Contact us:

info@livewelllakecountyil.org

Website:

http://www.livewelllakecountyil.org

Lake County, IL's largest collective impact initiative to advance health equity

Self Care

Lunch & Learn

Wednesday, September 17 | 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Join us for an online session led by Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Christine Spuhler, MA, LCSW where we'll explore ways to take care of our bodies, hearts, and minds.

Email angela.baran@hfnlc.org to register!

Monday, October 28 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Burnout isn’t just feeling tired—it’s the result of chronic, unmanaged workplace stress that can lead to emotional exhaustion, disconnection from one’s work, and decreased ability to meet daily demands.

Join us for a powerful session where we will:

• Explore how structural inequities contribute to burnout
• Understand its impact on social and health outcomes for clients, students, patients, and staff
• Learn trauma-informed strategies to prevent and address burnout at both individual and organizational levels

📬 Registration details will be shared in next month’s newsletter—stay tuned!

We are excited to introduce you to the dedicated Lake County Health Department staff who support Live Well Lake County. Each brings a unique passion, experience and a little bit of fun to their leadership. Get to know them a little better below!

Christina Hayes

Strategic Planning and Quality Improvement Manager

What’s your favorite community event or tradition?

Fall festivals, like Jack O’ Lantern World in Lake Zurich and Fright Fest at Six Flags

If you could create a nonprofit for any cause, what would it be?

Animal Rescue 

What’s one local spot you think everyone should know about?

Avocado Express in Waukegan-great wraps and fries!! 

Buddy Hargett

Director of Organizational Effectiveness and Development

What’s your favorite community event or tradition?

Every year, in early August, I look forward to going to Venetian Night at North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor. It is jam packed with neighbors and visitors to enjoy a festival atmosphere, boat parade, and amazing fireworks over the lake.

If you could create a nonprofit for any cause, what would it be?

Something outdoorsy – getting kids fishing, foraging, gardening, exploring. Understanding how to read waves, how to clean a fish, what “weeds” that are growing are actually wild vegetables and delicious. Definitely something outdoorsy. 

What’s one local spot you think everyone should know about?

I heard someone say once that every community needs to have its “splendor of joy” - that thing that makes it unique and that when people think about it immediately creates a rush of positive emotion. For me that is Lake Michigan and Illinois Beach State Park. The beaches are amazing. The trails are fun to explore. You can sit and reflect, swim, hunt for sea glass and fossilized coral, fly a kite, build a sandcastle, walk the boardwalk of the marina, and in the winter, it is a magical place to snowshoe and see amazing ice formations. It is my splendor of joy. 

Sara Zamor

Associate Director of Prevention

What’s your favorite community event or tradition?

I live in Waukegan and there are a lot of great community events throughout the year, but I have to say Waukegan Pride is probably my favorite. It’s a great event that brings the community together and celebrates inclusivity and advocacy.

If you could create a nonprofit for any cause, what would it be?

I think it would be great to be a part of a non-profit that supports all of the amazing and diverse cultures in our area. Exposing people to different foods, traditions, languages and celebrating those differences, actually shows people how we have more in common than we think. I also do love animals, so anything supporting shelters or helping people keep their animals with them during hard financial times would be a close second. 

What’s one local spot you think everyone should know about?

I really enjoy Waukegan Harbor. Lake Michigan is such an impressive body of water. It’s relaxing and rejuvenating but also awe-inspiring. There are also interesting things to watch, like the boats coming in, people fishing, taking a stroll to the lighthouse. Just be sure to always practice good water safety!

We’re making great progress on our community health assessments! The Community Partner Assessment is finished, and we're excited to share the report with you all. See the graph below for top strengths identified by community partners and read the full report by clicking the button below.

The Community Status Assessment is underway, and we’ve just started planning the Community Context Assessment. By bringing all three assessments together, we’ll get a clearer picture of what’s working well in our community, where there are gaps, and the health challenges people are facing. Most importantly, this information will help shape the next Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)—a roadmap for building a healthier community, together. 

Strengthening Our Foundation: LWLC Launches Strategic Planning Process

The Live Well Lake County (LWLC) Network Leadership is embarking on an abbreviated strategic planning process focused on strengthening the organizational structure of the Network. This initiative is distinct from the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) process, which guides the work of each Action Team. Instead, this effort will center on building a more sustainable and resilient network equipped for future growth, impact, and leadership succession.

Over the coming months, Network Leadership will examine and prioritize key building blocks that are foundational to the long-term success of LWLC. These include:

• Structure & Governance
• Leadership & Succession
• Member Engagement & Participation
• Communications & Visibility
• Funding & Resource Development
• Data & Impact Measurement
• Equity & Community Voice

For each building block, we will identify priority goals and develop actionable workplans to guide implementation. This strategic planning effort will help ensure LWLC remains a strong, connected, and effective coalition—capable of addressing the social drivers of health across Lake County for years to come.

Stay tuned for opportunities to contribute your voice and expertise to this important process.

Staying Informed on Recent Federal Policy Changes

Local News: As you may know, immigration agents are expected in the Lake County area, specifically in North Chicago and Highwood, IL, including at the Navy and Army bases. This is understandably a fearful and uncertain time for many of our family members, friends and neighbors. 

At the same time, immigration advocates have been tirelessly preparing for this unfortunate moment. They continue to provide Know Your Rights trainings and other vital services to help ensure that our community is informed and supported. 

We are fortunate to have dedicated organizations in our area, including Northern Suburban Legal Aid, Center for Immigrant Progress, Mano a Mano and HACES, which are working on the ground to provide assistance, resources and advocacy.  

Policy Updates 

• Be sure to follow The National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) Tracker (under key resources, you can find a chart on Executive Orders).  

Spotlight: Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking

Key provisions include: 

• Increased political oversight: All funding opportunity announcements and discretionary awards must undergo review and approval by political appointees, with added layers of review from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), subject-matter experts, and interagency partners. 
• Expanded termination authority: Grants can now be ended at the Administration’s “convenience” or if they no longer align with agency priorities. 
• New restrictions on funding: Federal grants cannot support activities involving racial preferences, challenges to the sex binary, unlawful immigration-related initiatives, or programs considered contrary to “public safety” or “American values.” 
• Changes to OMB Uniform Guidance: Nonprofits with lower indirect cost rates will be prioritized in competitive grantmaking. The EO also limits the use of discretionary funds for facilities and administration, potentially rolling back last year’s 15% de minimis indirect cost rate, which NCN and our network long championed.  

Housing Action Team

Housing Action Team meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Please contact Liz Nelson or Joel Williams  for any questions and a link to join the meeting.



Peers with Lived Expertise (PLE)

Peers with Lived Expertise (PLE) meetings are held every other Thursday from 6:00 -7:00 p.m. These meetings are held via Google Meets.

Please contact Makiya, Bruce or Frank for any questions and a link to join the meeting.

Storytelling Working Group Storytelling Working Group meetings are held on the last Friday of each month at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Please contact Shonta Coleman or Idriss Joseph for any questions or a link to join the meeting.