Illinois Joining Forces

The IJF Newsletter! 6/7/13

We’ve launched an IJF newsletter to provide IJF members and the larger community with updates about Illinois Joining Forces activities and ways to be involved.  The first edition is now available here:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs122/1108816221110/archive/1113622493111.html

If you received the newsletter, please forward it to a friend!  If you didn’t, you may sign up by sending an email to dale.reeves@illinois.gov or info@illinoisjoiningforces.org

IJF Executive Committee Update.  5/31/13

The IJF Exec Committee – comprising the Chairs of all the IJF Working Groups plus representatives of every level of government – meets monthly to update each other on Working Group progress and provide feedback from member organizations.  At May’s Executive Committee meeting, the group continued planning on the IJF Annual Summit (likely in December), worked through ways to “incentivize” member organizations updating their profiles and using the website for referrals, and the development of an IJF newsletter and brochures.  Several Working Group Chairs also walked away with ideas for collaborative projects with other Working Groups whose work intersects theirs – look for these developments at your next Working Group meeting!

Provisional Membership Expires 5/23/13

IJF Provisional Memberships Expired on May 9th, six months after the IJF Launch Summit. We now have more than 120 organizations – including federal VA elements, multiple state agencies, county Veterans Assistance Commissions, the City of Chicago, and scores of not-for-profit organizations – formally signed on for IJF membership. With the website more fully developed (and continuing upgrades planned), member organizations are encouraged to update their profiles, add their next event, and use the system to find services and refer veterans. Together, we can keep the momentum going!