From McHenry County:

County Board Approves Six More Advance McHenry County Grants

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – Six new Advance McHenry County grants, totaling more than $3.64 million, will fund programs to help the county’s children and assist fire protection districts in responding to medical emergencies.

The McHenry County Board at its June 21 meeting approved the funding through the groundbreaking program to invest tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 recovery funding into projects that directly benefit the community.

“This latest round of Advance McHenry County grants make great investments in our youth, such as providing critical intervention to at-risk children, supporting child care and teaching technical skills to set young adults on track for in-demand careers,”

County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “We’re also investing in community health by helping two fire rescue districts improve their responses to health emergencies.

“As we begin to close out this first phase of Advance, I continue to be amazed by the thoughtfulness and clarity of purpose of grant requests that have come before us.”

This latest round of grants will be awarded to:

• Rosecrance, which requested $353,947 for a mental health outpatient program for children. The new program for children ages 8-12 will provide intensive therapeutic treatment for children experiencing acute distress.

• Woodstock Community Unit School District 200, which requested $258,172 for a manufacturing and metals lab at Woodstock North High School. The lab will expand students’ access to career exploration.

• Harvard Community Unit School District 50, which requested $853,125 to build an addition to house its transition program to give students access to vocational and independent living skill programs. This will allow District 50 to provide students with the proper equipment to fulfill the program’s curricular requirements.

• United Way of Greater McHenry County, which in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, 4-C Community Coordinated Child Care, and the Youth and Family Center, requested $1,697,167 to provide pre-COVID operational support levels to these agencies. The programs featured in their application will support working parents and the social and emotional development of children.

• The McHenry Township Fire Protection District, which requested $361,000 for an ambulance to increase response to ambulance calls, which have increased 21 percent over two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Spring Grove Fire Protection District, which requested $119,025 for advanced lift systems that can lift and lower patients into ambulances with the push of a button.

The County Board since January has approved 20 grants through Advance McHenry County, totaling almost $14 million of the nearly $29.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it intends to invest directly into infrastructure capital projects, workforce development and jobs programs, nonprofit agencies, special districts, and local governments.

Eligible agencies have until Thursday, June 30, to apply for funding; applicants for water, sewer and infrastructure funding have until July 30. You can learn more about the Advance McHenry County initiative, and access the application portal, by visiting www.mchenrycountyil.gov/advance.