2022 UVC Child Advocate Award Nominations are NOW being accepted through July 31 involving both local church advocates as well as community-wide persons who advocate for children and youth in remarkable ways. For more information, contact Deaconess Catherine Inserra, at cinserra@kidsaboveall.org…
Dear friends, I write this note as my sixth year of service with United Voices for Children comes to an end. What a remarkable journey and privilege it has been to serve on your Board of Directors and as Treasurer.…
Exposure to any kind of violence can have a devastating and long-lasting negative effect on children and youth if adequate professional help is not available. Once seen as a “safe haven,” America’s school systems have experienced an unprecedented increase of…
Gun-related crimes in Illinois have been on the rise over the last few decades. In many cases, youth have been involved as the victims or perpetrators of these crimes, leading to a sense of urgency to get illegal guns and…
I came to the UVC board representing United Methodist Women, whose connection to the support of children, youth and women is as old as the organization itself. On a personal level, I was in education for 30 years, working with…
UVC board member Deaconess Catherine Inserra recently interviewed Lisa Williams about her late husband’s Toy Car Ministry. Inspired by a similar ministry in Florida, Rev. Doug Williams brought the idea of making and distributing toy wooden cars to his congregation…
submitted by Beverly Dukes, UVC Policy Coordinator For several decades, advocates, constituents and parents have demanded strategic changes in the Illinois child welfare system. Of note: the number of African American children and youth in state care is exponentially more…
Submitted by Attorney Walton Davis, Jr., UVC Board Member Approximately 20 years ago, Judge Herman Knell asked me to submit my name to become a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. I submitted my…
Today, there are still many Illinoisans negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has drastically changed how we live, but the most devastation has occurred in vulnerable populations. This pandemic has only exacerbated the existing social ills affecting these populations.…
Scientists now agree that the repeated use and emission of fossil fuels has negatively affected the planet. Because of our behavior, the temperature of the earth has increased at an alarming rate, causing more wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes to occur…