CENTRAL ILLINOIS

ICC awarded grant to guide GED grads to better jobs  

GED graduates often end up in low-paying jobs. Illinois Central College has received a grant which aims to improve the future of these graduates. The Illinois Community College Board recently awarded ICC more than $200,000 for the Success After the GED College Bridge Program to provide pathways to college success for GED graduates and increase their opportunities to find jobs with family-sustaining wages. The program begins this August.

Participants will receive career exploration assistance, as well as life skills and industry/occupational skills development. The goal is to enroll each of the GED graduates into college-level coursework and continue on a path to obtain a credential beyond the GED. Career development will focus on the high-demand, middle- and high-skilled occupations of health careers, information technology, manufacturing and education.

Sixty GED graduates, are expected to be served over the initial one-year project period. They will receive 100 hours of training over a five-week period, which will include an assessment of the participant’s college readiness; identification of career pathways that align with interests and aptitude, customized instruction, coaching and planning; partnering with local practitioners for job shadowing, observations, and hands-on learning opportunities; and enrollment in college credit coursework.

For more information or to apply, contact Kate Stahl at 309-694-5515 or kate.stahl@icc.edu.

PEKIN

Bicentennial film series continues June 1

The Pekin Public Library continues its 2018 Movie Series celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial with local Pekin and Tazewell County history with the showing of a film June 1. “Volume 1: Residential Architectural Styles in Illinois,” produced by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, will be shown at 11 a.m. on the large movie screen in the Community Room of the library, 301 S. Fourth St. The special movies are being shown on the first Friday of every month this year. The films have been described as memoirs and oral history.

Dale Sandrock

Sandrock to preside over Marigold celebration

A local man has been named the 2018 Marigold Grand Marshal because of his giving nature and his love for the community and its people.

Dale Sandrock was chosen last week by the Pekin Marigold Committee.

As grand marshal, Sandrock will judge the Lip Sync Contest and the Sidewalk Chalk Contest. He will also be at most of the events and be honored during the festival.

Sandrock, a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club, serves on the group’s board of directors and has been integrally involved in many of the club’s activities and outreach programs. He also served on the Pekin Library Board and Friends of the Library board.

He often helps his neighbors by cutting grass and removing snow, and after the North Pekin tornado, he spent many hours using his heavy equipment to clean up the area.

Sandrock also:

• Recently started a recognition program to encourage and honor members of the Boys and Girls Club of Pekin for honesty, leadership, good decision-making and volunteering.
• Provides the Dale and Lela Sandrock Scholarship to two graduates of Pekin Community High School in the top 50 percent of their graduating class with financial need and the opportunity to earn a four-year college degree. 
• Served on the Pekin Concert Association, and as a Deacon and youth leader at First Christian Church. He is a member of the Pekin Barbershop Chorus. 
• Is a member of the Tazewell County Museum and Education Center, and 
• Donates to the University of Illinois Foundation for trophies at the 4-H Fair, summer band concerts in Mineral Springs Park, the Salvation Army of Pekin, Carol’s House of Hope, AMBUCS and many more.

He and his wife, Lela, have hosted foreign exchange students through Youth for Understanding.

MORTON

Library reopens; requests book and DVD donations

The Morton Public Library is on summer hours after opening May 21, following a remodeling project. Also, the library staff will be looking for book and DVD donations.

The library’s hours are now 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday thru Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. The library is closed on Sunday.

The library staff will start accepting donations of gently used books and DVDs July 1.

The remodeling project has resulted in new display cases and arrangements for the library’s collection, new seating areas and a new checkout desk in addition to redecorating including newly painted walls and new carpets.

The redesigned lobby is more open and welcoming, the children’s department has been expanded and there is a dedicated space for the young adult collection. This project was funded using the library’s reserves and money from private gifts and memorials given to the library.

WASHINGTON

Carroll Herman Golf Classic registration is open

The 9th annual ICC Carroll Herman Golf Classic will be held July 20, at Pine Lakes Golf Course in Washington. Registration begins at noon that day, and the scramble follows with a shotgun start at 1 pm. Dinner and door prize drawings to begin around 5 p.m. Green fees, cart rentals, dinner and door prizes are included with the registration fee of $400 for foursomes and $100 for singles.

Sponsorship opportunities are available with all proceeds going to support Illinois Central College Athletics. For more information, contact Tony Wysinger at 309-453-6092 or 309-694-5494.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–