Morgan County summer kickoff event connects families with camps, jobs, support

Parents trying to pin down summer child care, activities and work plans found a one-stop answer Tuesday evening at the Morgan County Fairgrounds 4-H Building in Jacksonville. Midwest Youth Services brought camps, programs, jobs, volunteer openings and support services into one room, giving families a chance to leave with concrete summer options before school lets out.

The free Connect + Kickoff Summer event was aimed at kids ages 11-17 and centered on the practical problem that starts as soon as the school year ends: how to keep young people busy, supervised and moving toward something productive. Audra Pilardi said the idea grew out of that familiar question children ask every spring. A light dinner, raffles and giveaways were part of the event, but the larger purpose was to connect families with information they can use right away.

Midwest Youth Services said it serves at-risk, runaway and homeless youth ages 9-18 in Morgan County and seven other Illinois counties, including Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, Pike, Schuyler and Scott. Established in 1978, the agency says its services are free and confidential, supported by private donations, grants, United Way funding and state and federal dollars. That broader mission helps explain why the summer kickoff was built around recreation, employment and social services rather than a simple activities fair.

Partners at the event included Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, Lincoln Land, area churches, Green Pastures, the Early Years program and Express Employment. MYS case manager Hannah Portwood said younger children need structure, while teenagers looking for work can compare options at the same event. Staff also made worker permit applications available and helped families fill them out, a detail that matters for working teens and employers trying to stay inside state rules.

Illinois generally requires employment certificates, also known as work permits, for minors under 16 before they start work, and the state limits work before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. That makes the permit help more than a formality. It gives families a head start on a summer job process that can otherwise slow down just as opportunities open up.

Organizers said a second event is planned later in the month, and a United In Color 5K is scheduled for May 30 at Jacksonville Community Park. JacksonvilleOneStop, another Midwest Youth Services project funded through an Illinois Department of Human Services Community Youth Services grant, fits the same model of local agencies coordinating so Morgan County families do not have to piece together summer on their own.