A disability job fair, a ribbon cutting, a mixer and more. See what’s happening in McHenry County.

Disability Job Fair taking place Oct. 5

People with disabilities who are looking for a job are encouraged to attend the McHenry County Disability Job Fair next week.

The free event, open to all job seekers with any type of disability, will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Shah Center, 4100 W. Shamrock Lane, McHenry.

Registration is not necessary, but attendees who need help with their resume or require special accommodations can request assistance by clicking here.

Dress for success, bring copies of your resume, and be ready to network with county employers looking to hire you and enrich their workplaces with your talent. Good luck!

If you’re an employer who would like to have a space at the fair, click here to register.

District 155 cuts ribbon on Health Careers Lab

Yet another Advance McHenry County success story is coming to fruition with last week’s ribbon cutting on the new Health Careers Lab at Crystal Lake Central High School!

The state-of-the-art facility received a $1.5 million grant through the Advance McHenry County initiative to get the program going. The lab will train students to become state-accredited certified nursing assistants to help meet a crucial and growing need in our hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Congratulations to Community High School District 155 for bringing this project to life! If you want to see a video to see how this program will help train the next generation of health care professionals, click here.

Advance McHenry County was created to directly invest millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 recovery funding directly into our communities – we’ll be updating you on other projects in future editions, so stay tuned!

Manufacturing Pathways Consortium holds a mixer

Our friends at the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium are busy – especially with Manufacturing Month right around the corner.

More that 50 consortium members attended a mixer last week to help better connect and inspire our local manufacturing community. Thank you to Jessup Manufacturing for hosting the event!

The consortium is made up of local manufacturers, with the mission to create a pipeline of talent by raising awareness of manufacturing career paths and fostering job training opportunities. Like District 155 in the previous story, they’ve utilized Advance McHenry County funding to help train our future professionals – click here to read about its successful Rotational Internship Program.

Take a survey to weigh in on the RTA’s strategic plan

Quality mass transit is vital to the Chicago area’s economy and to its quality of life – and the Regional Transportation Authority wants to hear from you.

The RTA – which oversees Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority – is developing its regional transit strategic plan to guide how the Chicago area’s transit system will adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide safe, reliable, accessible public transportation that connects people to opportunity, advances equity, and combats climate change.

Visit https://bit.ly/RTAILSurvey to weigh in on the RTA’s 2023 transit strategic plan by taking a quick survey.

Thank you, McHenry County Conservation Foundation

The McHenry County Conservation Foundation plays an important role in preserving open space and environmentally sensitive land for future generations.

The Foundation raises funds to support the important work of the McHenry County Conservation District and its partners. Since its founding, it has donated $4.5 million to support MCCD and affiliated agencies.

Foundation leaders explained the part the philanthropic partner plays in preserving McHenry County’s natural beauty at the Sept. 16 meeting of the McHenry County Board Committee of the Whole. You can watch it on the county’s YouTube meeting page by clicking here – the presentation starts just after the 40-minute mark.

Click here to learn more about the Foundation and its mission, and click here to visit the MCCD website and learn about everything the Conservation District offers.

Settlers Days returns to Marengo next week

Marengo Settlers’ Days is returning next week for its 52nd year!

The four-day annual festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 6, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 9.

Events include a carnival, a 5K fun run, a car show, pet parade, live music, and of course, the big Settlers’ Days Parade and marching band field show on Sunday.

For a complete list of events, visit settlersdays.com, and follow Settlers’ Days on Facebook.