Grants support community efforts to boost individual emergency preparedness, encourage volunteerism
Citizen Corps Councils in more than 80 communities throughout Illinois were recently awarded grants totaling $440,835 to support programs that help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies.
The grants are awarded annually by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF).
“The Citizen Corps in Illinois are an important part of our state’s overall preparedness effort,” said Andrew Velasquez III, the state’s Homeland Security Adviser and director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).
“Their focus on personal preparedness, training and volunteer service ensure their communities are better able to deal with any disaster, large or small.”
The Citizen Corps program began in 2002 as a way to bring volunteers and first responder organizations together to help communities better prepare for, and respond to, all types of emergencies. Today there are more than 2,400 local Citizen Corps councils throughout the U.S., with 95 active councils in Illinois.
In addition to the grants, the Illinois Citizen Corps Council, an ITTF committee, supports the efforts of local councils through training, workshops and conferences.
The grants will be used by Citizen Corps to further their citizen preparedness activities, such as equipment, training and instructors for Community Emergency Response Teams (Cert), personal preparedness brochures and local emergency response exercises.
Citizen Corp volunteers are trained to assist during emergencies in their communities, but can be called on for assistance during disasters at the state or national level.
The 82 Illinois Citizen Corps receiving grants include:
| Jurisdiction | Amount |
| Adams County | $5,500.00 |
| Addison | $5,500.00 |
| Arlington Heights | $5,460.00 |
| Aurora | $5,500.00 |
| Barrington | $4,500.00 |
| Belvidere | $5,500.00 |
| Boone County | $4,500.00 |
| Buffalo Grove | $5,500.00 |
| Carol Stream | $7,500.00 |
| Champaign | $5,500.00 |
| Chicago | $4,500.00 |
| Clay County | $5,500.00 |
| Coles County | $5,500.00 |
| Collinsville | $5,500.00 |
| Des Plaines | $5,500.00 |
| Dowell | $4,500.00 |
| DuPage County | $5,500.00 |
| Effingham County | $5,500.00 |
| Elburn | $5,500.00 |
| Elk Grove Village | $7,500.00 |
| Evanston | $4,500.00 |
| Fremont Township (Lake) | $5,500.00 |
| Galesburg | $5,500.00 |
| Gilberts | $7,500.00 |
| Glen Ellyn | $5,500.00 |
| Glendale Heights | $5,500.00 |
| Hanover Park | $4,500.00 |
| Hawthorn Woods | $4,500.00 |
| Highland Park | $5,500.00 |
| Hoffman Estates | $5,500.00 |
| Huntley | $7,500.00 |
| Inverness | $5,500.00 |
| Itasca | $4,500.00 |
| Jefferson County | $5,500.00 |
| Judson University | $5,500.00 |
| Kane County | $2,500.00 |
| Kankakee County | $5,500.00 |
| Kildeer | $5,500.00 |
| Lake County | $3,500.00 |
| Lake in the Hills | $4,392.00 |
| Lake Zurich | $5,500.00 |
| LaSalle County | $5,493.00 |
| Lawrence County | $5,500.00 |
| Libertyville | $4,500.00 |
| Long Grove | $5,500.00 |
| Macon County | $5,500.00 |
| Macoupin County | $5,500.00 |
| Maine Township (Cook) | $5,500.00 |
| Milan | $7,500.00 |
| Milton Township (DuPage) |