Black text and an illustration of a bird on a branch on a very light blue background color

The Step into the Wild button series was initiated in 1981 by the Illinois Department of Conservation, now the Department of Natural Resources. In the beginning the buttons were part of a series of education packets. Teachers in Illinois who used the education packets could request buttons for their students. The button became a way to measure the number of students who received instruction from the education packets.

Each year new buttons are debuted at the Illinois State Fair. The animal or plant selected to appear on the button is determined by a staff vote. With each new button the Illinois Department of Natural Resources invites citizens to “Step into the Wild” and enjoy the natural resources Illinois has to offer.

White text on a black background with an illustration of a top hat, cane and gloves in the middle

Famous People Players is a non-profit theater company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which produces shows using black light and life-sized puppets. The company is dedicated to inspiring people who are developmentally challenged. Famous People Players was founded in 1974 by Diane Dupuy. The Players first gained success with its signature piece, Aruba Liberace, which features a life-size puppet of Liberace playing the piano. The Players were then invited to be the opening act of Liberace’s Las Vegas show. Since then, the company has performed around the world, including on Broadway.

Black text and a shape on a yellow background with a black outer edge

The Canadian Public Personnel Management Association is now known as the International Personnel Management Association of Canada. The non-profit organization provides Human Resource training to different businesses in Canada. The group is connected to a larger consortium known as International Public Management Association for Human Resources, which is located in the United States.

Red text on a white background with a green illustration in the background

This button is likely referring to the Student Federation of the Ontario Agricultural College (SFOAC) in Guelph, Canada. Students, staff and alums refer to themselves as "the aggies."

"Aggie" is derived from the word "agricultural." Many affliates of the land-grant univeristies and schools in the U.S. also call themselves "aggies."

Black text on a green background

Adcraft Manufacturing Company was founded in 1976 in Broadview, IL. It is a privately held company that manufactures plastics products. This button is a sample used as an example of how their buttons can be used as employee badges. Adcraft employs a staff of about 100 people as of 2018.

Illustration of a musical note in front of the Chicago skyline on a light yellow background

This button was likely designed to show a love for the music of Chicago, Illinois. The famous Chicago skyline is featured in many illustrations and is often distinguishable because of the inclusion of the John Hancock Center and it’s “X” designs seen on the outside of the building. 

Black text over a blue circle with white text on it and black text around the outer edge of the button on a white background

While the exact origin of the button itself is currently unknown, this design is clearly meant to emulate the logo of the Hard Rock Cafe. 

Illustration of an American flag and a lit match with a red no symbol 

This button is against the buring of the American flag. In 1989, (Texas v. Johnson) and in 1990 (U.S v. Eichman), the United States Supreme Court ruled that due to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is unconstitutional for a government to prohibit the desecration of a flag, due to the freedom of “symbolic speech.” In 1990, Congress tried to pass a federal law barring flag burning, but the Supreme Court denied it. A Flag Desecration Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been proposed repeatedly since 1989, but in 2006 failed to pass. 

White and blue text on top of an American flag background

MoveOn is a web-based organizing platform that uses the connective power of the Internet to allow people to become more involved in politics and the democratic process. MoveOn is most known for providing its members with a platform to  create campaigns and petitions for social change. MoveOn is divided into two distinct organizations: MoveOn Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, and MoveOn Political Action, a federal political action committee (PAC). MoveOn Civic Action, which regularly recruits volunteers, supports left-leaning causes and organizes in support of liberal Democratic politicians.

Red text on a white background

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops founded in 1970 to fulfill the mission of educating the masses on poverty and its causes.The United States Catholic Conference (USCC) was founded in 1966 as a secular arm of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), in order to fulfill the new requirements for national conferences of bishops. The USCC focused on the work in society at large, while the NCCB resolved to solve internal ecclesiastical concerns. The two organizations merged together to form the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2002. 

"If you want peace, work for justice" was a quote made by Pope VI (1897-1978) in his message for the Celebration of the Day of Peace on January 1, 1972.