SPARK gives us a chance to celebrate the stellar individuals and organizations who support our work every day. Recipients of the Jane Doyle Awesome Awards represent Independent Futures through dedication, innovative leadership, personal integrity, and community-forward thinking. These awards are given to a community partner, a participant, and a staff member.
Community Partner: As an employer of Independent Futures’ participants, Trader Joe’s openly allows and encourages on-the-job coaching which gives participants a true path to success. They further support Independent Futures by donating countless items to our fundraisers. Trader Joe’s is a community-driven organization, an asset as an employer, and a generous community member.
Participant: Adam Wiser generously shares his time, his talent & his positive attitude to support Independent Futures. As a self-advocate, Adam speaks out and speaks up to share his knowledge and to advocate for what he believes in. In community meetings, Adam asks great questions, shares his experience in a way that helps educate and inform others. When the Young Professional Board interviewed for 2 open positions, Adam’s self-advocacy skills shone brightly and he was an obvious choice to serve. Adam always finds a way to make suggestions, and is thoughtful, caring & has a fun sense of humor!
Staff: This year, tonight’s staff award seems like an obvious choice as we honor Ann Sickon for her leadership these past 10 years. Ann has exemplified all of the values that Kay and Jane envisioned for Center for Independent Futures 20 years ago. Ann’s steadfast, calm, creative, and compassionate leadership has helped Independent Futures grow in innumerable ways during her tenure. In particular, her faith and commitment to our mission, our staff, and our community kept Independent Futures moving forward through a global pandemic that forced the disability service providers across the nation to close their doors in record numbers. Numerous staff members commented that there was no better person to steer our ship during COVID than Ann. Ann has demonstrated over and over again a passionate desire to see people with disabilities fully included in the community.
According to Independent Futures Human Resources Coordinator Cathy Norris, “Unemployment fraud is when someone, other than you, uses your name and personal information to file an unemployment insurance claim. Then, that person tries to receive unemployment benefits that they are not entitled to. If this happens to you, you should be told by your employer. Your employer receives notices from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) when unemployment insurance claims are filed. If a notice is received for you and you are actively working, your employer will report to IDES that you are actively working and not entitled to benefits. Then, you and your employer can take steps to report the fraud to IDES and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC.)”
The short answer is 
This blog was written by our community partner Michael Walther of 
2. They have fiduciary advisors assisting them. Fiduciary advisors are required by law to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own. Insurance agents, stock brokers and others who may call themselves financial advisors, but who will not put their status as a fiduciary advisor in writing, should be approached with caution. These non-fiduciaries get compensated for selling products like insurance policies and annuities and have conflicts of interest that will likely harm your planning.
5. They communicate their future planning. There are two benefits to letting other family members know what planning is in place and what is contemplated for the future. This allows people to learn that they have been named to serve in some capacity in the future. This allows them to ask questions and understand what is expected and also to decline to serve if they do not believe they will be able to meet the expectations of the family.
By learning that a future member of the planning team for a loved one is not interested in the role, the family has time to identify and implement other people for the needed roles. Communication also avoids unexpected generosity that negatively impacts the planning that is done. In summary, the more your extended family knows, the smoother the implementation of your planning will be.
For local Chicagoland folks, WBEZ wants to know what you care about. They’re asking listeners to share, “What do you want your Illinois elected officials to be talking about this election season?”
Other places to look for support in advocating for your needs include state chapters of national organizations like the 
At the core of every successful political campaign is a corps of staffers. This is basically a well-oiled machine made up of both volunteers and paid individuals that, simply put, gets things done. Your 
As a political candidate, you undoubtedly have a lot riding on your shoulders. In fact, you are essentially seeking to represent people who, like you, are constantly facing challenges because of complex policies surrounding disabilities. Running for office is a huge responsibility, which is why you also want to make sure that you are the best possible candidate for the job.
I believe that societal change only comes when each person recognizes they have a role to play in making needed changes in our reality. Policies, regulations, and federal and state laws, though perhaps well intentioned, can be subverted and destructive when our citizens do not demand equal protection under the law for everyone.
I believe that there are no spectators in the fight against racism. Either we are actively working to dismantle racism, or we are perpetuating it. In our work, we can make systemic change – eradicating racism in our educational institutions, health care systems, economic systems, housing systems, and justice system. Taking action means:
My relationship with race and social justice issues is constant and it is personal. At work and at home, I continue to educate myself on others’ experiences while participating in active & progressive citizenship. Some of the ways I practice active citizenship include: 
My hope is that Independent Futures can someday provide equal opportunities for inclusion for all people with disabilities in Evanston. Unfortunately, Independent Futures’ supportive and effective programming is not affordable to many in our community. 
At a most basic level, if we assume that we all have a social responsibility to one another, then our job as a society is to help one another. We must honor our social contract to access this greater good and it may require surrendering something for the greater good. 
One of our favorite tools is 
Because of our 
Another tutor, Cynthia Witherspoon, said, “During the first week Independent Futures instituted the work from home policy I met with the participants I tutor using texts, FaceTime, and phone calls.” However, as the governor modified the stay-at-home order, “I returned to meeting in person with most of my participants in their homes. We practice safe distancing and I always wear a mask. For those who have not felt comfortable returning to face to face meetings, I stay in touch with FaceTime or phone calls.”
Working and tutoring remotely meant new challenges for tutors and participants. The first step was figuring out how sessions could continue. Dee Dee shared, “We have been very creative by using screen share, dictation, and new forms of learning to do daily tasks.”
As we all adjusted slowly to the necessary COVID-19 precautions, our tutoring participants adjusted too. “At first, participants would tease me about wearing a mask and gloves, maintaining 6 feet of distance, and putting items on the ground,” Cynthia said. “Now everyone sees these as common practices, and they are respectful of the guidelines I follow. They know I am doing it to protect them.” 
In Illinois, you can 
Illinois’ early voting period runs from March 2 – March 16. You can also vote on election day, March 17th from 6am – 7pm. Use the Board of Elections’ Voter Registration Lookup tool to find your polling location.
Now that you’re a registered, educated voter, what are the next steps you can take? This is the time to choose your candidates and then volunteer! You can call, text, or knock doors to spread the word about your favorite candidate. 
