, at 10:45 a.m., Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and representatives from State Farm® will salute two Illinois institutions whose hard work and dedication to community earned them a combined total of more than $130,000 in service-learning grants.

The Illinois Institute of Technology and Totally Positive Productions are the two Illinois grant winners selected by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 student leaders who were chosen through a competitive process to oversee State Farm's innovative, youth-led service-learning initiative. The board, which includes five young leaders from the Great Lakes area, awards grants under the following four categories: Disaster Preparedness, Driver Safety, Financial Education, and Access to Higher Education. The Illinois winners are:

Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago ($70,000 grant - Disaster Preparedness) - For the second year in a row, the Illinois Institute of Technology will receive a $70,000 check to help fund a project that teaches young people life-saving skills, including Basic First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillation (AED) certifications. This year, an estimated 500 young leaders will become the disaster preparedness educators and facilitators for their families, schools, and communities.

Totally Positive Productions (TPP) - (Chicago, IL ($62,375 - Access to Higher Education) - Based on the premise that messages filled with hope are best communicated through mediums that young people enjoy, TPP allows students to convey valuable information to their peers through music and dance. Totally Positive Productions provides the opportunity for young people to enhance and nurture their artistic talents , while promoting positive images as a deterrent to gang and drug involvement.

"Through service-learning, Illinois students become more actively engaged in their studies while becoming leaders in their communities," Quinn said. "We want to salute these young leaders who are taking action to better their schools, their neighborhoods and their communities."

Since 2002 the Lt. Governor's office has administered the Cesar Chavez Serve and Learn Program, and in 2006, Lt. Governor Quinn assumed responsibility for Illinois' Learn and Serve America program through an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education. As a result, more school districts are receiving grants to help create or expand service-learning opportunities - and more than 46,000 Illinois students will volunteer during the 2007-2008 school year.

State Farm's service-learning grant program is designed to help young leaders throughout the United States and Canada to expand and develop programs that improve their communities. The young leaders of the Youth Advisory Board identify problem areas, issue competitive grants, and provide technical assistance, communication and oversight to award winners.

"State Farm supports service-learning because it combines service to the community with classroom curriculum in a hands-on approach to mastering subject material while fostering civic responsibility," said State Farm Agency Field Executive Jeff Attar of Chicago. "The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is a prime example of State Farm's commitment to education, our community and our youth."

For more information about service learning, please visit: www.ServeAndLearn.org.