On October 17, Millions Will Join the Great Central U.S. Shakeout to "Drop, Cover and Hold On"

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today encouraged every Illinois resident, school and business to participate in a multi-state, international earthquake drill on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10:17 a.m. This will mark the fourth time Illinois has participated in the ShakeOut drills, which are designed to encourage residents to think about what to do before, during and after an earthquake.

"The Great ShakeOut is one of the easiest ways to be prepared for a potential disaster," Governor Quinn said. "By investing just two minutes to register and participate in the drill, you'll be better prepared if you ever experience an earthquake. I encourage everyone in Illinois to join with people around the world in the Great ShakeOut."

Participants can register for the drill online at shakeout.org/centralus. More than 490,000 Illinois residents are already registered for the drill.

The ShakeOut drill focuses on the "Drop, Cover and Hold On" protective actions people should take when a quake begins: "Drop" down to the floor, take "Cover" under a sturdy desk or table, and "Hold On" until the shaking stops.

Illinois sits atop two major fault zones, the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. The most powerful series of earthquakes ever to hit the United States happened in 1811-12 near New Madrid, Missouri.

"The ShakeOut drill raises awareness about the threat of earthquakes in Illinois," said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). "The drill only takes a few minutes, but the lessons learned can save countless lives."

Director Monken noted that the Ready Illinois website (Ready.Illinois.gov) provides tips for emergency planning, such as knowing escape routes and family reunification plans, building an earthquake kit and caring for pets. The site also offers tips on how to prevent injuries during a seismic event, such as by avoiding bookcases, or, if driving, viaducts.

SPRINGFIELD - Building on her efforts to support defense and rural communities, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will lead discussions on how to better serve military families, provide healthy food options in rural communities and assist rural school districts in separate public meetings being held in Springfield on Wednesday.

"I expect many fruitful discussions on important rural and military issues at these meetings," said Simon. "I am looking forward to a productive dialogue on how we can better serve rural and defense communities."

Simon will chair the Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee (IMBSEDC) meeting on Wednesday morning. Findings and recommendations from defense community listening posts and an online survey will be released. Throughout the summer, Simon's office convened listening posts in Metro East, Quad Cities and North Chicago, all of which are home to military installations and are already struggling with the economic impact of sequestration, federal government shutdown and the possibility of future cuts. An online survey followed in the fall.

The survey and listening posts were administered in partnership with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA). More than 750 participants answered questions pertaining to business opportunities, education, workforce training and quality of life. The IMBSEDC is required by statute to coordinate the state's activities and communications relating to current and former military bases in Illinois, and provides advice and recommendations for base retention, realignment and reuse.

Later in the day, Simon will chair a Governor's Rural Affairs Council (GRAC) meeting. The 25-member council will discuss proposals to encourage healthy eating in rural communities via double value coupons for food stamps, promote small businesses, improve access to emergency services and assist rural school districts.

Established by Governor's executive order, the GRAC is tasked with improving delivery of state services to rural Illinois and expanding opportunities for rural residents to enhance their quality of life. Under Simon's leadership, the GRAC has worked to expand access to locally grown, healthy foods and emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas, as well as other rural issues.

Wednesday, Oct. 16

EVENT: IMBSEDC Meeting

TIME: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION:  State House, Room 214, Springfield

EVENT: GRAC Meeting

TIME: 2 - 4 p.m.

LOCATION: Stratton Building, Room 413, 401 S. Spring St., Springfield

Six Soldiers earn Bronze Star Medal

FORT SHERIDAN, IL (10/15/2013)(readMedia)-- Approximately 130 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers from the 933rd Military Police Company based in Fort Sheridan, Ill., were recognized for their service in Afghanistan at a Freedom Salute ceremony at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Oct. 12.

The unit mobilized Aug. 7, 2012 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

"Welcome back 933rd, I'm glad to have you back to recognize all the great work you did in Afghanistan. Be very proud of yourselves for the fine work you did over there," said Brig. Gen. Richard J. Hayes Jr., Assistant Adjutant General-Army. "To the families - thank you for your enduring sacrifice. I know it's very hard to have your loved ones away."

The company worked with Special Forces troops in Afghanistan; therefore, much of its mission is classified. 933rd Soldiers were spread across four remote combat posts in Afghanistan successfully accomplishing missions such as guard operations and prisoner escort.

"I want to thank you all for coming and the support," said Capt. Thomas Gilligan of Bolingbrook, 933rd commander. "The most important part of the National Guard is the bond we have with our families, friends and local community and as you can see with the facilities we have here today and the support we have been given over the year and the various things that got shipped to us that we needed in theater, the support we have as a unit is great and that is because of you guys."

Six Soldiers earned Bronze Star Medals, 76 earned Army Commendation Medals, 42 earned the Army Achievement Medals and 19 Soldiers received Combat Action Badges. Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal included Capt. Thomas Gilligan of Bolingbrook, 1st Lt. Christopher Rothwell of Chicago, 1st Lt. Lorrie Novak of Oak Forrest, Sgt. 1st Class Delval Desavieu of Dolton, Staff Sgt. Bret Thompson of Yorkville. Sgt. 1st Class Joel Mauney of Springfield also earned the Bronze Star Medal, but was not present for the ceremony.

The 933rd also mobilized from February 2003 to July 2004, as one of the first Illinois Army National Guard units to be deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Freedom Salute Campaign is a small way to show these patriotic citizen-Soldiers, their families and employers how much their sacrifice is appreciated. On behalf of the National Guard Bureau, the Illinois Army National Guard presented each eligible Soldier with an encased American flag, as well as a sequentially-numbered commemorative coin, certificate of appreciation and lapel pin. Families also received items recognizing their support and sacrifice.

The Freedom Salute Campaign is one of the largest Army National Guard recognition endeavors in history. It is designed to publicly acknowledge Army National Guard Soldiers and those who supported them while deployed.

DES MOINES - Most Iowans view hunger as an important problem in the state, with a third saying it is a very important issue, according to a new AARP Iowa survey released at the 2013 Iowa Hunger Summit, organized by the World Food Prize Foundation.

Findings also show that more than one in four Iowans surveyed said they had experienced food insecurity in their own household, and nearly half said that someone close to them has had limited access to adequate food on a regular basis due to not having enough money or other resources to buy food.

Forty-eight percent of Iowans said they think the number of families at risk for hunger has increased over the past two years, and 40 percent said they believe the need for places where those at risk can get free food or meals has increased, as well.

"Iowans, have a long history of humanitarian leadership against hunger at home and around the world, so it's not surprising that they rank hunger as an important problem for our state to address," said AARP Iowa State Director Kent Sovern. "What is surprising is that while about one in four Iowans has had direct experience with hunger in their household, almost half of Iowans know someone who has been food insecure. With increasing numbers of Iowans at risk for hunger there is a need for more resources to reduce food insecurity and we hope these survey results will focus more attention on the urgency of the issue and renew Iowans' desire to help in their communities."

Findings show Iowans are committed to fighting against hunger as more than half of Iowans responded that they have donated money or food to an organization providing food to those in need or directly to individuals in need in the last 12 months. In addition, far more Iowans surveyed indicated they would give more money and food, if asked.

"The generosity of Iowans really comes through in this survey," said Sovern. "And, the findings clearly indicate that people are willing to give more if asked. We hope our partners and all of Iowa's hunger advocates will be able to leverage these survey results to increase hunger relief in communities across our state through increased volunteer involvement and food and money donations. "

The survey finds that Iowans strongly approve (79.9 percent) of the State of Iowa's $1 million match of donations to Iowa food banks in 2014, and by about the same ratio, Iowans support AARP's role in working with the state of Iowa in fighting hunger for Iowans age 50 and above. Iowans believe that both the public and private sectors must work to reduce the number of families at risk for hunger as nearly three-quarters of the respondents indicated they see fighting hunger in the state as an issue best dealt with by state government working in conjunction with public and private organizations and individuals.

"These findings highlight the great work Iowans are doing to help fight food insecurity. The data also helps us to focus our attention and resources on those in greatest need." said Sovern.

AARP Iowa and AARP Foundation commissioned the statewide survey as part of their commitment to raise awareness of the issue food insecurity, particularly among older adults. The telephone survey of 800 Iowans age 18 and over was conducted by Precision Opinion between Sept. 6-16, 2013. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Survey demographics identify respondents as roughly 50-50 male-female, ranging in age from 18-34 (30%), age 35-49 (27%); and age 50+ (43%).  Respondents are long-time Iowans, having lived in the state an average of 39 years, and for an average of 16 years at their current residence.  Almost 18 percent of respondents live on a farm.  The majority of respondents are voters, with 54% reporting they always vote and 26% reporting they vote most of the time.  Respondents identify political party affiliations as Republican (27%); Democrat (28%); Other (28%); No Party (11%).

A full copy of the survey is posted at www.aarp.org/ia or is available by contacting the AARP Iowa State Office at 515.697.1003 or emailing the office at ia@aarp.org

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About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services.  A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates.  The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.