Durbin Announces $1 Million To Renovate Youth Services Area At Lincoln Library
Senator also marks National Gun Violence Awareness Day
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today held a news conference at the Lincoln Library to announce $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending—also known as an earmark—that he secured to renovate the Youth Services space at the Lincoln Library’s downtown location. The funding will be used to upgrade technology infrastructure, create a single public entrance for safety, install modern shelving, acquire materials and supplies, and provide new floors. Durbin secured the funding in the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year.
“As the community organizations that support local youth know, summer is the time to build on the tremendous work of schools and accelerate learning,” Durbin said. “What better place to do that than the Lincoln Library? I’m pleased the $1 million I secured for renovations will go toward helping make the Youth Services space a true community hub. Our youth deserve modern spaces where they can continue their education during the summer and participate in the many programs the library provides all year round.”
The funding for the renovations was requested by the City of Springfield and is supported by several local organizations, including the Springfield Public School District, Springfield Urban League, the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, Compass for Kids, and the Outlet. The upgraded Youth Services space at the Library also provides youth a safe place to be, especially during the summer months when school is out and crime rates often rise. Many of the organizations that supported the funding request are also involved in violence prevention.
Earlier this week, Durbin joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in introducing a resolution to designate June 7, 2024, as “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” and June 2024 as “National Gun Violence Awareness Month.”
“Gun violence is a public health crisis in this country—and now the leading cause of death for American kids. We hear of horrific shootings and their death tolls and injuries every day. Too many families are losing children, parents, siblings, and loved ones to gunfire,” Durbin said. “As the summer begins and brings a rise in shootings along with it, we must recommit ourselves to real solutions to curb this crisis. I call on my Republican colleagues to work alongside Democrats to pass additional, commonsense gun violence prevention measures to address this national tragedy.”
Each year, more than 43,000 people in the United States are killed, and 76,000 are injured by gun violence, depriving many of a promising future. Designating both a specific day and month to bring attention to the issue of gun violence honors the thousands of Americans who are victims of gun violence every year.
Gun violence typically spikes at the start of the summer months. The resolution accordingly urges heightened attention on gun violence during the month of June, and encourages Americans to work together to make our communities safer.
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