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Contents
District Office
Virtual Coffeehouse
Joint Advisory Committees
Youth Art Month
Illinois State
Dept of Natural Resources Grants
Virtual Coffeehouse
TOMORROW is our second Virtual Coffeehouse at 10am. Sign up now to share your questions, receive the link, and join me in conversation.
In a joint effort with Senator Karina Villa’s office, the joint Advisory Committees exist to learn about and discuss specific topics in the scope of policy and legislation. Committees meet once each month and are led by community volunteers. Contact the respective email to join their list to receive information on upcoming meetings.
Education Advisory Committee – education.49th@gmail.com
Environment & Agriculture Advisory Committee – environment.49th@gmail.com
Mental Health Advisory Committee– mentalhealth.49th@gmail.com
Senior Advisory Committee – seniors.49th@gmail.com
Calling all youth artists! This month, I’m inviting local children and teens to brighten my social media to celebrate the importance of visual arts. Submitted artwork may be featured throughout the month as social media graphics. Please send your drawings, paintings or graphic art designs to office+art@repmaura49.com, along with your name, grade, school, and town. I can’t wait to see all that you’ve created!
COVID Ambassadors
Illinois COVID-19 Ambassadors are Illinoisans across the state who play a vital role in supporting current state efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 by promoting and sharing information among their friends, family, peers and neighbors on prevention measures, testing resources, COVID-19 vaccine and other relevant information. Any Illinoisan can volunteer to be an Ambassador.
Illinois COVID-19 Vaccine deployment
Illinois has developed an equity-centric approach to vaccination based on guidelines from doctors and medical professionals at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our state is delivering the vaccine in phases, beginning with people who are the highest risk of mortality and exposure to coronavirus.
Vaccinations occur by appointment and as a greater supply of vaccines become available, new vaccination sites are being created all around Illinois. You can find out where vaccinations are given locally by visiting bit.ly/VaccinationLocations.
COVID-19 vaccines are available free at the point of service through a partnership with the federal government. You will not be charged a co-pay or face a deductible just for getting a coronavirus vaccination.
You can find out more about vaccine safety and availability by visiting bit.ly/ILVaccineFAQs. If you have other questions about COVID-19, I encourage you to contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at 1-800-889-3931 or dph.sick@illinois.gov. You can also view the latest news about COVID-19 in Illinois by visiting coronavirus.illinois.gov.
Visit your county’s health department site for more tailored information on current infection, transmission, and vaccination rates and new local vaccination sites.
Vaccines for Veterans- Hines VA
Currently, VA is offering COVID-19 vaccine to Veterans already receiving care from the VA, based on CDC and VA risk criteria. If you’re eligible to get a vaccine, your VA health care team will contact you. Check the Hines VA site here for further details.
Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA’s Eligibility web page to learn more: Eligibility For VA Health Care | Veterans Affairs
Help your Senior friends & neighbors
Access to COVID-19 Vaccines is available to all Illinois seniors age 65 and over. But access is limited if those seniors are not fluent in internet usage or even computers and email. Many have been helped by their children or friends to get an appointment, but many more do not have those resources to make appointments for them.
The organizations listed below have agreed to help area seniors with technology issues/difficulty registering for vaccine appointments or information.
If you know of a senior who does not have access to a computer or do not have an email address, ask them to call:
Seniors Services Associates: 630-897-4035 (Aurora), or 847-741-0404 (Elgin).
AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois: 630-293-5990
Association for Individual Development (AID): 630-966-9393
Aurora Public Library District: 630-264-4117
Aurora Township: 630-897-8777 Ext. 1178
Batavia RSVP: 630-406-9993
Family Focus: 331-256-5980
Fox Valley Community Services: 815-786-9404
Gail Borden Public Library District: 847-742-2411
Geneva Public Library District: 630-232-0780
Hampshire Township: 847-683-9464
Kane Senior Council: 630-338-0999
Retina Health Institute – Dr Rashmi Kapur: 847-488-1030
St. Charles Public Library: 630-584-0076
Two Rivers Head Start Agency: 630-264-1444
IDNR Grants
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is now accepting applications for grants through four different programs:
- Volunteer Fire Assistance Program,
- Special Wildlife Funds Wildlife Preservation Fund – Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities Program,
- State Furbearer Fund, and
- Coastal Management Grants Program
Each grant program has specific eligibility criteria, project guidelines, application guidelines, and scoring criteria. Potential applicants for all of these programs can find more information on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.
Rep Maura Hirschauer
District Office