Community Corner
'Show You Care Kane' Hopes for 2014 Referendum to Help Developmentally Disabled
You can help by signing a petition, volunteering or just getting the word out to support Kane County's developmentally disabled.
Chuck Miles knows firsthand how much a referendum in March could help developmentally disabled people in Batavia and in Kane County as a whole.
Miles and others are preparing for a Swedish Days information booth and petition drive to help get on the ballot a referendum that would allow for the creation of a 708 board to help fund housing and help.
"There are two pieces to this (campaign)," Miles said via email. "The first is to get this on the ballot for the March 2014 election. This requires petition signatures, and we urge anyone who is interested in helping with this to go to the website showyoucarekane.com and they can either download a petition and get it signed or use the 'Volunteer Sign Up' and help us man the petition effort at upcoming events, including Swedish Days."
The second part is to increase community awareness and eventually pass the referendum.
"One of the things I mentioned at City Council was if anyone was affiliated with any kind of organization where they would like us to come and speak, they can either let me know or go to the website and click the contact us to send a request."
Miles is a 23-year resident of Geneva who has a 21-year-old daughter with developmental disabilities. He's part of a group that is working to pass a referendum to create a countywide Developmental Disabilities Service Board.
There are currently 1,100 people in Kane County on a waiting list for these services, and the average wait time is greater than 10 years.
Some neighboring communities already have a Mental Health Board, which uses tax monies to help fund agencies that deal with mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. However, there is no Kane County version, and the fund for this effort would be separate from the 708 boards in cities and townships.
Show You Care Kane's first step is getting the question on the ballot, which requires about 19,000 signatures.
"We currently have around 14,500," Miles said. "We will be mobilizing advocates over the summer to get the required number of signatures. One of these efforts will be at Swedish Days, where we will be getting signatures in front of the post office and in front of the library."
How to Help
- Visit ShowYouCareKane.com.
- Sign up as a volunteer.
- Download and sign the petition.
