Gift launches 2008 YSB campaign

 LASALLE — A fund drive to raise $60,000 for the Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley is off to a good start thanks to a major gift from Ottawa resident Peg Breslin.

 Bill Novotney, chairman of YSB’s Campaign for Kids, said Breslin, a former Illinois appellate court judge and state representative, has given $10,000 to the drive and is encouraging residents of YSB’s service area to help the agency meet the campaign’s goal.

 “I never felt so good about giving money to any organization as I do about giving it to YSB,” said Breslin.

The former state lawmaker said she has admired YSB’s efforts on behalf of children and families for many years. “I know the quality of its work, the heart and soul of its people, and the huge need it meets,” she said. “It is a super organization and I feel privileged to help it attain financial security so the YSB staff can continue their mission.”

Novtoney praised Breslin for her generosity. “YSB is one of only a few locally-managed independent youth service agencies in Illinois,” he said. “Local support is vital for YSB to succeed.”

Novotney, a former regional superintendent of schools, said he is pleased and honored to be the overall chair of Campaign for Kids. He said announcements will be made in the days ahead by community campaign chairs in Ottawa, LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby, Princeton and Streator.

YSB programs include foster care, counseling (including 24-hour crisis intervention), trauma treatment, and a transitional living program for homeless youth. The agency also manages The Kids’ Place day care center in LaSalle and coordinates community youth programs in Marseilles, Ottawa, Streator, LaSalle, Mendota and elsewhere.

With its main office in Ottawa, YSB serves clients in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, Putnam, Stark and Grundy counties. The agency’s mission is to “help young people succeed by serving them in their home, school, and community.”