ROCKFORD - State Senator Steve Stadelman today applauded the announcement of $2.8 million in state funding for improvements at Clarence Hicks Memorial Sports Park as a smart investment in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood and positive youth development.

The grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources follows $600,000 previously secured by Stadelman toward a $7 million upgrade in the outdoor athletics facility on Rockford's southwest side. When upgrades are complete, Hicks Park will feature an artificial turf playing field and stadium with eight-lane running track and bleacher seating for 1,000 spectators, among other amenities.

"With this investment of state resources, an under-utilized facility will become a major regional attraction," Stadelman said. "To flourish as a community, we must rescue impoverished neighborhoods -- and this project not only provides valuable physical assets but also a place for expanded sports programming that will strengthen the minds and bodies of girls and boys who are key to a prosperous future."

The 77-acre park at 2004 Ogilby Road is currently home to athletic programs including NFL flag football, NFL cheer, FIRE track and field, Wolves youth football and Chicago Bears Outreach Camp. Last year, the Bears donated artificial turf from the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall to create a future warmup area as part of the $7 million upgrade.

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ROCKFORD – State Senator Steve Stadelman announced three school districts in the Rockford area have received more than $30,000 to provide resources to libraries through books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programs.

“Making sure our libraries are equipped with the resources necessary and pertinent to students is fundamental to the educational value they provide to our communities,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “I look forward to how these funds will be used in our area and the resources our libraries will be able to procure with this funding.”

Based on a statutory formula, school districts receive $0.885 per student enrolled at each school with a qualified library. Funding for the School District Library Grant Program originates from the General Reserve Fund and is appropriated for this purpose by the Illinois General Assembly.

The following school districts in Stadelman’s district received a total of $33,723:

• Rockford Public School District 205 - $22,147
• Belvidere School District 100 - $6,428
• Harlem CUSD 122 - $5,147

ROCKFORD — State Senator Steve Stadelman joined local leaders to celebrate the long awaited reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant, which has been idled since February, after United Auto Workers and Stellantis came to a tentative agreement.

“This is a major win for the city of Belvidere and the UAW,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “Our manufacturing and organized labor industries are the backbone of our country. By coming to this agreement, we can ensure UAW members have access to higher wages and better benefits, keeping good-paying jobs in Illinois.”

The agreement is the result of collaboration between auto workers, Stellantis executives, UAW representatives, the state of Illinois and the White House. Other efforts that enabled a solution for Belvidere and supported further economic development in Illinois include the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act, which Stadelman was a sponsor.

ROCKFORD – State Senator Steve Stadelman announced that the Illinois Department of Public Health has awarded more than $249,000 to Crusaders Central Clinic Association in Rockford to support post-pandemic child and adolescent health.

“This funding will help increase mental health opportunities for kids across Rockford with more resources and programs available,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “Developing good mental health habits is important, and increasing the resources available to providers here in our city improves their chances for success.”

The grant – funded primarily from the CDC’s COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding program – is intended to help hospitals, clinics, schools and local agencies improve child and adolescent health through workforce enhancements, developing frameworks to prevent adverse childhood experiences, interventions to assist children suffering from trauma, and training for medical and school staff to expand adolescent mental health resources.

Projects funded through the program incorporate a diverse set of strategies to strengthen mental health services for students across Illinois. These include developing student support programs and offering specialized curriculums in areas like stress management and nutrition; creating suicide awareness and prevention efforts; creating plans for mental health outreach; developing plans to address mental health needs during current and future public health emergencies; hiring counselors and other mental health professionals; and providing telehealth counseling and evaluation services.