September 2024
News as crisp as the perfect fall apple.
Highlights
Our Very Own Olympian
Get ready to cheer for USA this winter as Heartland Hawk and HALO student Daniel Johnson heads to Turin, Italy. Daniel is one of a select few representing Illinois and Special Olympics USA at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The snowshoer has been involved in Special Olympics for 14 years, competing in athletics, basketball, powerlifting, snowshoeing, softball, and volleyball.
Night Out Brings Support In
There was food, music, trivia, and a whole lot of fun at this year’s Heartland Night Out(side) held on September 5th. Attendees enjoyed entertainment from the band Toocan and a food-themed trivia game, and competed for bragging rights on snagging preferred items from a silent auction. This year’s event, which moved from the Quad to the new Dobski Family Plaza, raised $31,000 for Heartland students. Check out some pictures from the event (and see if you can guess who wore green shirts that night).
Honoring Alumni
Heartland excellence doesn’t stop once you graduate. That is well illustrated by the nominees of this year’s Distinguished Alumnus and Alumnus Achievement Awards. The 2024 nominees include:
- Tijuana Beal
- Melissa Donovan
- Melissa Jewett
- Jacob and Benedicte Ngeno
- Arin and Adam Rader
- Simran Sandu
- Bailey Wilkinson
The winners will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence event in early November. Check back in a future Hawkfeed for the scoop. Congratulations nominees!
ALL IN to Win
We are the champions...of voting. Heartland was named the Illinois community college with the highest student voting rate and highest student registration rate in the 2022 midterm election by ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN). We also earned a Silver Seal from ALL IN based on our 2022 campus voting rate from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report from Tufts University. The non-partisan competition allows us to brag about how civically-engaged our students are. But as much fun as it is to revel in our past glories, a new election season is upon us, so let’s see if we can repeat as Illinois voting champs. Encourage the students in your life to register and vote this fall.
Labor(er) of Love
Distinguished Business Adjunct Faculty member Jean-Marie Taylor has been honored by WJBC and the Midwest Laborers as Laborer of the Year. Taylor has been with Heartland since 1993 and is active in the Heartland Adjunct Faculty Association (HAFA). Most recently she has been active in the effort to educate the community about proposed changes to the dual credit quality act. Taylor was recognized at the 2024 Labor Day Parade.
A Maze-terful Appearance
It’s time for apple cider doughnuts, pumpkin spice lattes, and visits to Rader Family Farm. This year, a Rader Farm visit will give you the opportunity to experience a corny version of Hunter...quite literally. Our favorite feathered friend is the star of this year’s corn maze – and it's now open for visitors! Be sure to pay a visit to our community partners down the street to make your way through the maze. And we wouldn’t say no to a pack of those doughnuts if you’re feeling generous.
Still to come...
Fall Kickoff
September 27 in the WDC.
Light breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m. Kickoff begins at 9:00 a.m.
Student Center Ribbon Cutting
October 3
11:30-1:00
Student Center in the WDC
Heartland Harvest 5K Run and 1K Walk
October 27
Race begins at noon and starts from the FRC. Register now.
Random Knowledge to Make You Just a Little Smarter
A squirrel stores up to 3,000 nuts in the fall to prepare for winter.
*source: thefactsite.com
Let's Get Social
That's all for now. In the meantime, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the latest happenings. Spread the love and share our stuff on your own pages.