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Hello Stephanie,
I hope you and your family are well as we approach the last few days of September and beginning of October.
Last week, I was deeply honored to be named the 2024 Legislator of the Year by the Illinois Association of County Veterans Assistance Commissions. Advocating for Veterans has always been a personal mission for me as a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and a Blue Star Mom with a son currently serving overseas in the US Navy.
As we've highlighted in past newsletters, this has been a banner year for legislation that protects and honors our Veterans. It remains my honor to serve our Veteran community, and I look forward to continuing this vital work.
This Saturday, September 28, is National Sons Day, and as a proud mother of a son serving our country, this day holds special significance for me. I encourage you to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the sons in your life!
Have a wonderful week ahead,
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Register for Aurora's Senior Shovel Program | |
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Operation Senior Shovel provides snow removal assistance for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
- Eligibility: Aurora residents, seniors 60+, or those with disabilities or serious medical conditions, with no capable adults under 60 in the home.
- Registration open for ONE DAY only - October 3, 2024, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. MORE INFO
- Volunteers support assigned homes after each snowfall of 2+ inches, using personal equipment, with 48 hours to complete. Volunteer HERE.
- Call 630-256-4636 for support
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Help Support Our Deployed Troops with Holiday Stocking Donations | |
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Operation Support Our Troops-America is starting their Holiday Stocking Program for deployed service members, wounded heroes, and Veterans.
- Collection begins in October 2024, they need donations to fill thousands of stockings.
- Items needed include candy, gift cards, puzzle books, toiletries, and other holiday treats. (See flyer)
- Donations can be dropped off at 1989 University Lane, Suite A, Lisle, IL 60532.
- To help or donate, call 630-971-1150 or email stockings4troops@osotAmerica.org. MORE
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Easy Steps for National Preparedness Month | |
Are you prepared for the next extreme heat, flooding, tornadoes, winter weather, earthquakes, power outages, or even hazardous material spills? | |
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Illinois Emergency Management Agency recommends you have the following emergency preparedness kits in your home:
- Emergency kits for home and vehicle, Link
- Family communications plan (invaluable if phones or cell service is out), Link
- Pet preparedness emergency kit, Link
- Digital safety kit, Link
Print an emergency supply checklist here.
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October Coffee with Kiffy | | |
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Join State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit for a Community Coffee Chat on Monday, October 7!
This is your chance to share concerns, ask questions, and get the latest updates on what's happening in the State of Illinois. Tune in on Facebook from the comfort of home and engage in an open conversation with your Representative. The event starts at 9 a.m. – don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and connected!
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Subscribe & listen later wherever you get your podcasts! | |
Illinois Fact of the Week | |
Twinkies were invented in Illinois by James Alexander Dewar of Schiller Park | | |
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3 fun facts about Twinkies:
1. The Anniversary of their invention, April 6, 1930 is officially National Twinkie Day
2. Twinkie filling was switched from banana cream to vanilla cream during WWII when bananas were rationed
3. The name "Twinkie" was inspired by a billboard for "Twinkle Toe Shoes", a product at the time
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This Week's Poll:
Minimum Age for Criminal Responsibility
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HB 1294, would establish a minimum age for criminal responsibility and create separate mental fitness standards for minors.
- Currently, children as young as 6 to be charged with serious crimes like murder.
- Experts argue that young children lack the cognitive ability to understand the consequences of their actions.
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Last Week's Poll:
Regulating AI
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HB 3773 prohibits employers to use AI in a way that causes discrimination, like considering an applicants race.
- Employers must also disclose the use of AI to employees.
- The law impacts employers who currently use or intend to use AI for hiring, promotions, recruitment, training, and renewal of employment.
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SEPTEMBER 26, 1833 - With the Treaty of Chicago, the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa Indians were forced to relinquish all their lands in northeastern Illinois.
3 facts about the Treaty of Chicago:
1. Despite not wanting to cede their ancestral land, the natives chose to negotiate, recognizing that the U.S. government would not accept "no" for an answer.
2. The treaty marked the cession of what was the last immense tract of Native American land (5 million acres) that remained north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.
3. In 1914, the Pokagon Potawatomi made national news when they sued Chicago in federal court, asserting their right to brand new lakefront land east of Michigan Avenue created by rubble dumped after the Great Chicago Fire. They argued that the Treaty of 1833 only ceded land up to the original shoreline, meaning the lake and lakebed were never transferred to the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected their claim, stating the tribe had forfeited their rights by not continually occupying the disputed land, which had previously been underwater.
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The Last Council of the Pottawatomies, 1833, was painted by Lawrence C. Earle in 1900. The painting shows the Potawatomi Indians with commissioners of the United States government as they signed the Treaty of Chicago on Sept. 26, 1833, in Chicago. | | | | |
