‘Belonging begins with Belleville’: Cities in Harmony bridges schools, community
About five years ago, Belleville School District 118 adopted a mantra of sorts: “Belonging begins with Belleville.”
“It’s like our way of life,” said Monet Webster, principal of Abraham Lincoln Elementary and the district’s director of community engagement and belonging. “(We started it) to make sure that, as a district, everyone who walked in our doors felt included, heard and like they belong.”
Webster said the third annual Cities in Harmony event on Saturday, April 25, will be a personification and extension of that principle.
Belleville, O’Fallon, Cahokia, Collinsville and Mascoutah-area schools, along with other educational institutions are teaming up to create a day of family fun to connect metro-east communities and celebrate their diversity.
A large part of building belonging is providing experiences people of all ages and abilities can enjoy, Webster said, and the variety of activities helps achieve that goal.
The day will feature face painting, bounce houses, live music, food trucks, raffles and giveaways, resources, and the Belleville Police Department’s Touch A Truck event. The majority of activities are free, including those put on by each school district.
The Touch A Truck initiative, which was also at last year’s Cities in Harmony, benefits the Illinois Center for Autism. The Belleville Police Department partners with other law enforcement and first responder agencies, local businesses and more to allow participants to access a variety of specialized vehicles and equipment, said Detective David Sells, the initiative’s organizer.
This year’s lineup will include fire trucks, police squad cars, excavating equipment, tow trucks, garbage trucks, street sweepers, a mobile library van, medical evacuation helicopters and school buses, Sells said.
There will also be a number of demonstrations, such as a fire department vehicle extrication and St. Clair County Emergency Management personnel rappelling off buildings, allowing the community to see equipment and professionals in action.
“It’s a very good community engagement tool … there’s something new for everyone,” Sells said.
Sells said the demonstrations give community members who may not be able to go inside the vehicles because of physical limitations or other needs another way to experience Touch A Truck.
There will also be a “quiet hour” from 11 a.m. to noon, when sirens will be turned off, which can be beneficial for individuals who are sensitive to sensory input, Webster said.
Webster said many of this year’s resources are geared toward people with disabilities, such as LINC Inc. (Living Independently Now Center) and employment help through the state’s Division of Rehabilitation Services. She said this became an intentional goal after noticing families have been reaching out to schools for resources outside those the districts provide during the school day.
Families will also have a chance to fill out the Belleville Police Department’s voluntary Autism and Individuals with Disabilities, or A.I.D., form. This gathers information that could help police assist individuals with different abilities and needs in emergencies.
For example, a family whose child is nonspeaking would note this on the form, so that if there’s an emergency police know to use alternative communication methods, such as a device or gestures, Sells said.
Cities in Harmony will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Campus (former Lindenwood University-Belleville), 2300 W. Main St. in Belleville.
