State's Attorney Glasgow Receives Friend of Education Award From Will County Regional Office of Education

From Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow's Office:

The Will County Regional Office of Education recently honored Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow with its Friend of Education Award for his longstanding commitment to students and educational issues.

Regional Superintendent of Schools Shawn Walsh presented Glasgow with the honor during the recent Boys Leadership Conference hosted by the Regional Office of Education. Roughly 140 students from grades seven through 10 attended the conference, which was titled “Seize the Day.” Glasgow assured the students at the conference during a one-hour presentation that they all had the potential to live productive and successful lives.

The state’s attorney was presented with the honor for his initiation of many outreach programs that educate and protect students of all ages in Will County. Some of these initiatives date back 25 years to his first term as Will County’s elected state’s attorney.

“Jim Glasgow has always viewed his role as our state’s attorney more broadly than his primary statutory duty to prosecute criminals,” Walsh said. “His philosophy over the five terms he has served as state’s attorney has been to engage young people in a dialogue about the value of character and compassion in education so they grow to become responsible and active members of our community.”

Glasgow began working with students as early as 1993 when he formed the grassroots organization C.E.A.S.E.-F.I.R.E. (Character Education Activates Self Esteem – Fostering Individuals Respecting Each Other) to raise funds to implement Character Education programs in our local schools. The group raised more than $100,000 to fund the character education program in the District 86 schools.

Other initiatives include:

• The production of a Gang Awareness and Prevention Book which educates parents and students about gang activities. One of those editions was called “the primary primer on gangs” by the Chicago Tribune
• Working with both the Forest Park Community Center and the Spanish Community Center in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to develop after school programs that provide tutoring and homework assistance. He also used money seized from criminals to purchase shuttle buses to be used by these community centers for transportation to ensure student access to these critical tutoring services
• Forming a Speakers Bureau that meets with students across the county about important safety issues including gang activity, the dangers of using illegal drugs, and Internet safety. State’s Attorney Glasgow is an active member of the Speakers Bureau
• The creation of a Dangers of Heroin Art Scholarship Contest to foster research and discussion about the deadly impact of using heroin and to provide students with scholarships for college
• And his unequivocal support as a founding partner for the Youth Experiencing Success in Schools (YESS) program in the Joliet Township High School District. The grant-funded program provides on-site mental health services and crucial support for struggling students. The program’s phenomenal success is borne out by the significant decrease in campus violence and the dropout rate. When the program was in jeopardy last year due to funding losses, Glasgow led the charge to find alternative sources of revenue. He pledged $10,000 toward a $100,000 shortfall and then successfully appeared with Superintendent Cheryl McCarthy before the Health Department Board to save the program.

“I have always enjoyed visiting our local schools especially through the principal for a day program,” Glasgow said. “Children are vulnerable to all kinds of negative influences in modern culture and they do not have the maturity, education and life experiences to navigate our complex society. But the more we work together to guide them along the way, the brighter their futures will be.”