The Mundelein Police Department, following its philosophy to employ non-traditional "alternatives" to community problems, has set up a partnership with "Omni Youth Services" and "Prevention Services/In Touch" to discuss crime and crime prevention. We discussed the Hispanic community and what could be done to bridge the culture gap within the community. These meetings led to additional partnerships, which included the views of others; churches, residents, schools, and children. We found interest, support and commitment from several organizations and used the media to promote the effort. As a result, a committee was formed and given the name Project C.A.P.E. (Creating A Positive Environment).
We worked together to create a mission statement which read: The mission of Project CAPE is to bring together concerned individuals to create an environment that provides members of the community with the life skills, recreational activities and opportunities to reach their full potential and become productive citizens.
Project C.A.P.E. then organized a community assembly in which 125 participants attended. We developed a strategy to identify what we, as a community, agreed were problems that dealt with "quality-of-life" issues such as gangs, alcohol and other abuse, as well as the substandard conditions for minorities in the community. The forum included a cross section of individuals including representation from local government, business, law enforcement, educators, religious leaders, social services, service organizations, senior citizens, and probably the most important – the Mundelein youth. Now we, as a community, began working together to identify solutions to these problems, while creating an environment that will become positive for the development and growth of our youth. Each participant in the assembly had an active role in building a vision for Mundelein and developing the action steps needed to make that vision a reality.
The goal of Project C.A.P.E. is to use a collaborative community-based approach to create and promote an atmosphere that sponsors and encourages healthy families and youth. It is clear that there is a need and an interest to develop strategies toward making our Village a healthy place for our young people and families to grow and focus on "quality-of-life" issues. The assembly pinpointed obstacles that would prevent us from reaching our goals, and strategies to overcome those obstacles. discussed. Improving the "quality-of-life" for residents of the village was top priority.
In addition to identifying goals and obstacles, people volunteered for committees to focus on specific needs. The result was seven committees or action groups: Community Center Committee, Education Committee, Human and Community Resources Committee, Image Development Committee, Multi-Cultural Committee, Neighborhood Watch Committee and the Youth Committee.
Chairpersons and co-chairs were identified and a public appeal was made for additional volunteers. The first accomplishment of each committee was to develop a plan on how to achieve their goals for the first year. Second, a 90-day plan and a mission statement for each committee was developed. As more and more projects were developed, more interest was generated and each committee had between 10-15 members, with the number growing weekly. Since the inception of Project CAPE with a small committee of seven, the number of volunteers has continued to grow. The first meetings and organizers expanded the group to 73 members. At our first assembly we had 125 participants.
Results have been seen in the highly visible programs and projects that Project C.A.P.E. has been involved in, such as; the Resource Directory, House Walk, Red Ribbon Celebrations, Police and Community Resource Centers, National Night Out, etc., but the successes go beyond just those sort of projects. Relationships have developed, that have reduced cultural barriers. As well, information has started to flow through the community. Our members are communicating with each other, knowing who their neighbors are. Working together has strengthened the partnership with adults and more importantly with our children. Positive, consistent messages are being sent regarding "Zero Tolerance" in our community and in the surrounding communities. This is reflected in the current trend of a reduction of gang graffiti, gang activity, and a gang presence. Crime in general has followed this same trend. The cooperation and support of so many residents, volunteers, and community organizations have been noted throughout the community, and those people are commended for their unselfish dedication and commitment in making Project C.A.P.E. a success.
The accomplishments and inroads to what were seen as problems, could in no way have been affected so greatly as through the development of Community Partnership’s Project C.A.P.E. Many of the surrounding communities have contacted us for our guidance and assistance in setting up similar partnerships within their communities.
C.A.P.E. stands for – Creating a Positive Environment. We have created a positive environment for all of our residents by bridging the culture gap, providing services to the entire community, and making everyone feel that they are a part of Mundelein. Everyone knows they have a vested interest in the community, and therefore a desire to participate in the growth and long-term prosperity of the Village. The following is a summarization of the CAPE committees.
The youth of the community had a dream to make a place that provided them with positive alternatives they could enjoy, while sustaining an environment that is free of gangs and the criminal element. The Mundelein Park District listened to the concerns of the youth committee and worked with them to make their dream come true. In the fall of 1997, the Park District opened the doors to a new community center. The center is equipped with a weight room, basketball court, running track and is the meeting place for a number of community activities.
The Human and Community Resource Committee designed a Community Resource Directory for Mundelein residents printed in both English and Spanish. This directory provides information about local social services throughout the community and Lake County. The booklet was paid for by donations to Project C.A.P.E. through a number of fund raising efforts.
The Multi-Cultural Committee began networking with the minorities in Mundelein, developing projects such as Bookmobile and Library presentations with Spanish speaking instructors and librarians. Banking institutions conducted seminars for minorities explaining banking processes. Additionally, the committee encouraged the Hispanic community to volunteer for the development of a float for the annual Fourth of July Parade reflecting the diversity of the Mundelein community. This was the first time ever the Hispanic Community participated in a Fourth of July event.
The Youth Committee is working with youth groups at both of our high schools to develop a number of events for teenagers in Mundelein and the surrounding communities with the emphasis on programs giving alternatives to drug use and gangs.
As you can see, the Mundelein Police Department has been the common thread, which runs through all of the Community Policing Programs, and the community has directly benefited from all of them. Every time the police department was called upon, we responded with a number of resources, which were allocated to address the community problems.
Page last updated on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 05:07 PM -0500