Collaborative Programs and Services
Boys and Girls Club
of the Greater Cook County area focuses their after school and summer programs for youth on five priority areas: Character and Leadership Development, Education and Career Development, Health and Life Skills, Sports, Fitness and Recreation and the Arts. The club serves an average of 150 youth on a year round basis and primarily serves at-risk youth. The club places emphasis on programs and activities that discourage gang activity, bullying, violence and crime, and substance abuse.
Cook County Headstart School
serves pre-kindergarten students during the school year and maintains an open-door policy with Cook County Family Connection allowing easy access to students and families for collaborative efforts. Headstart helped to promote child abuse prevention by highlighting collaborative display exhibits, by distributing parent resources and information, and by incorporating Prevent Child Abuse board game activities into their classrooms. The collaborative provides supplemental resources and materials for Headstart School, and provides staff / volunteers to visit with the students to promote the importance of reading and learning.
Saturday Teen Explosion
was a four-hour special event focusing on academic success and drop out prevention for teens who have already dropped out of school or ma be at high risk for doing so. Over 35 teens enjoyed motivational presentations by local leaders, educational display exhibits by various agencies and organizations, and a powerful academic success workshop led by international speaker author Dr. Earl Suttle. Over 15 local businesses provided incentives and door prizes for the event, and 36 community volunteers gave their time and effort to support the at-risk teens. As a result of the Teen Explosion, several teens either re-enrolled in high school or pursued GED classes, and many teens received the motivation they needed to stay in school.
CCFC Senior Citizen Celebration
was a celebratory breakfast for over 20 senior citizens at the Cook County Senior Center. Through the CCFC initiative, 25 community volunteers prepared and served breakfast to the seniors in recognition of Martin Luther King Day. Student volunteers from Cook Middle School designed and prepared an informative display exhibit which provided a history of Dr. King’s accomplishments. Through support from collaborative partners and volunteers, each senior citizen also received a large grocery bag filled with canned goods and staple foods.
Health Education and Outreach
CCFC supports health education and outreach through the Cook County Health Department. This includes health fairs, display exhibits, community presentations, educational materials and resources, and staff development training sessions.
Prevent Child Abuse Cook County
functions as a committee under CCFC. The primary purpose of the local chapter is to increase public awareness and education about child abuse issues, to distribute prevention information and materials throughout the county and to sponsor special projects and events to promote child abuse prevention efforts.
Cook High School Leadership Team
is a group of high school students who serve as peer mentors, community volunteers and service learning leaders within their school. The Leadership Team students support CCFC by serving as volunteers for numerous community events, by assisting with planning and organization of the Ninth Grade Health Fair, and by serving as peer mentors for younger students who need support and encouragement. CCFC provides support and assistance for the leadership team throughout the year including sponsorship of their annual recognition banquet.
Professional Training
(CCFC) Cook County Family Connection supports training opportunities throughout the year for collaborative members and partners including the annual Drug Prevention Seminar, which is a full-day workshop featuring professional prevention speakers. CCFC also sponsors a local Drug Awareness Breakfast and Training Workshop attended by community leaders and collaborative partners which features a panel of local and regional professionals for a detailed question and answer session on the topic of substance abuse and related problems.
Power Camp
is a one week summer basketball program that serves children ages 8-12. In June the Power Camp serves approximately 50 children at the Cook Middle School gymnasium. In addition to recreation the day camp included character development education and drug prevention. Special guest speakers are invited to speak with the children.
Ninth Grade Health Fair
is a two hour health and prevention event for all freshmen students at Cook High School. Many agencies, businesses, organizations and educational groups provide informational display exhibits where students receive educational materials and ask questions of professionals in various fields. Students from Cook High School Leadership Team earn service learning credit for assisting with the event. This event is sponsored by CCFC.
Drug Prevention Programs
are provided to all students in the local school system, grades K-12. The Dare Program serves fifth grade students through a ten-week prevention training program at Cook Elementary School. The DARE program is taught by a trained DARE officer from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and is a joint effort between the Cook County Family Connection collaborative , the Sheriff’s Department, and Cook Elementary School Assembly Programs to promote drug prevention and to encourage wise decision-making.
Adult and Peer Mentoring
is a new initiative led by System of Care and supported by local Graduation Coaches, Cook County Family Connection and local volunteers. The collaborative team recruits, trains and prepares community volunteers to serve as mentors one hour per week for at-risk students in the Cook County school system. Graduation coaches help to match suitable adult and peer mentors with students identified as needing individual attention.
STAR (Student Transition and Recovery)
is a military style discipline and academic program for students at risk of suspension or expulsion and for students exhibiting problems with truancy, disruptive behavior, alcohol / drugs, or violence. Three levels of intervention serve students in a positive interaction to prevent further infractions.
