United Voices for Children (UVC) presented an online celebration on August 5th to highlight the valuable services that its affiliated agencies provide to at-risk children, youth and families in Northern Illinois. At the same time UVC honored 69 congregations in the Northern Illinois Conference that provide financial support to those agencies through UVC.
United Voices for Children (UVC) announces a special online gathering on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 1:00 pm: UVC Celebrates: Kids Above All, MYSI, & Rosecrance. This event will feature the three affiliated agencies in the Northern Illinois Conference that advocate for and serve at-risk children, youth, and families: Kids Above All; MYSI; and Rosecrance. Participants will also have a unique opportunity to hear about the outstanding work being done by each of these agencies.
United Voices for Children has released Count All the Kids: A Call to Action to Faith Community Engagement in the 2020 U.S Census. The report encourages faith groups to educate and empower their communities to complete the census.
Ninety persons participated in UVC's Raising Our Voices Annual Awards ceremony on June 9, 2020. This virtual celebration honored outstanding ministries with children youth and families in Northern Illinois and provided opportunities to join with UVC in advocating on behalf of at-risk children.
UVC welcomes the Reverend Beverly Dukes to its new position of Policy Coordinator. In this role Rev. Dukes will identify and coordinate the dissemination of public policy initiatives and legislation that impacts children, youth and families in Northern Illinois. “By working with United Voices for Children,” noted Rev. Dukes, “I am looking to create an environment within faith communities that will become increasingly knowledgeable of children's issues and how best to advocate on their behalf—and to be their voice.”
For the last three years, under the aegis of the theme Skin in The Game, United Voices for Children (UVC) has succeeded in creating courageous space and facilitating critical conversations on how race—on both a systemic and individual basis—affects the ways that children and families are served. This year’s workshop, held on September 14th and entitled “Delving Deeper; Race and Well-Being,” convened a diverse group of more than 50 people, including, faith leaders, educators and social workers who serve children and their families.
Registration is open for the Delving Deeper: Racism & Well-Being workshop coming up on Saturday morning, September 14, 2019. Delving Deeper will feature Dr. Marcus Campbell, Aracely Canchola and Taya Kinzie, LCSW--Evanston Township High School's best--engaging participants in a deeper look at the interconnectedness of race and well-being, reflecting on personal identity and biases, as they related to our relationships with others.
United Voices for Children has announced the recipients of its 2019 annual awards for outstanding advocacy and service for children and youth in Northern Illinois. These persons will be honored at the United Voices for Children (UVC) Breakfast on Tuesday morning, June 4th, at 6:45 a.m. during the Northern Illinois Annual Conference session.
The youth panelists from United Voices for Children (UVC)’s August 25th workshop, Colors of Love: Raising Children in a Racially Unjust World--Jaelyn Pirtle (Gorham UMC, Chicago), Lucy Hermann (Trinity UMC, Mt. Prospect) and Abigail Mendoza (First UMC, Park Ridge)--were interviewed on a recent Different Drummers show produced by Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries.
Sixty persons representing 25 congregations in northern Illinois gathered on Saturday, August 25, for lively conversation about how to confront and challenge racism as it impacts the lives of our children and youth.