10th News: Creating a Future for Our Future Leaders

March 23, 2023

It was really special being home all of last week. I enjoyed meeting with constituents in my office, took my District Listening Tour to Antioch, attended Chamber of Commerce events in Spring Grove, Northbrook, and Mundelein, visited Allendale’s Lake Villa campus, celebrated the 18 students I am honored to nominate this year to our nation’s service academies, and even had time to mark St. Patrick’s Day in Richmond and Lake Forrest. All and all, a nearly perfect week—hopefully, your NCAA brackets are doing better than mine!

Tonight, I will be in Johnsburg for my next Congress on Your Corner town hall. There’s still time to register and join us for what is always a good discussion on the topics of the day. My team will also be on hand to answer questions and help with issues involving federal agencies. If you want to join us, RSVP here.

Tomorrow, I return to Washington. On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is testifying before the Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the Administrations global vision and strategy. And on Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Kathrine Tai will be before the Ways and Means Committee. Both hearings should be interesting.

Keep reading for more information about happenings here at home and in Washington.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

Constituent Meetings

I enjoyed meeting with the Ackley family of Glencoe this morning. Sam was one year old when she received a bone marrow transplant from her brother Kaeden that saved her life. For more than 85 years, Congress has partnered with Be the Match to deliver lifesaving treatments nationwide.

BE SMART – Safe Gun Storage Saves Lives

Layla Danley of Be SMART shared her organization’s work on education and awareness regarding safe gun storage, helping reduce accidental gun injuries and death, as well as limiting gun thefts that too often put weapons on our streets.

Sierra Club Working to Protect our Environment

I had a good meeting with the Sierra Club to discuss their work protecting the Great Lakes and their thoughts on EPA regulations to protect our public health.

Lake County Progress and Priorities

It’s always great to meet with Lake County to discuss how I can best continue to support their goals at home.

10th District Listening Tour – Mary Scott Gartner, Antioch

It was a privilege to be hosted by Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner, Trustee Scott Pierce, and other members of the village’s leadership for coffee and a tour of Antioch’s main street. We had the opportunity to discuss the village’s projects and how Congress can best help communities like Antioch.

Service Academy Nominations

On Thursday, I was proud to recognize 17 outstanding 10th District students for appointments to at least one of our five Service Academies. It takes a special kind of person to step forward and seek to serve our nation, and each of these young people are a proud reflection of their families and broader communities.

Congratulations to the following 17 nominated students.

Kwame Adusei-Poku, Adlai E Stevenson High School
Erik Boehmer, Vernon Hills High School
Lionel Carapia, Grant Community High School
Owen Davies, Carmel Catholic High School
Reagan Forrester-Barr, New Trier Township High School
Julia Hinman, John Hersey High School
Aayush Kashyap, Adlai E Stevenson High School
Makoto Majoros, Glenbrook North High School
Kailey Miller, Adlai E Stevenson High School
Jun Lee Park, Adlai E Stevenson High School
Sophia Peters, Zion-Benton Township High School
Apoorva Somani, Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Elijah Sta Maria, Zion Benton Township High School
Theodore Zinox, Highland Park High School
Keith Coleman, Mundelein High School
Enoch K. Jung, Grace International School
Joseph Morris, Warren Township High School

I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the National Museum of the American Sailor for hosting our ceremony and to my esteemed Service Academy Advisory Team for so generously volunteering their time and sharing their passion when meeting with each of the students. A special call out to Patrice Campbell on our team, who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make our service academy events successful.

Illinois Affordable Housing Forum Kicks Off in Chicago

I honored to speak at the opening session of the 2023 Illinois Affordable Housing Forum. Our nation is facing a housing crisis, especially in affordable housing. The Illinois Housing Council is working across the state to address our challenges. In Washington, I am committed to doing the same.

Recognizing Local Business Leaders with the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce

I joined the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards dinner recognizing the outstanding achievements of its local business leaders. Congratulations to Newmedical Technology, Inc., Shelle Jewelers, Engage Wealth Group, LLC, Nothing Bundt Cakes – Deerfield, and Howard Wallace of A-Z Entertainment on your well-deserved recognition.

Spring Grove Multi-Chamber Mixer and Ribbon Cutting

I had a great time with the Chain O'Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce for their multi-chamber mixer and ribbon cutting Tuesday evening in Spring Grove.

GLMV Chamber Extreme Block Party Family Expo

Over the weekend GLMV (Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills) Chamber of Commerce hosted their Extreme Block Party Family Expo in Mundelein.

The room was filled with local businesses sharing their stories with people of all ages. It was truly special seeing the community come together to support local businesses and learn about the amazing people helping grow our economy.

I was also happy to see Lake County Clerk, Treasurer Holly Kim, and Sheriff Idleburg at the expo!

Fenix Health Care Center - Highwood

More Local Connections — North Chicago Alderman Kenny Smith

I was honored to meet with friends at North Chicago Alderman Kenny Smith’s Ward meeting, where I was pleased to share an update on my work trying to reduce gun violence.

Annual SeaPerch Competition at Lake Forest Academy

I had a great time at the 2023 SeaPerch regional competition hosted by the National Museum of the American Sailor at Lake Forest Academy. This annual robotics competition challenges students to design and build an underwater robot that can maneuver through a series of obstacles. Congratulations to all of the participants for their hard work and dedication in this exciting competition and to the winners who move on to the international competition in Baltimore!

Caruso Middle School’s New State of the Art Auditorium

It was fun joining Caruso Middle School students, families and faculty to open their beautiful new auditorium. Not just a pretty place, the acoustics are amazing, which made listening to the school band inaugurate the space truly special.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

I really enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick's Day at Richmond’s newly renovated The District. It wasn’t just a beautiful space; it was a wonderful community celebration.

I also had the opportunity to stop by Lake Forest’s Gorton Community Center for a St. Pat’s celebration hosted by the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY

Please visit my website to find resources available for everything from saving money on your internet bill to locating your local food bank, various help lines, and even help Ukrainians refugees fleeing the war.

CONSTITUENT SUCCESS STORIES

I want to share with you another constituent casework success story. Navigating the federal agency bureaucracy can be challenging, but my excellent casework team in Lincolnshire is ready to help you. If you need help with a federal agency, fill out a Privacy Release Form or call my Lincolnshire office at (847) 383-4870 so my casework team can assist you.

In Closing—

To close, I want to share a story from the Daily Herald that details how your local business can work with your local bank to secure loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is dedicated to being a resource to help make our small businesses work, and I am glad to see that our local businesses are finding that “Getting a loan from the SBA is easier than through a traditional channel.”

Stay strong, stay safe, stay healthy.
Sincerely,

Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress