At its March meeting the DeKalb Township Committee on Youth elected its officers for the fiscal year starting on April 1, 2014. The committee elected Erica Wade, M.S., L.C.P.C. to serve as the committee’s Chair following her two years as the committee’s Secretary. Ms. Wade is currently a licensed clinical professional counselor & outreach coordinator for the Counseling & Student Development Center at NIU. Matt Wittrup, a full time instructional faculty member in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at NIU was elected the committee’s Vice Chair and Josh Waddle, the membership manager for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce was elected Secretary. All terms begin on April 1, 2014 and expire March 31, 2015.
Also at the meeting Township Supervisor Eric Johnson presented Tim Vincent, the outgoing Chair and Clinton Rosette Middle School Principal, with a resolution from the Township thanking him for his service the committee on youth as its inaugural Chair and naming March 31, 2014 “Tim Vincent Day” in DeKalb Township. “Tim was instrumental in getting the committee moving in the right direction in its early days and it would not have been successful without him” said Eric Johnson.
The DeKalb Township Committee on Youth currently reviews and awards grants to provide funding to organizations that are providing services and programs that prevent and battle juvenile delinquency within the township. Applications are accepted on a rolling deadline and can be found at www.dekalbtownship.org under the “Town Board” tab. Past grant recipients include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Adventure Works of DeKalb County, Ben Gordon Center, the Regional Office of Education, various Dist. 428 programs, and DeKalb Community Gardens.
On April 11, 2012 the Township Board established the DeKalb Township Committee on Youth. The mission statement of the group is to “advise the Township Board on the provision of programs and services to combat and prevent juvenile delinquency and provide for the well-being of underserved and underprivileged youth and their families who reside in DeKalb Township through partnerships, or the creation or funding of youth activities.”
By law Illinois Townships are allowed to establish committees on youth that may provide programs to combat and prevent juvenile delinquency. Members of the committee are appointed by the Township Supervisor and approved by the Township Board. A township committee on youth must be composed of not less than five members who serve three year staggered terms. Committee members are not paid for their service on the committee. With the approval of the township board the committee may cooperate with any other local government entity, organization, agency, or persons in the fostering, development, and provision of local programs designed to prevent juvenile delinquency and to meet the needs of local youths. Members of the committee on youth are not paid for their service on the committee.
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