A civic event was held at the Vernon Hills by the Unified Civic Engagement Forum (UCEF).

Last Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Unified Civic Engagement Forum (UCEF) hosted an amazing civic event at Chicago's suburban City of Vernon Hills. It brought together elected officials and congressional candidates for the next March primary election, authorities from the city, and residents from Cook County, Lake County, and beyond. An event for Chicagoland Community, Leadership, and Civic Empowerment was held by the nonprofit Unified Civic Engagement Forum (UCEF).
The event included leadership discussions, a formal forum for educators and students, and a community dinner.
Attendees included the UCEF President, Vice President, and Board members, alongside youth voices

With the goal of elevating community perspectives and promoting political engagement among educators, advocates, and students, the forum featured guest speakers and a provided supper.
A variety of public figures and political candidates were present at the event, including U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Ryan.
Candidates for Congress from Districts 6, 8, 9, and 10. Joey Ruzevich, Junaid Ahmed, a Pakistani American Bushra Ammiwala, Anabel Mendoza, Kat Abu Ghazaleh, Morgan Coghill, and a number of others emphasized their political aim and agenda.

Holly Kim and Karina Villa, candidate for Illinois State Comptroller, were there also.

It was incredibly invigorating and inspiring to be in a room full of 300 fervent civic community leaders and members of various faiths who were working nonstop for Lake and Cook counties as well as other areas of the state of Illinois. Attendees were appreciative at being among such committed political and leadership challengers.
The keynote speaker, renowned Muslim scholar Rami Nashashibi, emphasized the value of interfaith collaboration and communal spiritual well-being in solving global concerns. He starts out by calling for prayers for victims and courageous voices fighting to put an end to violence in light of recent horrifying incidents, such as killings in Australia and continued violence in Gaza, Sudan, and the Congo.

A historic moment for UCEF the first Civic Engagement Event brought together President, Vice President, Treasurer, Compliance Officer, Board, and youth voices to share a united vision for service, leadership, and community empowerment
Mehmood Syed, the president of the Unified Civic Engagement Forum, emphasized the need of promoting civic education, community leadership, and political engagement. He also stressed in his speech the importance of having discussions regarding Muslim community empowerment and their participation in municipal, state, and federal elections.