Children, business people and community leaders came together on Oct. 18 at a Lights On Afterschool rally at Brooks Elementary School in DeKalb.

The rally celebrated the achievements of students in the Y’s after-school programs and highlighted the need for more programs to serve the millions of children across the country who are unsupervised and at risk after school. The rally was one of 7,500 such events attended by more than a million people across the nation.

At the local rally, Sensei Tom Scott led students in a karate demonstration. DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen, state Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, and Kishwaukee YMCA CEO Rob Wilkinson discussed the importance of after-school programs.