*Wednesday, November 30, 2011**

CHICAGO - November 30, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bill:

Bill No.: SB 1992

An Act Concerning: State government

Enacts the various reforms agreed to by the Metropolitan Pier Exposition Authority, labor groups and show managers.

Action: Signed

Effective Date: Immediately

 

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Richard Calica Brings Years of Leadership, Social Work Experience to DCFS

CHICAGO - November 23, 2011. Governor Quinn today announced the appointment of Richard Calica as director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) beginning Dec. 15. Calica is a lifelong social worker with extensive leadership experience in serving children and families throughout the state. A national authority in child welfare and licensed clinical social worker, Calica offers broad expertise in family preservation and support.

"We are committed to ensuring that the children of Illinois have the support and protection they need to become healthy, productive and responsible adults," Governor Quinn said. "Richard Calica's decades of experience in caring for neglected and abused children bolster our efforts towards building a better future for all Illinois children."

"All children deserve the opportunity to grow up in a healthy environment with strong support systems," Richard Calica said. "It is my highest priority to ensure the safety of our children and I am honored to accept this new mission to help and protect children who are abused and neglected."

Richard Calica currently leads the Chicago-based Juvenile Protective Association as executive director, a position he has held for 33 years. In addition to having maintained a private Clinical Social Work practice, Calica has served on the faculty of the Institute for Clinical Social Work and at the Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work.

Calica served as chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Family Preservation from 1993-1994 under Governor Jim Edgar and currently serves as chair of the DCFS Risk Assessment Advisory Committee. He previously worked at mental health centers and as an instructor at the University of Chicago School Of Social Administration. Calica currently serves on numerous committees related to social work and child welfare.

Calica holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Chicago and completed a post graduate fellowship in clinical social work at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center Division of Psychiatry. He acquired his bachelor's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College. He is a past president of the Child Care Association of Illinois and has served as a consultant for numerous leading child welfare organizations.

DCFS and its private sector partners have safely reduced the number of children in foster care from more than 52,000 in 1997 to less than 15,500 today. The department focus on strengthening families is central to maintaining the safety of youth in state care and the health of the communities they come from. For more information about DCFS, please visit www.state.il.us/dcfs/index.shtml.

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Joins Volunteers at Greater Chicago Food Depository

CHICAGO - November 22, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today joined volunteers with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to encourage support of food pantries across Illinois this holiday season. According to Feeding Illinois, the state's eight food banks serve approximately 1.4 million individuals per year with 42 percent being children.

The holiday season is a time to be thankful for what we have and to give back to our less fortunate neighbors," Governor Quinn said. "I encourage people as they shop for their holiday meals to include a few items to donate to the members of our communities who are in need."

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a nonprofit food distribution center that provides food to more than 142,000 people each week through a network of 650 soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters. For more information about current needs and other ways to assist in the Chicago area, visit www.chicagofoodbank.org.

Citizens throughout the state can help their local food banks by visiting www.FeedingIllinois.org where they can find information about hunger in their communities, including a county by county breakdown of agencies served by regional food banks.

Earlier this year, Governor Quinn appointed 22 people to the Illinois Commission to End Hunger which will explore how Illinois' facilities may better coordinate and gain access to federal funding to meet those needs. It will indentify barriers to access and develop sustainable policies and programs to overcome those barriers. The commission will also promote and facilitate public-private partnerships to augment services.

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There are very few things that make an immediate and positive impact on a child's life. Having a warm winter coat not only keeps the child warm, but helps keep the child healthy, in school, and allows the child to play outside with other students. Warm winter coats support the physical, social and emotional needs of students. Last year, the Dr. David E. Lane Coats for Kids Program gave that gift to more than 3,300 children who would have had no protection from our cold Midwest winters. Along with coats, we provided 2,539 hats, 2,083 pairs of gloves, 144 scarves and 80 pairs of snow pants. The program was utilized by 99 area schools and 20 community agencies.

The Coats for Kids Program and Advisory Board includes volunteers from participating schools, businesses and the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (AEA).  Coats are collected, cleaned, sized and then packaged for distribution at individual schools.  The program serves schools in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Donations of winter coats (new or used) may be taken to any Burke Cleaners location in the Quad Cities. All sizes, infant through adult, are accepted. Cash donations may now be made on our website at www.qcacoatsforkids.org or mailed to the Coats for Kids Program, in care of the Mississippi Bend AEA, 729 - 21st Street, Bettendorf, Iowa  52722. Coats for Kids is a 503.1 non-profit organization serving schools in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Donations are tax deductible.

For more information about Coats for Kids and how you can help please contact Denise Zimmer, Facilitator of Operations, at  dzimmer@aea9.k12.ia.us or 563-344-6320.

 

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