Learning how to be a resource for youth struggling with mental health challenges through our free QPR Training.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR): A suicide prevention gatekeeper training that teaches adults how to recognize warning signs, offer hope, and refer youth to life-saving professional care

Workshops are scheduled once enough attendees have submitted for them. The workshops are 8 hours long split in a single session or 2-day sessions of 4 hours each.

For more information, email: Ymhfirstaid@niu.edu

A display of paintings created by members of the Plein Air Painters of Rockford depicting "Buildings". These paintings were created on location. Many of the buildings depicted are in the Rockford area

This session cuts through the myths to highlight the lifestyle habits that have the strongest scientific evidence for supporting cognitive health.

You are invited to experience the collective wisdom and personal experience of artists' interpretation of the theme Echoes of a Changing Planet. Participating artists:
Norm Knott, Marsha Goodheart, Holly Blair-Cascio, Susan Berry, Julie Kennelly, Maya Simmons, Caitlyn Jahn, Paula Flanagan-Marsh, Barbara Berney, Lori Gustafson, Sadie Hoessrich, Becca Houlihan, Jose Sente, Greg LaMont, Clara Krick, Jessie Crow-Mermel, Wren Medina, Cassie Blair, Ventie Houi, Drew Helge, Annette McLean and Cherie Heck.

Take Root: A Farm Business Class Farmers Rising - The Land Connection - Food Works

January 13 – June 6, 2026
Tuesday and Thursdays
6-8pm
Four quarters · Four weeks each · One-week break between sections
Final presentations on June 6
(Last official class day: May 21, followed by a two-week break)

Mentorships to follow (optional)

About the Program

Take Root is a comprehensive virtual training program designed for people exploring farm business ownership and farmers in their first 1–5 years. This guided, step-by-step course helps participants build the confidence, clarity, and practical skills needed to launch or strengthen a farm enterprise.

The course follows a structured 4-section curriculum, each lasting four weeks. Between each section, participants take a one-week pause to reflect, catch up, and prepare for the next phase. After the final session on May 21, students will have two weeks to finalize their plans before returning on June 6 for peer presentations. Once presentations are complete, students will have the opportunity to join a mentorship program specialized to each person.

What are the benefits of Take Root?

✔ Build a complete farm business plan

✔ Join a supportive community

✔ Learn from experienced farmers

✔ Strengthen your business knowledge

Course Sections:

Quarter 1: The Dream: Foundations of Farm Life

Quarter 2: Enterprise: The Business of Farming

Quarter 3: Operations: Building it Out

Quarter 4: Finance: Keeping and Maintaining the Farm

Tuition & Accessibility

Total cost: $500 (not including mentorship)
Enrollment fee: $25 (applied toward tuition)

To ensure the program is accessible to all, we offer:

Payment plan

Need-based scholarships (based on current grant-supported scholarship fund availability)

Mentorships to follow

We can not wait for a great year with Take Root!

Jillae- Farmer Training Program Facilitator at Farmers Rising

At the center of our nation’s navigable interstate river system, the Four Rivers Reach consists of three confluences of four major rivers through which all vessels carrying Native Americans, explorers, hunters, the military, settlers, and others coming or going to the east, the deep south, west, or the northwest had to travel. These three confluences allowed navigation to the southern Appalachians, the Gulf of Mexico, the southwest, north to the Great Lakes and Canada, or westward as far as the Rocky Mountains.

Presenter Robert “Bob” Swenson will provide his theory as to why and how the 60-mile-long segment of the lower Ohio River bordering southernmost Illinois and western Kentucky is so important. The Four Rivers Reach continues to be at the center of river, rail, and trucking transportation and energy production, storage, and transmission today and in the future.

This presentation is sponsored by the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, part of Illinois Humanities. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the Illinois General Assembly, as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Swenson is a retired architect; SIU Carbondale professor emeritus; historic preservation consultant; an Illinois Humanities consultant for its Smithsonian Waterways exhibits; photographer; old-time musician; author.

This presentation is intended for teens and adults. It is part of the America 250 Initiative: celebrating our nation throughout the year.

For additional information, please contact Susan at susang@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 2114.