United Way of Lake County awarded $124,075 to nine organizations

United Way of Lake County announced today that $124,075 has been awarded in the seventh round of Lake County COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grants to nine local organizations.

This grant cycle focused on programs that decrease or help children adjust to social isolation, as well as the purchase and distribution of items needed to educate children and youth engaged in remote learning in Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion, Round Lake and Highwood.

The grant recipients for the seventh funding distribution are:

• A Safe Place, to provide Chromebooks with software for school-age children of domestic violence and/or human trafficking victims who have had to escape abuse so that they can participate in remote learning.
• Beacon Place, to support Best of Beacon program for 1st through 8th grade students in Waukegan and North Chicago. The program provides relief from social isolation through onsite programming and also provides supplies to enhance remote at-home learning.
• Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, to support operations for all-day in-person program for 30 days with goal to decrease social isolation of children and keep them engaged in remote learning.
• Erie Family Health Centers, to provide Pediatric Wellness Program with educational supports and behavioral health services for children and adolescents impacted by pandemic.
• Highland Park Community Early Learning Center, to purchase sanitizers that enable them to provide childcare and programming for children age 2-5 years old in low income families in Highwood, North Chicago, Waukegan, Gurnee, and Highland Park.
• Reading Power, to aid development and pilot test of virtual one-to-one model tutoring program for Lake County students learning remotely to help address anticipated learning loss of COVID-19 school closings.
• Waukegan Parks Foundation, to support programs addressing decreased socialization and enhancing remote learning for children, including “Get to the Water for Fun” program to keep families active during the pandemic and a “Ready2Read” program to aid reading development and social engagement.
• Waukegan Public Schools, to purchase school supplies and books for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
• YouthBuild Lake County, to purchase technology for students to continue with their education and training while practicing social distancing and safety measures, and prepare for the reality of a reshaped workforce.

The Lake County COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund unites funds raised by philanthropies, corporations and individuals to support nonprofits on the front lines of the crisis addressing Lake County’s greatest needs.

Since the fund was launched on March 20, a total of $1,002,337 has been granted swiftly back into the Lake County community to 46 nonprofits so they can continue their critical work serving our most vulnerable neighbors.

For more information about the Lake County COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, future funding opportunities or to donate, visit LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org/covid19.

ABOUT UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY

United Way of Lake County’s mission is to unite leadership and resources to create lasting change that will improve lives in Lake County, Illinois. United Way of Lake County has remained focused on breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Last fall, United Way launched 211, a free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral helpline, providing personalized help guiding individuals and families in Lake County to available health and human services.

Through the support of our partners and supporters, we are transforming communities by delivering programs and services that are timely, effective and scalable, with results we can measure. For more information, visit LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org.