Loves Park Fire program offers once-in-a-lifetime experience to critically ill children
LOVES PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — Loves Park Firefighter Capt. Kara Schneider said the thing kids most look forward to when meeting her is a ride in a fire truck.
That's why the fire department is taking part in a new program, to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to critically ill children.
' is an organization that's run by firefighters. It's a not-for-profit organization that provides once-in-a-lifetime experiences to critically ill children,' Schneider said.
The nonprofit was started in 2016 and has helped over 700 children nationwide. Last year, the organization expanded its participating departments by over 500%.
Loves Park Fire became the first in the area to join the program.
'We're hoping to help as many kids as we can get. So this is why we're really trying to push this is because We really want to get out there in the community. We want to be involved with these kids, this life,' Schneider said.
The fire department has hosted fundraising events for Project Fire Buddies, but is looking for local children in need of a morale boost.
'That can be anything from helping them with a birthday celebration or Christmas just to kind of lighten up their holidays and things that can help them feel celebrated even when they're going through a critical illness,' said Loves Park Fire's communications manager, Alyssa Thompson.
Schneider also said she hopes the involvement from the Loves Park Fire Department will start a Stateline-area movement.
'We're hoping that maybe our involvement will kind of bring everybody else and maybe some of the neighboring departments that may have an interest in it that maybe they'll see this and they'll get involved as well,' she said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
One of Rockford's oldest neighborhoods gets improvements through city initiative
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Signal Hill, one of Rockford's oldest neighborhoods, is receiving much-deserved improvements thanks to the city's Livable Community Initiative. 'Signal Hill is about 100 years old. It's one of the oldest areas in Rockford,' said resident Dorien Peterson. 'This neighborhood very much deserves continued improvement, continued care.' The program combines federal and local funding for improvements like additional housing, sidewalk repairs, access to transportation and community gardens. 'I believe that this initiative is truly going to be impactful. This initiative provides support for neighborhoods,' said Alderman Tamir Bell. 'The tipping point, right from being a good neighborhood to being a great neighborhood. And I believe that all neighborhoods in the city of Rockford should one day be great.' The Keith Creek neighborhood was the first one selected to be updated through the program in May. Now, the Region One Planning Council is accepting applications for the second round of neighborhood help. Bell is in full support of Signal Hills receiving improvements. ' I'm super excited to partner with the neighborhood association and the neighbors in Signal Hill to see if this is a project that they'd like to move forward on,' Bell continued. 'Region One Planning Council is focused on neighborhoods like Signal Hill, which have so much potential but just need a little bit more support.' Tim Verbeke, with the initiative program, said the program has already received $100,000 in funding from local businesses and private donors in the area. Peterson hopes to see her neighborhood beautified. 'I would love to see the sidewalks improved. We have a lot of trees in this neighborhood. The roots have pushed up an awful lot of sidewalks. So, that right there is a safety issue,' Peterson explained. The next neighborhood to be improved will be announced in November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Rockford residents battle through hardship to get a high school diploma
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Several Rockford residents who were enrolled in an online high school program received their high school diplomas at the Nordlof Center on Wednesday. The Adult High School Program is offered by the Rockford Public Library to support those in the community battling hardship who want to earn their high school diploma later in life. Over 30% of Rockford residents do not have diplomas because of personal hardships, according to Loomis. The program's Development Director, Brook Loomis, said there were over 175 people enrolled this year. 'I feel like every time we come to these ceremonies, it almost feels more like a pep rally,' explained Loomis. 'Yeah, it brings you to tears because, you see, multi-generational families graduating together.' 'I think it really takes away those barriers that they might have had before,' Loomis continued. 'That's really what we've found with this program is that we allow students to do it on their terms.' One of the program's academic coaches could not be prouder of his students. 'I've been with this program for about eight years, and to see a lot of our students come from where they were to actually getting a diploma,' said Academic Coach Gibson Garcon. 'Some of them didn't even think it was possible.' The program will continue to provide Rockford residents a second chance, with 100 people already enrolled for next year's classes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
UNICEF: 138 million children doing child labour globally
Nearly 138 million minors were engaged in child labour worldwide in 2024, according to a new report released on Wednesday by UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The figure includes around 54 million children in work likely to jeopardize their health and safety. Child labour occurs most frequently in agriculture, with the worst-hit region being sub-Saharan Africa, where 87 million children are affected. The figures show a decline in child labour to almost 138 million in the 2021-24 period, down from 160 million in the 2016-20 period. Nevertheless, the target of eliminating child labour by 2025, included in UN Development Goals, will not be reached. The report came ahead of the World Day Against Child Labour which is being marked on Thursday. "The new child labour report underlines the grim reality that millions of children are still being denied the right to learn, to play and simply to be a child, despite all progress," UNICEF Germany head Christian Schneider said. The successes achieved pointed the way ahead through legal protection, better social protection, investment in free and high-quality education and work with dignity and fair pay for adults. These were "effective instruments for protecting children from child labour," Schneider said.
