By Jay Bouchard

In the wake of Flint, Michigan’s water crisis, U.S Rep. Dan Kildee (D) is reaching out to Illinois in an effort to gain legislative support and brief his neighboring state on ways it can support Flint.

Kildee, a Flint native, visited west suburban Lombard on Saturday to discuss ways local activists can help Flint and thanked the many volunteers from Illinois who have already given generously to the poor, industrial city that suffered unprecedented contamination of its public water supply over the past two years.

Kildee recognized activists like Abrar Quader, an attorney for the Compassionate Care Network—a Chicago-based grassroots healthcare organization—who has been visiting Flint on a weekly basis.

“The Flint issue was a moment in which we thought it was important to show solidarity and be on the ground,” Quader said.

Quader’s organization has delivered 11,000 bottles of water and has the capacity to deliver 200,000 more. Partnering with local churches, nonprofits, Red Cross officials, and the National Guard in Flint, the Compassionate Care Network is providing health screenings and medical support to those exposed to the contaminated water.

“Your outpouring has meant more than just water,” Kildee said of all those in Illinois who have supported Flint. “It has actually helped us sustain our spirit.”

Kildee, who has been praised for his aggressive response to the crisis, and is often mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for governor, chastised Michigan’s Republican Gov. Rick Snyder for importing business principles into state politics and said that the water crisis was a result of Snyder looking at issues “in terms of what can explained on a balance sheet.”

That’s why, Kildee said, Michigan’s state government decided in April 2014 to use the Flint River as a temporary public water source instead of spending the extra money to bring in water from Lake Huron. According to the Flint Water Study, the Flint River water is 19 times more corrosive than Lake Huron and contains lead that could have poisoned nearly 100,000 people and 9,000 children.

“I’m so angry by this, I’m sad,” Kildee said of the recent water crisis. “Flint is my home. It’s where I grew up, where I raised my kids. These are people I know, so I can’t get over this.”

On Saturday, Kildee called on Illinois activists to support his legislation in Congress to provide $1.5 billion in aid for Flint and require public officials to disclose information regarding contaminated water supplies.

Liz Chaplin, a member of the DuPage County Board and former member of the DuPage Water Commission, said she will do anything in her power to support Kildee’s legislation.

“We can’t have this continuing to happen in this country,” Chaplin said.

Chaplin, a Downers Grove resident, shared her account from 2001 when she spearheaded an effort to get 800 homes in DuPage County a safer water supply. Chaplin and many of her neighbors suffered from contaminated wells and said Illinois’ state government initially did very little to help her community.

“There are a lot of parallels between Flint and my neighborhood,” Chaplin said. “When I started hearing about Flint it literally made me nauseated because I can empathize with them.”

She said she sees Kildee’s federal disclosure bill as an important step for the country to take in wake of the Flint crisis.

“For elected officials to know what’s going on and not do anything about it, to me, is the biggest crime that can be committed,” Chaplin said.

In addition to urgent legislative action, the welfare of Flint’s children was a major point of discussion when Kildee met with the activists in Lombard.

Because so many children have been exposed to lead, he said that his legislation is focused on funding new schools and increasing extracurricular enrichment opportunities to counteract the harmful effects of lead poisoning.

Quader also expressed his concern for the 9,000 children potentially poisoned by the Flint River’s lead content. He fears that all children in Flint have been exposed and that the exposure can manifest in many ways, some of which are unpredictable.

“We are really committed to advocating for healthy food and nutrition for children,” Quader said. “Nutritional food can counteract the impact of lead poisoning from a medical standpoint.”

Kildee implored that any new legislation would address the “need to make up for the governor’s failure.” And regarding Illinois activists, he said “any energy you can all direct for that goes a long way.”