North Cook News

At the April 3 meeting, the village board of Hoffman Estates made several declarations honoring groups and recognizing their efforts.

The biggest group of supporters in attendance at the meeting were there to hear the proclamation declaring April 2023 as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. Trustee Gary Stanton read the proclamation honoring the presence and work of Sikh Americans, including their contributions to industries like mining, railroad, technology, hotels, medicine, agricultural and small businesses, as well as being in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world, with some 25 million members. Mayor William McLeod specifically cited the Sikh contributions to war efforts in WWII.

In attendance at the meeting was a group of Hoffman Estates residents who thanked the board for the recognition and spoke about their beliefs and lives as a Sikh community. They spoke about the importance of honest work, unity with others, and giving and providing for others to create community. They are proud to live by these principles and be Sikh people but are equally as proud to be Americans and residents of Hoffman Estates.

The village board also recognized April as Child Abuse Awareness Month. In 2021, 3.9 million cases were made to Child Protective Services, and Hoffman Estates strives to protect their children and protect against child abuse and the lasting consequences for victims. A representative from the local Child Advocacy Center was at the meeting to accept the proclamation, which called for increased community awareness and involvement in programs that support child abuse victims and their families. The village also proclaimed April as Autism Awareness month and recognized their local public safety telecommunications and dispatchers for their work.

"The CAC provides services for children who have experienced abuse," said Megan Younker, CAC development coordinator. "We provide everything from the initial forensic interview, all the way through therapy and we have advocates who hold the child’s hand and support the family through something very traumatic. We are with them through that healing process. We thank you for recognizing prevention month because prevention is what stops it from happening, and unfortunately, places like the CAC do have to exist, but we are there for our community and our community’s most vulnerable."