On Friday, State Senator Julie Morrison visited Arden Shore Child and Family Services – a 115-year-old child service provider in Lake County.

Arden Shore’s location, services and workers have changed over the decades, but its core mission has remained the same: to help children grow up in safe, structured, nurturing environments.

The service provider has come a long way since its creation as a summer camp on the shores of Lake Michigan for poor women and children living in Chicago. Today, Arden Shore runs a group home for children with special needs, a foster program and various support programs for parents and other caregivers. It also recognizes the importance of Lake County’s growing Latino population and provides bilingual services.

Today I attended a legislative forum at the Highland Park Country Club sponsored by the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Advocacy Council and the North Shore University Health Care System.

Senator Morrison recently joined U.S. Senator Durbin along with Congressman Schneider at the College of Lake County Building in Vernon Hills for an immigration round table.

“For me, in my community, immigrants are people we work with, whose kids go to school with our kids, who shop in our stores, and who are our neighbors,” Morrison said. “Immigrants are some of the most motivated people I know.”

Read more: Durbin in Lake County to push immigration reform (Deerfield Review) Thursday, September 5

At the first meeting of the Senate Special Committee on Watercraft Safety, State Senator Julie Morrison addressed a packed room of boating enthusiasts to discuss some of her ideas to improve the safety of Illinois’ lakes and rivers. Expert witnesses, including the director of the Department of Natural Resources, the Lake County sheriff and the heads of local community groups, all discussed the pros and cons of her ideas.

“My goal is to keep people safe,” Morrison said. “I want to work with everyone to improve our safety standards without creating additional costs or inconveniences.”