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WEEKEND July 4-5, 2015 • $1.50
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Kishwaukee YMCA hires new CEO Spiegelhoff, formerly of YMCA in Quincy, to begin Aug. 3 By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Kishwaukee Family YMCA leaders announced this week that they have hired a new CEO after a threemonth search in which they interviewed eight candidates. Mark J. Spiegelhoff, the new
CEO, will be moving from Quincy to Sycamore with his wife, Sue, for the position. “We’re very excited to become part of the Sycamore-DeKalb community,” he said Friday. Spiegelhoff has worked for the YMCA for more than 30 years, including 18 years of CEO experience with the organization.
Most recently his position was CEO of the YMCA of West Central Illinois in Quincy, where he worked for 12 years. During that time he managed three branches and two program centers. “Mark has quite a bit of CEO experience. That’s number one,” said Keith Foster, chief volun-
teer officer of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA. “His background, education and his YMCA experience all seemed perfect for what we need at Kishwaukee.” Spiegelhoff earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a master’s degree in administrative science from the University
of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Spiegelhoff’s background – and proven success – in community relations and fundraising was another reason the Kishwaukee YMCA hired him, Foster said. “The YMCA relies on community support,” Foster said. “Mark’s performance and track record is good in that regard. … In Quincy, he was able to expand
See NEW CEO, page A5
Mark J. Spiegelhoff has been named CEO of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA
In Greece, yes and no are neck and neck
With school out, nonprofits step in to feed youth in county
Referendum set for Sunday on bailout The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Nevaeh Island (right), 6, drinks her chocolate milk while Adriana Pride (left), 8, tries to open her carton during the Mobile YMCA free lunch program on June 26 at Welsh Park in DeKalb. The lunches were packed by the Voluntary Action Center and are delivered to sites around DeKalb County to provide kids free lunches during the summer months while they are away from school.
FILLING THE LUNCH GAP Learn more
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com
D
eKALB – Kara Gallagher wanted to remove transportation barriers that keep kids from getting lunch in the summer. So, with the help of the Kishwaukee Hospital RV, she took the YMCA’s summer meal program on the road. The Mobile Y brings not only lunch to neighborhood kids, but structured activities and games as well. “So far it’s been great,” said Gallagher, director of strategic health initiatives at the Kishwaukee Family YMCA. “We’re only in the first weeks, but the kids seem to be enjoying it. It’s awesome to play games, get them moving and, of course, feed them.” About 5,000 children in DeKalb County are at risk of going hungry, according to statistics gathered by Feeding America, a nonprofit social service group. About 20 to 50 kids show up at any given site during the week for the Mobile Y. Last week, they played parachute games and ate in the park on a nice day. When it rains, fewer kids
Voluntary Action Center workers Hillary Taylor (left) and Nelle Conley (center) pour peaches into a bowl while packing up VAC lunches on June 26 at Sycamore Middle School. VAC packs about 1,000 meals daily during the Summer Food Service Program to be distributed around DeKalb County. show up. But some community organizations look to help, said Heather Eade, director of marketing and communications at the Y. “In Cortland, the Lions Club opened up their Lions Den,” she said, “which is great because we are creating more partnerships. Most people are open to feeding children and giving them structured activities to keep them healthy.”
The Mobile Y is just one DeKalb County program that seeks to address the issue. The Northern Illinois Food Bank has had its summer meal program in place since the late 1990s, spokeswoman Donna Lake said. “It started off small, actually taking sandwiches out in the back of a vehicle, and has
See LUNCH, page A5
Northern Illinois Food Bank operates sites throughout DeKalb County where kids under 18 can receive a free meal, including DeKalb High School, 501 Dresser Road, DeKalb; DeKalb First United Methodist Church, 321 Oak St., DeKalb; Fox Valley Family YMCA West Branch, 707 S. Main St., Sandwich; Malta Township library, 203 Adams St., Malta; Sandwich library, 925 S. Main St., Sandwich; and Sycamore library, 103 E. State St., Sycamore. Times vary, but a complete schedule can be found at http://solvehungertoday. org/get-help/where-to-get-food/summer-meal-program. The Mobile Y schedule varies by day as program volunteers visit parks throughout DeKalb County. A full calendar can be found at http://kishymca. org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ Summer_Food_Mobile_Site1.pdf. The parks it visits include Franklin Township Park, at South Street and Third Street, Kirkland; Chamberlain Park, 400 E. Second St., Genoa; Hallgren Park, 701 Franklin St., DeKalb; Lions Den, 70 S. Llanos St., Cortland; and Welsh Park, 651 Russell Road, DeKalb. The Mobile Y typically is on location from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Programs run through the summer, until school starts in the fall.
ATHENS, Greece – Greeks packed city squares for dueling rallies late into the night Friday, as polls showed a dead heat between the “yes” and “no” camps ahead of a bailout referendum Sunday that could be Greece’s most important vote since it joined the European Union. More than 40,000 people gathered at the two rallies, half a mile apart, before Sunday’s vote on whether to accept creditors’ proposals for more austerity in exchange for rescue loans, or reject the deal as a show of defiance against years of harsh economic austerity. “This is not a protest. It is a celebration to overcome fear and blackmail,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told a crowd of 25,000 in front of parliament, who were chanting “oxi, oxi” – “no, no.” Tsipras angered Greece’s creditors by calling the referendum and is urging Greeks to vote no. Meanwhile, police said about 17,000 people gathered outside the nearby Panathenian stadium for the “yes” rally, waving Greek and European Union flags and chanting “Greece, Europe, Democracy.” Rallies for both campaigns also were held in 10 other Greek cities Friday. Tsipras is gambling the future of his five-month-old left wing government on Sunday’s snap poll – insisting a “no” vote will strengthen his hand to negotiate a third bailout with better terms. But the high-stakes standoff with lenders this week saw Greece default on debts, close banks to avoid their collapse, and lose access to billions of euros as an existing bailout deal expired. At the “no” rally, Athens resident Maria Antiniou held a handmade sign, reading “oxi.” “We have to strengthen Tsipras. It’s not his fault we are bankrupt,” she said. “He doesn’t have the mandate to take tougher measures and now we are giving that to him. It’s not true this is a vote on the euro. It’s a vote to change course and stay in the euro, and Tsipras is our best hope.” That is a message the “yes” voters refuse to believe. Evgenia Bouzala, a Greek born in Germany, said she was considering shutting down her olive oil export business because of the financial turmoil.
See GREECE, page A5
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Fourth of July
221 years young
Library plans
Where to see fireworks and Independence Day activities near you / A3
Church softball league has 3 pitchers with combined 2 centuries in age / B1
Expansion to continue in DeKalb despite lack of state budget / A3
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