Gloria Bafun of Zion spent the last seven years as a long-haul truck driver, with days on the road between time off at her home.

Now she needs a change.

She may have found it attending a job fair where she took an interest in an opening for a bus driver for Zion-Benton Township High School District 126.

“I’m tired of those long runs,” Bafun said. “It’s getting harder and scarier out there, especially for a woman. I like the idea of getting kids to and from school.”

Bafun was one of hundreds of people attending a Job & Resource Fair sponsored by state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Gurnee, and state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, on Friday in Waukegan, where employers sought workers and organizations offering resources were available to help.

While walking through the expansive gym at the Waukegan Park District’s Fieldhouse Sports, Fitness & Aquatics Center, Bafun met Marie Butler-Sampson, District 126’s human resources communications support specialist, who was looking for bus drivers among other needs.

“We need people to educate our children and bus drivers to get them to and from school safely.”

Butler-Sampson said among the teaching positions available are science, social studies, and music. People are also needed to help with data processing, payroll and other needs.

Along with District 126, there were recruiters there from Waukegan Community School District 60, North Chicago School District 187 and Woodland School District 51 in Gurnee.

Mayfield said all of the potential employers have positions to fill. She and Johnson made it a requirement for their presence. This was an opportunity to help people from the community find work, not collect resumes. Positions range from $15 an hour to $150,000 annually.

“The state has over 1,000 jobs it needs to fill,” Mayfield said, pointing to a variety of state agencies seeking help, including the Illinois Department of Transportation with 28 specific needs, from technicians to auditors to engineers.

Over the years, Mayfield said she and Johnson have held job fairs and resource fairs separately. This time, they decided to put them together in one place. There are times when people may need a job for themselves, but a family member has an issue that needs attention.

“We decided to make this a one-stop shop,” Mayfield said. “People may not realize they need services, and then they see something here to help. They might see something for themselves or a family member.”

As people went from table to table, there was networking going on as well.

Beth Deram said she was laid off from her job in December and has been looking. Her background is in information technology and customer service.

“This is great networking,” she said. “I’m getting a chance to talk to people and learn about jobs. Now I’m going to talk to people at Erie Health.”

Deram learned about an opening at Erie Health from Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham. He was standing at the city’s table when Deram stopped by.

“I was talking to the people at Erie Health, and they said they have a variety of positions in IT they need to fill,” Cunnigham said.

Johnson, who was not at the event, said in a text that networking was part of the reason for holding the event, as well as combining both resources and job opportunities.

“The purpose of this event is to facilitate career opportunities by connecting community members with local employers and state agencies, while providing a central hub for networking and accessing valuable community resources,” Johnson said.

Among the resources at the event was a table offering services of Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs. Bogie Kwasny, a community affairs specialist, was helping people learn if the state was holding money due them, of which they were unaware.

Though he did not find a fortune for anyone, he was able to tell a few people how to reclaim a few hundred dollars. He did locate $1,500 for one school district and $2,000 for another.

One of the largest lines was at the Uline table. Katie Gordon-Hill, a recruiter for the company, said there were more than 100 openings in the area at assorted levels.

The U.S. Army had two tables telling people about careers in the military. Staff Sgt. Allen Pena said he talks to individuals about opportunities in the military, as well as telling them stories about his career.

“We share our story to see if it’s something they can see themselves doing,” Pena said.

Along with numerous state agencies seeking to fill positions, the Illinois Department of
Employment security had a table letting people know how the state can assist when they are out of work.