Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, on behalf of the Rockford Area Case Management Initiative Collaborative, is proud to announce that it has received a $25,000 grant to help develop and implement a comprehensive case management system in the Rockford region. The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Community Grants Program. Partners include Northern Illinois Center for Non Profit Excellence, The Literacy Council, Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance, Rock Valley College, Rockford Housing Authority, Rockford University, Transform Rockford, United Way of the Rock River Valley, and Youth Services Network.
The grant will help fund an initiative designed to help move the community from the traditional system where dozens of agencies are working independently with individual agency outcomes, to a system where agencies work together using the same language, philosophy, and best practices – a continuum of care. This continuum of care will provide case managers with intentional, effective referral practices that the Collaborative believes will ‘move the needle’ on community outcomes by helping to ensure that many more participants receive the services and care they require.
“Our research through Transform Rockford as well as national studies confirms what many of us have suspected all along: that the case manager role is perhaps the single most important component in supporting the efforts of people moving to a better stage in life,” says Sam Schmitz, President, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois. “This grant puts real teeth in the Collaborative’s efforts to develop a revolutionary new case management model for the region, and will undoubtedly encourage the participation by all of the area’s human service agency stakeholders.”
The Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE), on behalf of the Rockford Area Case Management Initiative Collaborative, is hosting an informational meeting so that any interested agency providing case management can learn more about the initiative, and provide input and feedback. This meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 25, at 9:00am at the Regional Design Center (RMAP – 315 N Main, Rockford).
About the Rockford Area Case Management Initiative Collaborative:
The Rockford Area Case Management Initiative Collaborative is a partnership of leading area non-profit organizations that includes Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, Northern Illinois Center for Non Profit Excellence, The Literacy Council, Northern Illinois Workforce Alliance, Rock Valley College, Rockford Housing Authority, Rockford University, United Way of the Rock River Valley, and the Youth Services Network.
About the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois:
The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has been a regional leader in philanthropy since 1953. CFNIL serves as a catalyst for giving in order to attract, grow, and preserve an endowment for the needs of Northern Illinois. Since its founding, CFNIL has granted more than $60 million for charitable purposes.
About Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois:
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois is a community-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create opportunities for individuals with barriers to enhance their lives. Goodwill funds job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in its 11 retail stores located in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. In 2016, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois served 8,153 people in the communities in which we reside. Goodwill stores in northern Illinois (Rockford, Machesney Park, Freeport, Sterling, DeKalb, Ottawa, McHenry, Huntley, Crystal Lake and Algonquin) and Beloit, Wisconsin employ over 550 people. Visit their website at www.goodwillni.org.
For further information contact:
Courtney Geiger
Mission Services Director
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois
(815) 987-6226 • CGeiger@goodwillni.org