Latest news with #MichaelFrerichs
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$20,000 grant helps Christian Care serve more residents
A new $20,000 state grant is helping a Rock Island nonprofit help more people in need of food and housing. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced on Friday that Christian Care, which offers shelter, food and support services for homeless people and transitional housing for veterans received a $20,000 Charitable Trust grant. The grant was one of 10 awarded to small nonprofits throughout the state as part of the treasurer's Charitable Trust Stabilization Program. The grants help nonprofits serve people in need by providing housing, food and workforce and economic development assistance. Christian Care has been providing services since 1916. 'We know the essential work that organizations like Christian Care do to support our communities. They deliver services to those in need,' Treasurer Frerichs said at a news conference at Christian Care in Rock Island. 'It's a domino effect. I believe when you invest in people, people invest in themselves, and in turn we all benefit.' 'I want to thank the members of the Illinois Charitable Trust for believing in the work we do,' said Christian Care Executive Director Frank Roe. 'Your support will ensure that we are ready for the expected increase in usage of our meal site over the coming year. We are incredibly grateful to have been selected.' Christian Care provides safe shelter for men, women and children who find themselves experiencing homelessness. It operates a 42-bed men's shelter, with six beds for a Veterans Transitional Housing Program. The women's shelter has a 20-bed capacity for women and children. Meals are provided daily at the shelters. The grant will help Christian Care in its work against food insecurity; the group serves 45,000 meals a year, a 9% increase. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served 365 days a year to over 500 people. Christian Care is in a food desert, with 20.9% of people living below the poverty line, almost double the 11.9% rate in Illinois. Food prices are increasing and nonprofits have to deal with federal funding cuts for programs that help with food and housing. 'Here in Rock Island, and in Illinois we look after our own. Unfortunately, we are hearing about Federal cuts to the very programs that help organizations like Christian Care feed and house our most vulnerable, including unhoused Veterans,' Frerichs said. 'As Treasurer, I will make sure Charitable Trust is here to help those organizations around Illinois that help our neighbors, and make our communities stronger through compassion, faith, and volunteerism.' Treasurer Frerichs' Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund helps small nonprofits with annual budgets of $1 million and at least one full-time employee. Money for the fund comes from fees that not-for-profit corporations pay when they file annual reports with the Illinois Secretary of State. Personal or property tax dollars are not used for the grants. Funds for the fall 2024 cycle were awarded to nonprofits in two categories: organizations with food programs and organizations with workforce and economic development programs. An independent 11-member committee oversees management and guidelines of the fund and chooses the grant recipients. The maximum award amount is $20,000 for each organization. Grant applicants located in an area with pervasive poverty, unemployment and economic distress receive special attention. Previous grant recipients may apply if their grant term has been completed for at least one calendar year. The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund program was established in 2017 and has awarded 241 grants totaling over $4.8 million to 204 nonprofit organizations. The program has improved life over 100,000 people. The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund's next grant application period runs from July 1 to September 30 and will award grants to nonprofit charitable programs in two categories: food and housing. Click here or contact the Treasurer's Office at (217) 836-4590 for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: JB Pritzker should stop trying to make Juliana Stratton the inevitable successor to Dick Durbin
When Democratic voters go to the polls next March, it will be the first time in three decades that Dick Durbin won't be on the primary ballot for the Senate seat he first won after Paul Simon's retirement. They deserve the chance to select one of the many well-qualified hopefuls who've been waiting years for the 80-year-old Durbin to call it a day. Instead, we see signs that Gov. JB Pritzker and his formidable staff are working on behalf of his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, to clear the field for her — or at the very least to minimize the number of opponents as she seeks to succeed Durbin. The governor, of course, is within his rights to endorse anyone he pleases and even to put some of his personal billions to work for that candidate. But as Illinois' top Democrat, Pritzker also ought to encourage a fair and vigorous campaign, contested by multiple candidates, for the seat. These opportunities don't come along often, and the Democratic bench in Illinois has plenty of elected officials qualified for the U.S. Senate. This is no time for a coronation. So far, Stratton is the only Democrat who's announced her intention to run. Illinois House Democrats such as Raja Krishnamoorthi, Lauren Underwood and Robin Kelly are understood to be considering bids. Plenty others surely are contemplating a run as well. One of those, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs, announced Monday he would not be one of them, a surprise given that Frerichs (as he allowed in a letter explaining his decision) was believed to covet Durbin's seat. It's a little puzzling on the surface that no one else has disclosed their intentions so far. Then again, perhaps it's not so baffling when considering Pritzker's full-throated backing for Stratton, his wealth, and a wide array of influential donors such as Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts who already are on board in Stratton campaign leadership positions. Durbin's fellow senator, Tammy Duckworth, also quickly endorsed Stratton following Pritzker's announcement. These are the hallmarks of trying to create an aura of inevitability. And they may well be having that effect. Democrats who before might have assumed they would jump into the fray quickly once Durbin bowed out can be forgiven for thinking harder now about giving up their current positions. It's clear they will have to take on not just a candidate with statewide name recognition but the Pritzker organization as well. But trying to elbow out the competition does a disservice to Illinoisans. Democrats make up the majority in Illinois, but they are hardly monolithic in their views. The party's progressive wing, of which Stratton is a prominent member, has in recent years been most prominent in Springfield and in the city of Chicago. But centrist Democrats always have been a large part of the coalition, and they now are taking issue far more vocally with progressive governance as deficits mount, taxes rise and economic activity stagnates. At a time when Democrats nationally still are struggling to come to terms with President Donald Trump 2.0, as well as losing ground in the Senate and failing to capture the House, Illinois Democrats badly need a choice between the left and centrist strains of their party in the upcoming Senate election. Party leaders' machinations shouldn't prevent voters from having a say in their party's direction when opportunity arises, as it has now with Durbin's exit. Underwood, who's won four elections in a competitive district, is a good example of the more pragmatic wing. Krishnamoorthi, too, has worked actively with Republicans on legislation in Congress. He met last year with this board alongside then-GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin to solicit support for their bill to force a Chinese sale of TikTok. Either or both of those candidates would be most welcome in the Senate race. Others too. There should be no efforts toward exclusion. Since Trump's election, Pritzker has argued Democrats have little need to move to the center in order to better compete with the GOP and instead has urged fellow Democrats to fight more aggressively against Trump's agenda. He's presumed to be teeing up a presidential run in 2028. Putting his thumb on the scale of a Senate race in his state and propelling his progressive lieutenant governor to Senate victory would potentially be seen as evidence of Pritzker's own progressive legitimacy in the presidential race. But the governor should resist that surely tempting impulse and make clear that competition from all flavors of Democrats is good for the health of his party in his home state. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois introduces state-backed student loans with competitive rates
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has announced a new, state-sponsored student loan option aimed at providing Illinois students with lower financing rates than traditional programs. The Funding U Illinois No-Cosigner Loan is part of the Student Empowerment Fund. 'Some children, maybe their parents don't have much money at all. Their parents are unable or unwilling to sign as cosigners to the loan. In the past, those students have been unable to get those loans to stay in school and they frequently drop out. That's a problem for those kids, it's a problem for us as a society,' Frerichs said. According to a press release, 'The Illinois No Co-Signer Loan is open to Illinois residents attending an Illinois public or private not-for-profit university or college and is an attractive option for students who have maxed their grants, scholarships, and financial aid and have no access to a co-signer. The fixed annual percentage rate ranges from 7.99% to 9.49%. A no-cosigner student loan option at a competitive rate has not been available to Illinois students until now.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois state treasurer offers $5.29 admission to Discovery Center Museum on April 5
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Discovery Center Museum in Rockford will offer $5.29 admissions on one day only, in a teamup with the Illinois State Treasurer's office. Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced the reduced price admission day will be Saturday, April 5th, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. In addition, the first 400 children admitted will be able to decorate a take-home piggy bank at the 'Little Savers Crafting Workshop.' Representatives from Illinois' Bright Start 529 college saving program will be on hand to answer questions about saving for college. 'The best time to start saving for college is yesterday. The second-best time to start saving is today,' Frerichs said. 'If a child knows they have a college savings plan, they are three times more likely to attend college. We hope parents will walk away from this event learning about the importance of saving at an early age. By saving with a Bright Start 529 plan, families can prepare for the cost of higher education.' The State Treasurer's Office is collaborating with Illinois children's museums to spread the word about college savings plans. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WCIA 3 2025 Illinois State Treasurer's Office I-CASH Telethon
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Today is the 2025 WCIA 3 Illinois State Treasurer's Office I-CASH Telethon. We're asking viewers to call in, as operations will be standing by to help you check for unclaimed cash and other items that may be waiting for you. To search and file a claim for missing property in Illinois, click here, and to search and file a claim for out of state missing property, click here. Throughout the evening, WCIA will provide updates on this page. 4:22 p.m. In 2024, the Frerichs returned nearly $300 million to more than 300,000 state residents. The average claim was over $900. 4:08 p.m. Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs talks with WCIA's Jennifer Roscoe about why he decided to have an I-CASH Telethon. 4:05 p.m. Calls are already rolling in just minutes after the start of this year's I-CASH Telethon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
