Honorable mentions in this year's art competition went to Laura Dykyj of Crystal Lake South High School and Amanda Sarver of Christian Life High School in Rockford. Congressman Manzullo helped convince the Veterans Administration to locate a clinic in McHenry County so area veterans would no longer have to drive all the way to Waukegan for routine care. Nearly 500 McHenry County veterans visited the new satellite clinic its first three months of operation. Prior to the tour, the company presented Congressman Manzullo with its Steuben Eagle Award for his successful efforts to amend the Fastener Quality Act and protect thousands of manufacturing jobs in northern Illinois. Congressman Manzullo and his staff have fingerprinted nearly 1,000 children at stores throughout northern Illinois.
Police use the fingerprints when trying to track down missing or abducted children.
Since Congress passed welfare reform in 1996, more than 82 percent of welfare recipients worked their way off welfare in Winnebago County. Manzullo read a story to the children and donated books about the American flag to students at the school. During the visit, Shuster announced his support for expanding passenger air service at the Rockford Airport instead of building a third Chicago airport in Peotone. More than 160 students from 41 high schools in northern Illinois participated in the day-long event in Rockford. Donna's husband, Dan Steele, died in May of 1999 at age 36 from complications due to Gulf War Syndrome.