SPRINGFIELD – Illinois first responders will now be honored on Oct. 28, thanks to the help of State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel.

Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) championed a measure that declares Oct. 28, 2021 First Responders Day in Illinois.

“Every day, our first responders and their families make sacrifices to serve a cause greater than themselves,” Loughran Cappel said. “This resolution is one small step we can take to highlight and honor our heroes.”

Loughran Cappel served as chief cosponsor of Senate Resolution 534 which declares Oct. 28, 2021 as First Responders Day in Illinois. The federal government has also declared the date as National First Responders Day.

“I will continue to work to ensure our first responders receive the recognition and resources they deserve for their dedication to our communities,” Loughran Cappel said. “I urge residents to thank our first responders year round for their endless sacrifices to preserving our safety.”

Senate Resolution 534 was adopted with bipartisan support.

PLAINFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) is thrilled to see small businesses across the 49th District are set to receive nearly $400,000 to help them bounce back from the pandemic.

Seven businesses in the district will receive grants from the latest Back to Business program. The B2B program allocated $250 million in American Rescue Plan dollars for small businesses negatively affected by the pandemic. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $150,000 per business and can be used to cover a wide range of operations such as staff and overhead costs.

“Our local businesses are the cornerstone of our communities,” Loughran Cappel said. “These funds will help struggling business owners bounce back from this awful pandemic.”
Loughran Cappel urges residents to eat and shop at local businesses this holiday season.

“Shop, eat and think local this holiday season if you can,” Loughran Cappel said. “Not only are these great ways to support our local businesses – keep in mind the money remains in our community when you buy local.”

For a full list of businesses that have received Back to Business grants, visit the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awards page at illinois.gov/B2BAwards.

NAPERVILLE – Will County residents will have the opportunity to help save lives this weekend.

State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) is teaming up with State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) to host a “Be the Match Registry Drive” on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Offices of Wheatland Township, located at 4232 Tower Ct. in Naperville.

Be the Match is a national organization that helps potential bone marrow donors enroll in a registry to help people in need of lifesaving transplants.

“You never know the positive impact you can make on someone’s life,” Loughran Cappel said. “I urge residents to take time out of their Saturday to stop by and register to see if they can help someone who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.”

For the safety of patients, the organization can only accept registrants between the ages of 18 and 40. The organization has facilitated more than 105,000 blood stem cell transplants, and 6,467 transplants last year.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, each year, approximately 18,000 people up to age 75 in the United States are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses where a bone marrow transplant from a related or unrelated matched donor is the best treatment option. More than 70% of patients who need a transplant do not have a fully-matched donor in their family.

PLAINFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) is inviting Romeoville residents to attend her October Coffee and Conversation event on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

“The best part of my job is listening to and receiving feedback from area residents,” Loughran Cappel said. “Our goal is to ensure we are constantly accessible and available to constituents throughout the 49th District.”

The outdoor event will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. at the O’Hara Woods Pavilion located at 524 Belmont Dr. in Romeoville.

This is the second Coffee and Conversation Loughran Cappel has hosted this fall. This is another effort from Loughran Cappel’s office to increase government accountability and accessibly by hosting this traveling event at different times, locations and days of the week in hopes of reaching working families across Will and Kendall Counties.

“Our office strives to be easily available to folks throughout the district,” Loughran Cappel said. “If you need assistance or would like to share your concerns on state and local matters, please attend this event or call our office. We believe government works best when we are in constant communication with area residents.” 

The event is free and open to area residents. Those with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact Loughran Cappel’s Plainfield office at (815) 267-6119 or visit her website at www.SenatorLoughranCappel.com.