CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3^rd) announced today that adult literacy programs in her district will receive nearly $400,000 in state grants.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White awarded the grants through the Adult Literacy Grant Program, which helps learners develop and enhance their reading, math, writing and English-language skills.

“I am glad that the secretary of state recognizes the important role in encouraging intellectual growth and economic development,” Hunter said. “Communities rich in educational and creative opportunities can attract a strong workforce and successful businesses, as well as help sustain a positive quality of life. This much needed increase in funding will help us continue to provide literacy training and ESL programs for adult learners and their families.”

The programs receiving funding in Hunter’s district are:

• Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, Chicago: $47,900
• Literacy Chicago, Literacy Adult Program, Chicago: $100,000
• De La Salle Institute, Chicago: $50,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Adult Volunteer Literacy Project, Chicago: $70,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Immigrant Family Literacy Project, Chicago: $50,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Refugee Family Literacy Project, Chicago: $50,000
• Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition: $15,000
• Literacy Works, Chicago: $20,000

A total of 14,352 learners will be served by adult literacy programs around the state. A total of 6,086 volunteer tutors will provide training for learners putting them on the path to lifelong learning. Adult literacy projects help adults who read below the ninth-grade level or speak English at a beginning level to improve their reading, writing, math or use of English as a new language.

In total, the secretary of state’s office awarded $5.6 million in grants to adult literacy programs around the state.

To learn more about adult literacy grant programs, visit https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/adultlit-grants-overview.html.

CHICAGO – Free eyeglasses, health screenings, giveaways, live entertainment, and family activities will be available at the 16th Annual Family Health & Fitness Fair, which will be held in Illinois’s 3rd Senate District in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side.

Get back-to-school ready with free immunizations, school supplies, and haircuts. More than 50 vendors will participate, which is the most in the event’s history. (Vendor list attached.)

WHEN: 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. Saturday, August 3, 2019

WHERE: Illinois Institute of Technology on the field north of S. R. Crown Hall at 33rd & State Street

 Other highlights include:

1. Free Chicago CityKey cards will be issued by the City Clerk of Chicago. CityKey is a valid government ID card issued to Chicago residents (10 a.m.–noon).
2. Illinois Secretary of State will issue state IDs.
3. Divvy-Lyft will introduce their D4E, or Divvy for Everyone, a Chicago program that offers a $5 annual membership for those in financial need.
4. Health services, including eye examinations, massages, and health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
5. The St. Bernard Hospital Pediatric Mobile Health Unit and Illinois Department of Public Health’s W.O.W. Mobile will provide health examinations and immunizations. 
6. AT&T will provide free residential document shredding.

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