100+ Women Who Care donates to KC Adult Ed

The DeKalb/Sycamore chapter of 100+ Women Who Care awarded the Adult Education Department at Kishwaukee College $10,900 to assist in funding Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Education and English as a Second language classes in the DeKalb area through June. The Adult Ed courses have not been offered this spring due to the continued budget impasse in Springfield. Dr. Joanne Kantner, Dean of AETP at the College, stated, ““We are very grateful to the 100+ Women Who Care for this donation! Their generosity will allow is to offer and staff seven classes for area residents through June.“ Pictured, L to R, are Kantner; Evelina Jose Cichy. 100+ member; Darla Massier, 100+ member; Mary Beth Van Buer, 100+ member; Sally Stevens, 100+ member; and Marshall Hayes, Executive Director of the Kishwaukee College Foundation.

The DeKalb/Sycamore chapter of 100+ Women Who Care selected the Kishwaukee College Adult Education Program as their quarterly 501(c)(3) donation recipient. The Adult Education Program received $10,900 from the representatives of the group on Monday, February 29 at the College.

100+ Women Who Care is an organization that began in 2006 in Jackson, MI and has since grown to well over 350 chapters across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The concept is very simple: a local group of 100 or more women gather four times each year. Members can put the name of a local stand-alone 501(c)(3) into a basket and a potential recipient is drawn at random. The nominating woman has five minutes to present on her nomination and then the group votes whether or not to fund the need. Each woman writes a check for $100 to the selected charity, resulting in a minimum $10,000 donation. The group’s slogan is: 100 Women – 1 Hour – 10K Dollars – Local Impact. The DeKalb/Sycamore chapter is looking to reach 150 members, which will bring each quarter’s donation to $15,000.

The first quarter selection, Adult Education at Kishwaukee College, has been hit hard by the ongoing budget impasse in Springfield. Adult Ed offers free classes in the local communities for preparation for High School Equivalency credential exams or for English as a Second Language.

Dr. Joanne Kantner, Dean of Adult Education and Transition Programs, stated that the Adult Ed department has been unable to meet demand because of the lack of funding. According to the Southern Illinois University Census Data, in DeKalb County alone, 10,830 residents indicate English is not their first language and 3,941 residents have less than 12 years of education.

“There are currently 63 individuals on a waiting list for Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Education classes and 31 individuals on a waiting list for ESL classes that we were able to served in the Fall but not this spring. There are an additional 100 individuals wanting to begin classes for the first time we are unable to accommodate,” Kantner explained. “We have not been able to take on any new students this spring.”

Kantner said, “We are very grateful to the 100+ Women Who Care for this donation! Their generosity will allow us to offer and staff seven classes for area residents through June. Their donation will not only impact members of our community who can now move forward toward achieving their goals and increasing their literacy and math skills, but also our community as a whole. The better educated individual community members become directly benefits the entire community.”

For information on the new additions to the Adult Education class offerings in the DeKalb area, please contact Adult Education and Transition Programs at 815-825-2086, ext. 3180.