If you visit the SIUE Learning Resource Center (LRC), chances are you will see Kirk Maurice Berry, self-proclaimed number one fan of the LRC.  

“I come to the LRC approximately three times a week and spend about one to four hours each visit,” said Berry, of East St. Louis. “Last year, before I got sick, I came in every day.”  

Berry, a veteran researcher, grant writer and community organizer, is the owner and manager of The Guide to Enlightenment Consultatory and Advisory Agency, LLC. What Berry composes for clients include grants, resumes, loans and other business-related materials.  

“Research is what initially brought me to the library years ago,” continued Berry, “but what I like most about the LRC and what keeps me coming back is the staff! Sarah (Kirkpatrick, LRC director) and her team are wonderful. When you need help, they are always there.” 

Berry said he first learned about the library, located on what is now the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus (WHYHEC), in 2008 from his wife, Vanessa. 

“At the time, my wife was a student at State Community College of East St. Louis and then the Metropolitan Community College,” said Berry. “I came here and loved it. We brought our three children, and all of us still come to the LRC.” 

Berry added that his family has also benefited from other programs and services on the WHYHEC, such as the SIUE School of Nursing’s WE CARE Clinic, the SIUE Small Business Development Center, the SIU School of Dental Medicine’s Dental Clinic, the UMSL Optometry Clinic and the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Office of Rehabilitation Services.  

Berry and his family have internet access and a home computer, but they prefer to spend time at the LRC. 

“I love everything about a library,” he shared. “I like the quiet. I like being around the books and holding them in my hands. I like the other resources, too, like the many workshops.”  

Berry added that he reads an average of 10 books a month and prefers science fiction.   

“The LRC is very important to me,” concluded Berry. “I don’t know what I would do without it.”  

The SIUE East St. Louis Learning Resource Center (LRC) is a full-service public library focusing on youth and adult community outreach. The library contributes to the success of higher education opportunities and career development provided by the Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus. The LRC also serves as the on-campus school library space for the Discovery Head Start students and the SIUE Charter High School scholars. The LRC team supports its diverse range of students and patrons and encourages them to succeed and learn new skills provided by the LRC community collection and programs, while maintaining the overall mission, vision, and values of SIUE. Funding for the LRC is provided by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).    

Photo:
Kirk Maurice Berry, of East St. Louis, LRC patron.

The children in the after-school program come from various backgrounds into the foster care system and have experienced challenges that can cause them to be hesitant with others. But it doesn’t take much time for Angelique Redd, SIUE East St. Louis Center’s Project Success teacher’s assistant, to win them over with her genuine warmth, care and concern. 

“If I can make a difference in somebody's life, especially a child’s, that makes me feel better,” said Redd. “Some of our children have so many issues and things going on in their lives that we would never realize.” 

Redd has been a teacher’s assistant for Project Success for the past 3 ½ years, tutoring children ages 5-14, in all subjects. Redd is also one of the drivers who transports students to and from the after-school program. 

The students, many of whom enter and exit the program often, can take about one to two weeks to warm up to Redd. 

“They check me out first, and then they begin opening up to me,” said the teacher’s assistant. “They can tell I’m a safe place.” 

When Redd observes the fruit of her labor, like improved grades and/or lifted spirits, it thrills the veteran educator. 

“To see a student who comes in with his head bowed down,” noted Redd, “and in time he holds his head up high, I can’t explain how wonderful it makes me feel.” 

The Project Success program is an important connection in the lives of its students, according to Redd. 

“Project Success gives children the opportunity to be in a safe haven, if only for two to three hours,” she said. 

Redd has worked as a teacher’s assistant, teaching grades K-12, for more than 30 years. 

The Project Success Program is a comprehensive after-school tutorial enrichment childcare program, which services children ages 5-14. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services funds the program. It is designed to serve children who are in protective custody and are referred by the Department of Children and Family Services caseworkers. The program provides services to children living within the St. Clair County and Madison County areas.  

Photo:
Angelique Redd, SIUE East St. Louis Center’s Project Success teacher’s assistant

The SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) program is partnering with the SIUE School of Nursing (SON) WE CARE Clinic’s REACH (Responding, Educating, and Advocating for Community Health) mobile health unit to provide needed services to staff, children and families served by HS/EHS.  

The HS/EHS program will provide clinical opportunities for undergraduate and graduate nursing students in the community nurse fellowship (CNF), which is designed to immerse students in the community for experiential experiences in community health. Undergraduate nursing students will conduct growth assessments, blood pressure assessments, COVID-19 testing, and provide health education to children.   

Students will also conduct environmental assessments and identify solutions to improve health outcomes for families who are adversely impacted by social and political factors. Specifically, students will conduct safety checks in the Head Start centers to ensure the environment is safe and secure and work to identify issues that may impact a child’s school readiness through vision and hearing screenings, screenings for lead poisoning and anemia. 

Also assisting the program will be doctorate of nursing practice students. These students will work to identify asthma triggers in Head Start centers and in the homes of Head Start families. Students will also provide health education to HS/EHS staff.   

Health begins at home. This partnership will improve the health outcomes for our families and communities.  

WE CARE Clinic's REACH mobile unit is  supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4 million dollars with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. 

Among those working with the collaboration include Carolyn Jason, interim HS/EHS program director; Lisa Tate, HS/EHS assistant program director/center operations; Denise Brown, HS/EHS health services coordinator; and Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP, SON  associate professor and director of WE CARE Clinic.

Each month, the Head Start/Early Head Start program recognizes special staff. Being honored for the month of March are Jackie Joyner-Kersee Head Start Center team members Angela Davison and LeRoy Woolford (pictured right).

"Lead teacher Angela Davison and teaching assistant Leroy Woolford are a fantastic teaching team at the SIUE JJK Head Start Center," said JJK Head Start Center Coordinator Marcia Oliver. "The children get to experience two teachers working together, very smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. They both seek out creative ways to ensure children are learning and growing."

"Mr. Woolford is very enthusiastic about teaching and Ms. Davison loves what she does," added Oliver. "They are two people working together to change the lives of the children we serve."

Learning Resource Center

• Tuesday, March 22, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. - Special Guest - Author, Ora Lockett (in person or via Zoom). Lockett pictured on right.

• Thursday, March 23 and Thursday, March 30, 11 a.m. - ESL Black Her-Storical Celebration with the theme, “The Spirit of Women” (in person or via Zoom).

• Friday, March 31, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Women's History Month Book Club, "Finding Me: A Memoir" by Viola Davis (in person or via Zoom).

• April 1-22 - Take the Earth Day Challenge. Patrons are invited to submit their own “recipes” for creating green cleaning supplies and entrants will get a chance to win a bucket of green cleaning supplies.

• Wednesday, April 12, 12-1 p.m. (lunch available at 11:30 a.m., but RSVP required)-Carrollton Bank Lunch and Learn: Credit and How Your Score Can Cost You (in person or via Zoom).

• Thursday, April 20, 1-2 p.m. - Let’s Create: A Garden (in person only)

• Sunday, April 23-Saturday, April 29 - National Library Week. Stop by the LRC all week to check out our retrospective of past activities and join us from 12-1 p.m. on Monday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 26 for a coffee break and to chat with staff.

• Friday, April 28, 12:30-1:30 p.m. - LRC Book Club: "All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir" by Nicole Chung (in person or via Zoom).  

Head Start/Early Head Start

• Beginning Wednesday, March 8 and subsequent sessions, Head Start center coordinators and administrators will participate in one-hour zoom training sessions that focus on work attitudes, conflict and conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence. The presenter will be Catherine Daus, PhD, professor and Industrial-Organizational Psychology program director in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences' Department of psychology. (closed)  

Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Awards

• Illinois Humanities is offering a writing contest for youth, grades K-12, in East St. Louis School District #189. For more information, visit Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards. 

SAVE THE DATE - Black Alumni Reunion Weekend, April 21-23

• Mark your calendars and come home for the 2nd SIUE Black Alumni Reunion Weekend, hosted by the SIUE Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Alliance! Revitalized in 2022, the Black Alumni Alliance exists to celebrate the presence, purpose and achievements of Black students, alumni and friends. If you would like to get involved with or learn more about the Black Alumni Alliance, email siuealumni@siue.edu to be connected with the Alliance's leadership. Click here to learn more and register for the reunion today!   

National Pan-Hellenic Council (PHC) Marchdown 

• Tickets are now on sale for Marchdown, the annual NPHC step-show competition.
  
  Doors open at 4 p.m.
  Show starts at 5 p.m.
  Saturday, April 22
  First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center
  
  Tickets are $25.  Click here to purchase tickets.
  
  SIUE departments and offices interested in purchasing tickets can contact the Fraternity and Sorority Life staff in the Kimmel Student Involvement Center at greeklife@siue.edu or 618.650.2686.
  
  Please note while Marchdown is being held in conjunction with Black Alumni Weekend (BAW), tickets for the two events are sold separately.

East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts (PA)

• Performing Arts is now accepting applications for its 2023 Summer Enrichment Program.  

SIUE Summer Success Program (SSP) Offering Paid Student Employment

• The SSP is looking for student workers to assist with its upcoming summer offering. To apply, contact Makesha Harris Lee, EdD, CORE TEAM director, at makharr@siue.edu.