UCM looks back at successful year

Norma Mendoza , nmendoza@theintelligencer.com

01/04/2005

Group earns Most Powerful Strategic Victory Award
Now in its fourth year, United Congregations of Metro East looks back on a successful year that brought it national recognition from the Gamaliel Foundation which awarded its Most Powerful Strategic Victory Award to UCM.

Gamaliel saluted UCM for an incredible year with several non-partisan victories achieved with local, state and federal officials.

UCM, the bipartisan interfaith organization, counts among its victories during the year the announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that $3.6 million will be awarded to continue the cleanup of hazardous materials at the former Jennison-Wright facility in Granite City.

UCM acknowledges support in the effort from members of Congress, local public officials, the American Bottom Conservancy and the Sierra Club with whom it pledges to continue to work for the additional funds that will be necessary to complete the cleanup.

Another of its efforts came to fruition with the establishment of the Lincoln Charter High School in Venice after the local school board voted to close Venice High School at the end of the school year. Regional Superintendent Harry Briggs personally thanked UCM for its efforts on behalf of the charter school.

"We advocated for it after the school board closed the high school," the Rev. James Harrell, new president of UCM, said. "We continued to work with Superintendent Harry Briggs and he assured UCM and the citizens that he would do everything he could to get a charter school, but (former State Superintendent of Education Robert) Schiller turned a deaf ear."

Schiller was ousted at the first meeting in September of the new Illinois State Board of Education appointed by the governor. Dr. Randy Dunn of Chester was named as interim superintendent. Dunn, too, praised the efforts of local groups toward getting the school established.

Harrell said when Gov. Rod Blagojevich stepped in, he got the ball rolling. Now there are 48 students enrolled in the new school.

UCM was instrumental in getting the Madison County Board to agree to keep the Madison County Assessment and Treatment Alternative Court operating. It is now working with St. Clair County officials in an effort to establish a similar drug court in their county.

Voter registration was another drive undertaken by UCM and its allies at SIUE and other organizations who successfully registered 2,040 voters during the summer of 2004.

The organization gained the support of federal, state and local officials for passage of the National Housing Trust Fund bill which promises to create low income housing in mixed income neighborhoods. The bill pledges one million new houses in 10 years.

UCM continues to defend the Section 8 program to maintain affordable housing and is working toward keeping a sheltered care home in Madison County with no new taxes.

Transportation is another concern of UCM which continues to push for the New Mississippi River Bridge and passage of the Transportation Equity Act with $8 million of its $1.6 billion funding set aside for job training for 2,000 Metro-East residents. UCM continues to call for a north-south route for MetroLink in Madison County and saw the first meetings about a Madison County line taking place in December.

Among the issues UCM continues to work for is health care for everyone through the Health Care Justice Act. The organization is working with Healthy Illinois to provide affordable health care for the people in the state.

Civil rights for immigrants is another issue of concern and UCM continues to support state and federal legislation that would provide for their civil rights.

According to UCM, there is no red or blue state stuff when its people of all faiths come together in resolve to fight injustice in their own backyards. In doing so, they have found strength in numbers and discovered that they can solve problems at both the state and federal levels as well.

UCM counts among its members more than 21 congregations in Madison and St. Clair counties plus allies within social service agencies, SIUE, unions, local businesses and housing advocates.

For more information, call the UCM office at 451-1458.