Lake County Leads
Communities are defined as groups of people with shared history, culture, and identity.
Community resilience is a set of networked adaptive capacities, including economic development, information, and communication, community competencies, and social capital. Communities are resilient when they can respond quickly to unexpected challenges, and community members can strategize and care for one another through times of crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lake County community leaders have taken the initiative to strengthen partnerships, continue building community, and adapt to the needs of others. Faced with a global pandemic, a lack of federal leadership, economic crisis, and already strained resources, community members stepped up to ensure their neighbors needs were met, demonstrating the power of community care and mutual aid. Over the next few weeks, ethnographer Carla Aldana and illustrator Janet McDonnell will be taking over our social media to shine a light on several of these community leaders and their stories, showing the variety of ways that Lake County Leads.
About the Authors:
Carla Aldana is a Waukegan resident and ethnographer with a passion for environmental justice. Over the last two months, Carla has interviewed local leaders to gather their perspective of resilience in their communities, how they maintained strength while physically separated from others, and how the pandemic has affected environmental justice initiatives. Carla transcribed and analyzed her interviews for Janet to interpret into informative comic strips.
Janet McDonnell is an illustrator and author living in the calm outskirts of the windy city with her husband and their black and white dog, Buster. Her whimsical illustrations combine traditional media and digital magic. In addition to illustrating books, magazines, and puzzles, Janet has both taught and written for children from preschool to high school ages. Her clients include Magination Press, Highlights, Zondervan, Marshall Cavandish, and Pearson.
Community resilience is a set of networked adaptive capacities, including economic development, information, and communication, community competencies, and social capital. Communities are resilient when they can respond quickly to unexpected challenges, and community members can strategize and care for one another through times of crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lake County community leaders have taken the initiative to strengthen partnerships, continue building community, and adapt to the needs of others. Faced with a global pandemic, a lack of federal leadership, economic crisis, and already strained resources, community members stepped up to ensure their neighbors needs were met, demonstrating the power of community care and mutual aid. Over the next few weeks, ethnographer Carla Aldana and illustrator Janet McDonnell will be taking over our social media to shine a light on several of these community leaders and their stories, showing the variety of ways that Lake County Leads.
About the Authors:
Carla Aldana is a Waukegan resident and ethnographer with a passion for environmental justice. Over the last two months, Carla has interviewed local leaders to gather their perspective of resilience in their communities, how they maintained strength while physically separated from others, and how the pandemic has affected environmental justice initiatives. Carla transcribed and analyzed her interviews for Janet to interpret into informative comic strips.
Janet McDonnell is an illustrator and author living in the calm outskirts of the windy city with her husband and their black and white dog, Buster. Her whimsical illustrations combine traditional media and digital magic. In addition to illustrating books, magazines, and puzzles, Janet has both taught and written for children from preschool to high school ages. Her clients include Magination Press, Highlights, Zondervan, Marshall Cavandish, and Pearson.
Lake County's Supermoms
My dream was to one day tell people that a mom at home is so valuable. We are professionals in our own way, and we support our community...I always tell them, I am a supermom.
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This week we are highlighting the incredible work of Mrs. Alfaro, a Supermom from Round Lake.
Mrs. Alfaro saw that many people in her community did not receive stimulus aid from the government during the lockdown, and were forced to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. She decided to turn her basement into a food pantry, and joined forces with her beloved sister to deliver groceries to people in need. The two of them have spent COVID-19 making sure that everyone in their community is fed. Watch the video with Mrs. Alfaro and Round Lake Parent Liaison, Maria Colunga, to learn more about this inspiring story of mutual aid. Be sure to read through the accompanying comic by Janet McDonnell below! |
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Building Community through Family
Once they realize that I am here with the same dreams for their kids, they're on board with me...I have some parents that say
"I'm just here because you asked me to be. No questions asked."
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This week we are highlighting the incredible community work of Maria Colunga, Parent Liaison for Round Lake School District #116.
It would be impossible to callout the community resilience we have seen during COVID-19 without acknowledging the community building work that preceded. Strong communities are built through advocacy, hard work, and repeated contact. In her role at the school district, Maria Colunga serves over 7,500 families. Through her program, the Round Lake Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee, she has provided fun opportunities for families to connect, and helped empower parents (like Mrs. Alfaro!) to become active leaders, advocating for themselves and one another during difficult times. In this clip, Maria explains a bit about her approach to community building in Round Lake, by drawing upon parents' knowledge and valuing family bonds. Be sure to read through the accompanying comic by Janet McDonnell below! |
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Powerful Partnerships
The sense of community is stronger than ever...COVID has definitely forced us to form a sense of community that is unstoppable right now
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This week we are highlighting the collaborative efforts of the Round Lake Area Public Library and their partners, featuring an interview with the library's Head of PR and Community Engagement, Sandra Lopez.
Through collaborative with partner organizations, the library has been working diligently since early 2020 to distribute PPE to the Round Lake community, as well as provide educational material, virtual programming, and opportunities for connection during a time of intense isolation. Their work demonstrates how community and relationship building help us create resiliency against crisis, as different groups are already connected and can easily collaborate on sharing resources and creating contingency plans. Listen to this clip, featuring Sandra Lopez as she discusses how strong partnerships and a legacy of community engagement helped the library successfully adapt their work to meet the changing needs of Round Lake families during the pandemic. Be sure to read through the accompanying comic by Janet McDonnell below! |
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Empowerment through Education & Art
A lot of my people have been oppressed by this imaginary line, and documents or not having documents. But they have rights too, because they are human. Not a lot of people know their rights...these are things we are trying to teach our people.
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This week we are highlighting the community work of Israel Carranza, an artist and passionate community educator and advocate.
Israel is a founding board member of Lake County Immigrant Advocacy, a group dedicated to protecting and uplifting immigrants in Lake County through advocacy and education. They have also worked with Waukegan School District to pass the Resolution Act, preventing ICE from coming on campus, and ensuring students feel safe in their schools. Israel also works with Empoderados Juntos, a group currently working to achieve non-profit status that seeks to empower underrepresented people to transform their lives, their communities, and their environments, envisioning an end to historical oppression in all Lake County institutions. Primarily operating through social media, both groups have been hosting events to support and educate the community on legal rights, COVID-19, anti-racism, and artistic expression. In this clip, we hear from Israel what empowerment means to him, and how the arts can be used to help individuals heal from personal and generational trauma, who in turn can help heal their community. Be sure to read through the accompanying comic by Janet McDonnell below! |
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