The Herald-News • Sunday, November 1, 2015
|GETTING STARTED
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Mission: Become a ‘big’ for our community The unmatched “littles” waiting for a “big” at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties don’t want much. “Hope. Somebody to care for them. Someone to have fun with.” That’s the assessment of Mike Trafton, the new executive director at the local branch of the nonprofit organization that serves Will and Grundy counties. BBBS pairs children with an adult role model to help change kids’ perspectives and give them the opportunity to reach their potential, according to the agency’s website. There are nearly 100 local kids waiting for a “big.” And Trafton and the rest of the dedicated staff at BBBS are determined to get 100 “bigs” signed up by Christmas. The mission was born from an encounter Traf-
VIEWS Kate Schott ton had recently with the mother of a boy who has been waiting a year and a half for a match. During an event at Undisputed Strength in Joliet – where ummatched littles were given a demonstration of what goes on there, as well as a cooking lesson by Tom Grotovsky of The Great American Bagel – a mother came up to him. With tears in her eyes, she described how much it would mean to her son to have a “big” in his life. Soon, Trafton and other BBBS staff had tears in their eyes too. And they decided to do something about it. Thus the goal of 100 by Christmas was set. Trafton is
reaching out to businesses, churches and anyone else he can think of who can encourage local residents to become a “big.” It was a no-brainer for me to say “of course” when he asked if the newspaper would help spread the word. Those who want to be a “big” have to fill out an interest form. The goal is to match each one with a child who lives within 5 to 10 miles, according to Cruz Ramirez, the Community-Based Program Coordinator and Enrollment & Match Specialist. “Bigs” meet with the “little” at least twice a month, for two to four hours each visit. Activities bigs and littles do include visiting libraries, going to movies, gardening, baking or arts and crafts projects, she said. No matter where you live in Will or Grundy, BBBS
wants to hear from you. You live in Morris? Staff will come there to talk with you at the organization’s local office. Live in Peotone or Bolingbrook or Coal City or Channahon? BBBS needs “bigs” from throughout our two counties. Give BBBS a call at 815-723-2227 to learn more. Men especially are needed, the BBBS staff say, as there are many boys on the waiting list eagerly waiting for a positive male role model. Cruz once had an 8-yearold boy tell her why he needed a “big” in his life. His dad wasn’t around, he told her, and he wanted a man in his life to help guide him toward making good decisions. An 8-year-old shouldn’t be able to articulate that so clearly. But the “littles” aren’t the only ones getting something out of the relationship. The
“bigs” get a sense of accomplishment, and of giving back to their community and making a difference in someone’s life, Trafton said. And maybe they get to help make a kid’s wish come true. “How cool would it be if I had a match by Christmas?” one boy recently asked Cruz. “How cool would that be?” Cool indeed. If you ever have thought about becoming a “big,” now is the time. You will be giving a priceless gift that doesn’t even require a bow. Thank you for reading The Herald-News.
• Kate Schott is editor of The Herald-News, the Morris Herald-News and Herald Life. She can be reached at kschott@shawmedia.com or 815-280-4119. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Schott78.
Will County Clerk faces unfunded election law mandate head-on By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS lleonecross@shawmedia.com JOLIET – Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots and her staff are staying busy as they work to comply with an unfunded state mandate ahead of the March 15 primary that requires certain Illinois counties to offer sameday voter registration at every polling place. Start-up costs carry a price tag of more than $1 million for just Will County when taking into account the required staff time, printed materials, additional training for election judges and the installment of Internet capabilities, among other factors, Schultz Voots said. “All these little things add up,” Schultz Voots said, noting how extension cords alone cost $4,000. The law requires Schultz Voots to equip the county’s 300 polling places with electronic poll books – or computer tablets with voting and registration capabilities. The law only applies to counties with a population of 100,000 or more, or those already using electronic poll books. For the past two weeks,
staff have been meticulously color coding the electronic poll books and accessories in hopes of minimizing confusion on Election Day when volunteer judges hold the responsibility of getting the tablets up and running. Schultz Voots’ office has entered into a $878,019 contract with Election Systems & Software – known as ES&S – to comply with the changes. As part of that contract, the 640 tablets – two for each precinct – is costing Will County $553,600. “In some ways, the cost to the county is falling onto the taxpayers,” she said. Schultz Voots said she is concerned that the cost outweighs the benefit of the few expected to take advantage of same-day voter registration. For example, only 736 county residents took advantage of the option in the November 2014 election. That’s compared to the 388,057 voters registered in the county at the time. Taking only the $878,019 contract into consideration, that equates to about $1,200 for every one person who registered on Election Day last year. To mandate this during
a presidential election year places more pressure on county clerks because of the higher turnout, she said. She said lawmakers should have considered requiring the books at certain precincts to cut costs. Schultz Voots said she also is concerned the Internet connection won’t be sufficient in rural precincts or in voting locations in basements and lower levels. “If this poll book goes down for any reason, it’s going to delay voting and cause lines,” she said. Grundy County Clerk Kay Olson said she began in 2013 using electronic poll books at each of the county’s 40 precincts, but those devices do not yet have voter registration capabilities. That means those tablets will need software upgrades totaling about $40,000, she said. Olson said she initially thought Grundy County was in the clear because when the state law was first crafted, it only applied to counties of 100,000 population or more. But an amendment followed requiring counties to comply if they’re already using poll books. Both Olson and Schultz
Know more Residents may register to vote online, in person at the local election authority office or at driver’s license facilities, with deputy registrars who are appointed in each jurisdiction, or via mail using the Illinois Voter Registration Application, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
What you need In order to register to vote in Illinois, at least 17 years old on or before the primary election and be at least 18 years old by Election Day; a U.S. citizen; a resident of your precinct at least 30 days before Election Day.
How to vote While voters can register and vote on Election Day now, would-be voters are encouraged register prior to Election Day by visiting their County Clerk’s office. People can vote prior to Election Day using one of the following options: Vote-by-Mail Voting Early Voting Grace Period Voting
General Primary election dates Feb. 4: First day for sending mail-in ballots to voters Feb. 16: Last day for voter registration Feb. 17: First day of voter registration grace period Feb. 29: First day for early voting March 10: Last day for receiving mail-in ballots March 14: Last day for early voting March 15: Election Day and last day for grace period registration Voots urged people to register ahead of time to minimize
lines and complications on Election Day.