We are at once delighted and disheartened to announce that Christine Westerlund is retiring. Her last day is December 30. Christine has been a tremendous employee over the 21 years she has been a part of the IACAA network.
Christine’s retirement is our loss, but a well-deserved respite for her. There’s no one better to express her feelings on her retirement than Christine herself. Read her words below. We all wish Christine the very best.
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“Looking back on the past twenty plus years as an IACAA staff member, I am filled with gratitude for all of the amazing experiences, opportunities to learn, and witness to the passion that the Illinois Community Action network has to make Illinois a better place for individuals, families and children that experience poverty. It has been my privilege to serve, listen to your stories, celebrate your accomplishments, puzzle through strategies and finding that sweet spot of learning, implementation, analysis and results.
I have noticed that people who retire often look forward to finding ways to stay engaged and I fall into that mindset. So, it should not be a surprise that I will continue as an advocate for Illinois public libraries, serving both as a local Library Board trustee and as a member of the Illinois State Library Advisory Board. An opportunity to contribute a chapter or two for an upcoming book project is also on the horizon, as well as assisting other public libraries with governance strategies. Most importantly, of course, is the opportunity to spend more time with my family and visit ALL of those places on my ever evolving and growing list.
My deep thanks to this entire network and share this quote from Meg Wheatley that captures a perspective that perfectly lifts the work of Community Action:
‘There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.’
Each of you are a vital part of that community.”
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We also reached out to a few members to collect some stories and memories of working with Christine. Here are a few excerpts.
Leslie Ann Lesko, DCEO
“Christine has always been kind, and professional yet personable. I have enjoyed many of her various training topics over the years…Enjoy your retirement Christine! Best wishes always.”
Adrian Angel, CSBG
“Christine and I started right around the same time in these programs, over the years I have valued her insights and perspectives to help in shaping the Statewide vision of CSBG in Illinois. Her tireless efforts will be greatly missed by the State office and her shoes will be big to fill at IACAA. Over the years she has grown from a colleague to a dear friend and wish nothing but the best in all her future endeavors.”
Roger Pavey, WIRC
“Christine, I wish we would have had more opportunities to work together over the years. Thank you for hiring me to present at a ROMA gathering in 2018. You gave me the freedom to be myself with that training, allowing me to focus on how we actually implement ROMA…I hope you enjoy your retirement, but not so much that you won’t come back to present some trainings for us.”
Dalitso Sulamoyo, CCRPC
“There are many stories I could share about Christine…when IACAA hosted a “Fun Day” in its training room. The purpose of the fun day was to bring together IACAA, IVCA, DCEO and the member agencies not to just socialize, but to build better working relationships with everyone. We decided to play “The Weakest Link” – we asked Christine if she could play Anne Robinson and host the IACAA/IVCA/DCEO Fun Day. And boy did she nail it!”
While her days in the office are coming to an end, you can bet we will still be seeing Christine from time to time around the Network. Feel free to leave a comment of any memories you’d like to share about a time you worked with Christine. She will be missed!
Christine I’m saddened and excited at the same time to hear of your retirement. As a Grant Manager with the State of Illinois I’d always scan the agenda whenever we’d have to travel to Springfield for training just to make SURE your name was there as one of the presenters. You will be sorely missed. I wish you the best in your retirement. I honestly don’t think anyone can fill your shoes.
Christine,
You will be missed greatly! Thank you for always teaching me new things and new ways to look at Community Action. I have learned so much from you and definitely have incorporated some of your trainings methods and presentation skills into my own “toolbox of knowledge”. Best of luck to you into your next chapter in life!
Christine: You have been such a joy and inspiration over the many years, and I wish you the very best in your retirement.
Best wishes as you enter retirement Christine! You were such a joy to work with during my time at IACAA. I appreciate your wisdom, passion and perspective always. All my best and happy travels! Cheers!
Enjoy your well earned retirement Christine…but I will miss you. You are an awesome encourager, presenter and teacher.
You care about all of us in the local CAA’s and the people we serve, plus the people you work with and that is a rare combination!
You made learning fun and not intimdating for an “older” student (I even understand ROMA)!
You are a great lady and I wish you much happiness, blessings and health to enjoy your travels and retirement.
Thank-you for all you have done for me and all of us.
I have so appreciated Christine’s leadership with the ROMA Affinity group. Her passion for ROMA has helped impassion me as a ROMA trainer. Her ability to ensure everyone is engaged in her trainings, strategic planning sessions and any group she works with helped make each of these experiences positive ones!!!
Christine has helped to shape the services of Illinois community action agencies through the many professional development trainings she has provided over the years. She’s always made the trainings relevant, inspirational, and a jumping point for more research into the presentation topics. She is unforgettable – and she will be deeply missed. The very best wishes on retirement!
Christine,
You have always been a wonderful advocate for the mission of Community Action and I will miss you dearly. You have provided excellent board training to the BCMW Board of Directors over the past years and I was always exited to attend your trainings as they were always, informative, interesting and very participative. Enjoy your retirement journey Christine.
How to begin to express my gratitude to my former colleague and lifelong friend, mentor, and collaborator? Christine, you opened me up to my purpose in life. You encouraged me when I felt like I couldn’t. You provide consistent wisdom and counsel in work and in life. You are a patient, committed, and empathetic listener. You are a lifelong learner who leads with a servant’s heart and a warrior’s curiosity. You are an inspiration to throngs of people who are called to the work of Community Action, who dares each of us to ask, “yes, and?” in how we work, communicate, and engage in community. You give voice to those who experience poverty – a masterful storyteller who relays Schriver’s mission with clarity, purpose, and humility. As you enter the next phase of your journey, I am so excited to see where life leads you and eager to continue to learn from the wisdom you collect along the way. Much love, Friend.
Christine,
I just cannot imagine IACAA without you! You have been such a wonderful co-worker and friend. I will miss you beyond words. I truly hope you enjoy your retirement and look forward to having you do some trainings for our network – so you don’t get to leave us entirely! All the best to you.
The Community Action and ROMA network will not be the same without you. You carried the torch when we needed light. You spoke up when we were afraid to speak for ourselves and you were a leader when no one else was able to lead. You are leaving a huge hole for us to fill but fortunately you have showed us the way to fill it and given us the tools to ensure we make the best of this opportunity. I will miss our “work” conversations and hope that we can continue to have a few here and there in the future. I am honored to call you a friend and colleague and look forward to staying in touch and finally getting to a Broadway production one of these days. I wish you the best in this next phase of life. Enjoy retirement, spend time with your growing family and keep posting your travels so I can strive to follow in your footsteps one day. Stay well and please keep in touch. With Love and a huge hug!
Happy retirement Christine! Getting to know you through FCD certificatioin training was so revealing of your passion of helpfulness to the most needy in our communities. Our team learned how to be more effective and to be better advocates in our communities. You’ve been such a blessing to all in our state. Thank you from me and those that want to follow the passion you share for Community Action. Blessing on a ownderful and rewarding retirement!