Women United See KCC Come to Life in North Chicago

On June 26, Women United members volunteered as Reading Buddies at the North Chicago Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC). Reading Buddy volunteers spend an hour in the classroom introducing the concept of books, stories and reading to the children attending camp.

Pictured above are some of the children Women United volunteers read with, displaying their craft masks.

Since 2016, Women United has built a strong partnership with the North Chicago community, providing resources and funding to support many early childhood programs at the Green Bay Early Childhood Center.

“We are thankful to have worked within the North Chicago community over the past few years,” says Diana Nielander, Affinity Group Manager of Women United. “We loved getting into Green Bay Early Childhood Center and providing some of the resources needed to enhance the children’s learning experiences. We are proud to be able to continue our presence there now and provide additional funding for exceptional programs. We believe that these layered services have the biggest impact.”

This year, Women United allocated $60,000 to Success By 6’s Kindergarten Countdown Camp to expand into two additional communities, North Chicago and Round Lake. Thanks to Women United, 30 children, with little to no preschool experience, in North Chicago are attending a 6-week camp at Green Bay Early Childhood Center where they will learn the basic skills needed to succeed in kindergarten.

Along with Kindergarten Countdown Camp, Women United has provided the following in grants to support the North Chicago community:

•  $23,000 for Success By 6 Home Visiting – this program provides in-home early intervention for families with infants and preschool-age kids who are struggling with poverty and have limited access to health and community services.
• $15,000 for Better Together – this early learning program, that takes place at Green Bay Early Childhood Center in North Chicago, focuses on family engagement and building new skills for children 0-3 years old by providing individualized attention to families.

Women United has periodic informational meetings, called Wine & Learns. The next Wine & Learn is on August 21, 2018 from 6-7:30 PM in Libertyville at a member’s home. Interested? Contact Janice by emailing janice.scarbalis@uwlakeco.org.

Join Women United on Saturday, August 4 for their Booze, Bites, Beats & Bingo summer fundraiser from 7-10 PM  at the North Shore Distillery.  For more information and to RSVP, click here.