HALO Program

01/30/2026

Students in HALO and SAAS had a great time at our first Welcome Back Accessibility Mixer this week! Free pizza and cookies, lots of resources, and bingo! it was a great opportunity for students to build connection, confidence and community. Keep an eye out for more events later this semester.

01/29/2026

Extra, Extra! HALO has been making headlines--literally. Heartland Community College's program was highlighted on WMBD earlier in January (link below) and made the front page of The Pantagraph today. We love that our community is hearing about the incredible things our students are doing, and we are grateful for the groups, organizations and individuals that help make HALO a possibility for central Illinois families.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/halo-program-expansion-livingston/

01/28/2026

We're cookin' in HALO! Miss Jennifer's Cooking skills class had their first day in the kitchen last week. They learned different ways to prepare eggs and made individual servings of pancakes. Yum!

01/27/2026

Welcome Back Student Accessibility Mixer! Tomorrow, January 28, 2026 in WDC Room 1601 from 11-1:00pm. Everyone is welcome! Come join us for a time to build connection, confidence and community! We will have Bingo, a reflection wall, campus resource brochures to take with you, and free pizza & cookies!
Hosted by Student Access and Accommodations

01/26/2026

HALO student's in Miss Karin's Money Skills class got a chance to be the instructor. Each student displayed an item with its cost and then presented some coins and bills. Their classmates had to determine if the student had enough money to buy the item on display. They all did a great job!

01/23/2026

HALO Campus Visits are now available for Spring 2026. Sign up to visit our Normal or Pontiac campus and learn about the 2-Year and Transition programs, visit a HALO class and meet some of our students, and learn about our application process. Go to heartland.edu/HALO for more information or sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B45A4AD2FA57-59185270-halo #/

01/22/2026

HALO students had a great time at the Winter Involvement Fair yesterday! They enjoyed free food, fun activities, and fantastic information about different groups and resources available to them at Heartland Community College.

01/21/2026

Welcome Back Student Accessibility Mixer! January 28, 2026 in WDC Room 1601 from 11-1:00pm. Everyone is welcome! Come join us for a time to build connection, confidence and community! We will have Bingo, a reflection wall, campus resource brochures to take with you, and free pizza & cookies!
Hosted by Student Access and Accommodations

01/20/2026

Start the new semester with warmth and connection at Heartland's Winter Involvement Fair tomorrow, January 21, from 11:00AM-1:00PM in the WDC Atrium.
Free Food
Decorate Your Own Mug
Free Caricature Portraits
Information Tables
Game Room Open
Raffle Prizes

01/19/2026

Heartland Community College and the HALO Program will be closed today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There will be no classes or activities on any campuses. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 20.

01/17/2026

Ruby's Rainbow grants scholarships to students with Down syndrome to pursue higher education, while showing the world how amazing and capable they are! They are NOW accepting applications for 2026 for students 18 and up!! They have made some incredible updates to make the process more accessible and streamlined for all applicants including video submissions, updated scoring and rubric, and two application tiers to better support students' needs!!

Go here to learn more or apply:

Ruby’s Rainbow provides educational scholarships for students with Down syndrome looking to pursue post-secondary education.

01/16/2026

Heartland Community College and the HALO Program will be closed Monday, January 19, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There will be no classes or activities on any campuses. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 20.