Chambana Sun

City of Woodstock Joint Meeting of the Cultural & Social Awareness Commission met April 3.

Here is the minutes provided by the Commission:

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call:

Commission Members Present: I. Sagrado, J. Hudson, and W.Donato.

Commission Members Absent: Jose Rivera.

Staff Present: Human Resources Director Debbie Schober and Chief Deputy City Clerk Jane Howie.

Others Present: Resident.

III. Public Comments:

IV. Acceptance of Minutes: Motion by I. Sagrado, second by J. Hudson, to accept the Minutes from the January 9, 2017 meeting. Ayes: W. Donato, J. Hudson, and I. Sagrado. Nays: none. Absentees: Jose Rivera. Abstentions: none. Minutes accepted.

V. Discussion Items:

A. Sister City (Comm. Rivera)

B. Update on Old Firehouse Initiative (formerly Comm. Crain)

J. Hudson is coordinating with Redeemer Lutheran Church to continue scheduling volunteers for the Center. The Old Firehouse Assistance Center is currently open each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Church continues to look for volunteers. United Methodist Church’s Woodsmen begins this month which provides a meal one evening each week to the homeless guests. There’s hope that more people in need will look into the OFAC for assistance. D. Schober said the OFAC does keep track of how many people attend. The Center closes at the end of April for the summer season. I. Sagrado said the church recently served dinner to 50 people. D. Schober briefly talked about the gentleman that was killed in traffic last week during the evening.

Jose Rivera arrived at 4:06 pm.

Sister City: J. Rivera said they are working with a group of 13 & 14 year olds from Zacatecas to bring a baseball team to Woodstock, along with teams from Canada, Japan and various other countries. Mr. Rivera will be working with the childrens’ families to assist raising funds for travel and passports. (CABA) has 22 players coming from Mexico. J. Rivera said he met with the City Manager and Assistant City Manager two weeks ago to discuss this program. There may be an opportunity to visit Zacatecas again in the near future.

C. QPR training for community (formerly Comm. Crain, D. Schober can provide

update) HR Director D. Schober assisted in training 117 people from Crystal Lake Central High School recently. Suicide prevention training is a great resource for high schools. Statistics reveal that the suicide rate has recently decreased in our count. D. Schober would like to provide this training to Woodstock’s Police Department and employees of Woodstock Fire / Rescue District. Studies show that the suicide rate for first responders is rather high, so this training would be very beneficial both for themselves and for the community. J. Rivera asked who can benefit from this training, and what organizations Ms. Schober has trained for. She suggested anyone interested in this program and training should directly contact Denise Bowman at the Mental Health Board for further information and to determine area sessions that could be attended.

D. Update on New Americans Initiative (formerly Comm. Crain) D. Schober said former Commissioner Laura Crain had been coordinating this. W. Donato asked if this is something this Commission should pursue further. D. Schober asked the Commissioners in their opinion, among the minority populations, volunteers, what their fears are. It is believed that members of minority populations are frightened of being deported, even if they are in the United States legally. J. Rivera said these initiatives are still on-going.

W. Donato asked what happens to a family if there’s a call to the home and the resident is illegally here. It was noted that both Woodstock Police Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office feel it is not their job to report this information, as it is their job to respond to and handle emergencies. J. Hudson said people are reluctant for their kids to stay after school or get involved in activities because of the current climate.

J. Rivera said he was talking to some friends from Poland and they are also afraid of being deported. D. Schober said although she understands the fear, not everyone will be deported; authorities are looking for those that are involved in illegal activities and such. It was agreed that this Initiative will be on the back burner for now; revisited at some time in the future.

E. Other areas of focus within the Community (formerly Comm. Crain) D. Schober said the Mayor would like this Commission to think of other areas that may be relative that they could get involved in or partner with. The Chamber’s Executive Director knows of two people that are interested in joining this Commission. The Mayor will be meeting with the applicants in the near future.

D. Schober mentioned that possibility of a Christmas Around the World type of event, that could perhaps tie in with the Lighting of the Square event the day after Thanksgiving each year. This would be a great addition for this Commission to head up. I. Sagrado said Rockford does a multicultural ‘Taste of.’ each summer. D. Schober said vendors and restaurants just need to be aware of the guidelines of the Health Department.

There was a question from a resident if this Commission promotes Social Services. D. Schober said the City has to be careful about how and who it promotes and that information on social services is available via 211 and other resource guides available in the county.

F. Next Meeting date is Monday, July 10, 2017.

The next Joint Commission meeting will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

VI. Other Discussion Items: None.

VII. Adjourn: 

Motion by I. Sagrado, second by J. Hudson, to adjourn this Quarterly Meeting of the Cultural & Social Awareness Commission. Ayes: Jose Rivera, I. Sagrado, J. Hudson, and W.Donato. Nays: None. Absentees: none. Abstentions: none. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:36 pm.

http://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/cultural_amp_social_awareness_commission/meeting/5291/minutes_-_4-3-17.pdf