2025 Event Program
Refreshments will be served
9:30 am - 10:00 am Registration and Networking
10:00 am - 10:10 am Welcome Remarks
10:10 am - 10:50 am Keynote Speaker Presentation
10:50 am - 12:15 am Panel Discussions & Q&A
12:15 am - 12:45 pm Closing Remarks and Networking
Unity for Children’s inaugural gathering brings together advocates, community leaders, legislators, and concerned citizens to take bold, collective action for child welfare.
Too often, issues identified in a child’s life are addressed in isolation. But real, lasting change requires unified systems that heal —one that looks beyond symptoms to address the root causes of childhood trauma, and that works across systems to support healing and resilience.
Braced for Impact is about transforming how we respond to children and families. Through honest conversations, cross-sector collaboration, and actionable solutions, we’ll explore how every point of contact—whether in schools, courts, clinics, or community spaces—can become a moment for healing. Together, we’ll break down silos, align our efforts, and begin building a system where healing is the norm, not an exception—for every child, in every system.
This convening will feature a speaker presentation, panel discussions, and opportunities to co-create a shared roadmap for change. Whether you’re a policymaker, practitioner, or advocate, your voice matters—and your participation can help change the story for every child.
Join us. Because the best we can do for a child should never be in question. Together, we are Braced for Impact.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Named an honoree 2025 Notable Leader in Philanthropy by Crain’s Chicago Business, Dr. Susan McConnell leads Let It Be Us, a $2 million licensed adoption and foster care agency in Illinois. She is a driving force behind innovative programs like the Heart Gallery of Illinois and the Open Home Navigator platform, both designed to find safe, permanent homes for children in foster care. Dr. McConnell also chairs the Permanency Committee of the Illinois Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council, appointed by the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services in 2017.
As an adoptive parent with over 30 years of experience, Susan combines personal insight with professional leadership to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
A Path to Lasting Safety and Stability Through Unified Systems That Heal
Dr. Susan McConnell knows what it looks like when a child ends up in foster care - not in theory, but up close. Her organization, Let It Be Us, works with children and families at the very end of the road. In Illinois, most children enter care because of neglect. But behind that word are deeper, often preventable struggles: untreated trauma, domestic violence, substance use, and overwhelming instability that no child should have to carry alone.
In her talk, Dr. McConnell will offer a frontline lens into what brings families to this breaking point. She will explore why so many children enter care, how untreated trauma and delayed healing shape their outcomes, and what it would look like if our systems—courts, schools, clinics, and child welfare—worked together from the start. Whether it’s in a courtroom, a classroom, or at home, she’ll challenge us to see these early moments of struggle as powerful opportunities to help family members stabilize and children to heal. With the right support at the right time, many children could stay safely with even one caring family member. This isn’t only about reducing the need for children to enter foster care when possible. It’s about building systems that recognize challenges children and their families face —and respond with healing.
EVENT PANELISTS
Following Dr. McConnell’s keynote, we’re honored to welcome a panel of representatives and advocates who bring diverse perspectives and deep experience in child welfare, trauma-informed care, education, and community support. Together, they will dive into the real challenges and opportunities at the intersection of policy, practice, and family life. Through honest dialogue and shared insights, the panel will explore how we can build a truly unified system that keeps children safe, supported, and connected to the people who love them.
Verda Bhatti
Verda Bhatti has over 25 years of experience working with educational and nonprofit organizations, developing and maintaining strong coalitions in multicultural settings. Verda previously served with YWCA Evanston North Shore as the Manager for Domestic Violence Training and Prevention.
Before becoming the Executive Director of Between Friends, Verda was their Director of Prevention and Community Education, where she grew the REACH program and adult education and training services.
Aiyana Emsun
Aiyana Emsun is the Program Manager of Prevention Education at A Safe Place and a Certified Domestic Violence Professional. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, she spent eight years as an elementary music teacher before shifting her focus to advocacy.
Passionate about education and social change, Aiyana works to empower communities with the knowledge and tools to prevent domestic violence and build healthy relationships. Her teaching background helps her connect with people of all ages, making important topics easier to understand. She’s dedicated to creating safer spaces and inspiring positive change through education and awareness.
Tammy Burns
Tammy Burns is the Outreach & Community Education Manager at Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center. She has been a dedicated educator and advocate for over 18 years. Since joining the team at ZCenter, she has had the pleasure of speaking to a wide range of audiences, including children, school personnel, college students and community members.
She is passionate about spreading sexual violence awareness to others. She works hard to eliminate barriers to services, engaging with community members and policy makers alike. As an advocate, she supports survivors and their significant others with compassion and empathy. She serves on several committees and task forces to aid in bringing more support to survivors at the local and global level. Every day she is inspired by the strength of the survivors she meets and the positive impact ZCenter has had in their lives.
Andrew Shelton, LCSW
Andrew is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked in the mental health field since 2012. For over a decade, he has dedicated his career to supporting young people and their families through some of the most challenging and transformative periods of their lives. His work has largely focused on helping youth navigate crises and trauma.
Andrew earned his Master of Social Work from Loyola University in 2016 and became clinically licensed in 2018. He has received advanced training in six trauma-informed modalities and has extensive experience working with young people affected by complex and developmental trauma, including those who have grown up in homes impacted by domestic violence.
His professional background spans a wide range of settings, including private practice, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs (PHP/IOP), and high school and college counseling centers.
Andrew currently serves as a Clinical Mental Health Therapist at Harper College in Palatine and also runs a small virtual private practice, Roots of Renewal Therapy.
State Representative Mary Beth Canty
Elected in 2022, State Representative Mary Beth Canty represents the 54th District of Illinois. Canty is an attorney, specializing in insurance coverage and construction liability. She was elected to the Arlington Heights Village Board of Trustees in 2019. In 2020, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), a position she held until her election to the Illinois House.
In her time in office thus far, she has proven herself to be a champion of issues impacting children and families. In her first term, Canty passed legislation expanding access to full-day kindergarten, creating the Department of Early Childhood, and establishing the Family Recovery Plans Implementation Task Force to support substance-exposed infants and their families. She also successfully advocated for a robust child tax credit for Illinois’ working families.
Canty began her second term by filing legislation closing loopholes related to child grooming and protecting survivors of gender-based violence. Additionally, with a focus on equity and support for working Illinoisans, she is advocating for property tax relief, as well as governance reform and adequate funding for our public transit system. She continues to be a strong advocate for social justice reform and a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS
more updates to come soon
To help us manage capacity and plan for a welcoming experience, please use the form below to register.
This event is not affiliated with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Use of library meeting space does not constitute endorsement or approval of the organization, this program or its content by the library.