Keeping kids safe and busy after school is group’s goal
BY GINNY SKWERES
Staff Reporter

Police Chief Ray Rose and State Representative Kathy Ryg met with various news media around the county with mixed success Rose told about 150 members of the Lake County After School Coalition one morning last week.

To emphasize the need for constructive activities within the communities, he reminded everyone of the deaths of two young people. One Park City youth was shot to death in a gang-related incident, and a Waukegan boy was beaten to death, Rose said.

“Welcome to reality,” Chief Rose said.

“Part of the problem is to overcome the idea that these activities are “fluff,” he said. He was referring to a local radio host who dubbed the group’s efforts as fluff, when he and Ryg were interviewed on a radio show.

“The reality is that it affects every municipality in the county. The reality is that everybody needs to participate. There is no safe place,” Rose said.

“Make sure we have something for young people to do after school as an alternative to gangs and an alternative to crime. We have to start right now. We can’t afford to wait. Kids are getting hurt,” Rose said.

Rose and Rep. Ryg formed the group less than a year ago and it is sponsored by a number of groups, government departments and individuals.

Many municipal groups as well as non-profit groups are members in the cause. The basic idea is to pool resources, share ideas and make it possible for every child to have something positive to do when school is not in session.

The early morning meeting was called to update everyone on progress that has been made.

“This is an initiative I believe in from the heart,” Ryg said. “And we’re still packing the room.”

As one of the members, Michelle Crombie spoke on behalf of the United Way of Lake County. She explained a survey on community needs assessments that the charity had compiled through a grant. Some of the top ten issues included youth doing drugs, disparity in school funding, substance abuse and youth violence, she said.

Giving young people good options could impact these concerns, and some officials say it is less expensive to spend money on preventing the problems than fixing them. For young people who lose their life to crime, there is no way to fix it, she said.

“Reducing crime and victimization by providing opportunities is a win/win initiative,” Ryg said.

One accomplishment the coalition has just begun is the beginning of a Web site, which can be reached at www.lakecountyafterschoolcoalition.org on the Internet. Mundelein CSO Scott Schaefer has designed the site and said it is still in its infancy, but it is already listed on 20 search engines. Currently the Web site offers a listing of upcoming events and meetings, minutes from past meetings, members and links to other helpful sites.

“We’ll be growing and evolving as people join and offer input,” Schaefer said.
One of the highlights of the meeting was young people’s reaction to the new Teen Center in Park City, sponsored by Warren Township, which they created in a span of three months.

The activities of the Teen Center are presided over by a teen board. Some of the events the board has planned include mentoring, a talent show, potluck, luau and fundraising, said Stephanie, the 14-year-old president of the board.

“It’s a great positive place for kids to hang out,” she said.

Lisa Barrie, director of the teen center, said there are between 35 and 70 kids daily at the center which is open from 2 to 7 p.m. There are 110 registered at the Teen Center in Park City and 340 kids registered at the Teen Center at Warren Township.

“ Kids can do their homework and there’s recreational and social activities. It’s organized chaos,” she said.

ginnys@lakelandmedia.com