Batavia VFW Post 1197 and Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission Connect Veterans and Their Families to Local Resources
New video from the Kane County ROE spotlights tuition waivers and a resource fair available for veterans and their families
GENEVA, Ill. – The child of a Kane County veteran may be able to attend the University of Illinois with four years of tuition waived. Veterans unsure what benefits they qualify for, or what resources are available, can find answers in one place at an annual fair. Both of these resources are part of the support local organizations provide to veterans and their families year-round, and are featured in a new episode of The ROE Link, a video series from the Kane County Regional Office of Education.
In the video, Regional Superintendent of Schools John K. Jonak talks with James Reeves, Commander at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1197 in Batavia, and Jacob Zimmerman, Superintendent of the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC), about their organizations and a few of the ways they support local veterans.
Through the VAC, children of eligible veterans can apply for the University of Illinois Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver, which covers four consecutive years of in-state tuition at the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, Springfield, or Health Sciences Center campus. Up to three waivers are awarded in Kane County each year.
The VFW and VAC host an annual resource fair at the VFW, 645 S. River St., Batavia. It brings together organizations, services, and programs veterans may not have access to, or may not know about, so veterans and their families can find help in one place. This year’s fair was held May 8. The date for the 2027 fair will be posted on the VFW’s website and Facebook page, and on the VAC’s Facebook page.
“As a veteran, I know firsthand how valuable these organizations are for service members. The resource fair the VAC and VFW host has connected me with services I didn’t know were available,” said Jonak. “When a veteran’s family has that kind of support, their children can focus on learning, and that’s why connecting our schools and family with partners like these matter.”
The VFW and VAC offer many more services than those featured in the video. To find your local VFW or American Legion post visit, vfw.org or legion.org. For assistance through the VAC, call 630-232-3550 or visit kanecountyil.gov/pages/veterans.aspx.
The episode is available now at youtu.be/Z0e4fsy6oyY.
