Effective July 7, 2010, Scott Lorenz resigned his position as Executive Director of Chicago Cares. Having served Chicago Cares for nearly 20 years as a volunteer, Board member and Executive Director, Scott supported Chicago Cares in our goal of doubling our impact in Chicago in only five years and expanding even in the face of an economic recession.

In the meantime, Chicago Cares will maintain its commitment to the Chicago community, fostering a strong ethic of volunteerism through its programs and projects, and will continue to expand its services to local partners and volunteers.  We’re happy to announce the promotion of two long-time, experienced Chicago Cares leaders – Kris Smart and Katie Stearns.  As Associate Executive Director of Programs and Shared Services, Kris will oversee our year-round, monthly projects, as well as Human Resources and Finance.  Katie will oversee fundraising and our new volunteer and leader services team in addition to her duties managing our annual service events and business shares projects as Associate Executive Director of External Affairs. Please join us in congratulating Kris and Katie!

Know a Coordinator

Kyle Mahoney recently joined our staff as our Human Service Program Coordinator for the North Region of Chicago, managing projects as varied as Drake Gardens, Lakeview Pantry West, Inspiration Cafe, and Library Maintenance.


Hello Chicago Cares volunteers! I’m honored to have recently joined the CCI staff as a member of the Human Service team. Me in a nutshell: 23-years-old, born and raised in Dallas, TX (yes, I have an accent, but I’ll only use it if you ask nicely). I moved to Grand Rapids, MI after graduating high school to attend Aquinas College. While there, I studied English, Philosophy, Sculpture, and Environmental Science.

I planned on applying to law school, but becoming a mentor through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program my junior year pretty much rocked my world, so I decided to serve for a year as an AmeriCorps member instead. I completed my term of service this June with City Year Chicago, where I planned large one-time service events for fellow AC members and Chicago residents alike. 

Working primarily on the North and Northwest sides of Chicago, I’m elated about the opportunity to benefit the neighborhoods in which I live and spend my leisure time. It’s a rare privilege to feel so intricately connected to a community (or multiple communities) on such a micro level – especially in Chicago, where there are serious needs everywhere one looks. Specifically, my goal is to form connections between our community partners – an organic garden and a food pantry, for instance – so they may become resources for each other.  

It’s Up to YOU

Welcome to the first Chicago Cares staff blog! Today's blog comes to us from Caroline, Senior Manager of Annual Events. Caroline recently attended the National Conference on Service and Volunteering and the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy in New York City. 

The 2010 National Conference on Service and Volunteering, co-convened by the Corporation for National & Community Service and the Points of Light Institute, took place in arguably one of the most exciting and culturally vibrant cities in America: New York City. A handful of my Chicago Cares colleagues and I were part of the 5,000 strong who showed up en masse to learn about current trends in volunteerism, gain best practices from professionals from across the country and the globe, and be inspired by the courage and will of our fellow friends in service.  “It’s Up to YOU” was the theme for this year’s convening and there is, perhaps, no more poignant message to address the current challenges we are facing in America. In light of these economic and social issues, this year’s conference empowered us to own a stake in the future of our communities rather than waiting on others to take action. 

Perhaps one of the most exciting announcements came during the opening plenary regarding the newly developed coalition: Cities of Service. What is the Cities of Service, you may ask? According to the website, “Cities of Service is a bi-partisan coalition of the mayors of large and small cities from across our country who will work together to engage citizens to address the great challenges of our time.” Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that due to the overwhelming response to the first round of Rockefeller Foundation leadership grants awarded to ten Cities of Service Leadership Grant awardees, the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies have teamed up to provide additional grants to expand the program to include an additional ten cities. “The Cities of Service Leadership Grants provide recipient cities with $200,000 over a two-year period to hire a Chief Service Officer.” Chicago is among the cities chosen to receive a leadership grant. You can view the other participating cities here.

In addition to attending the full national conference, I was also one of 24 nonprofit leaders, recognized as high-potential emerging leaders, chosen to participate in the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy from June 26-27, 2010. This was amazing experience! Although it was certainly an abridged version to the much more in-depth weeklong academy, the facilitators at the Center for Creative Leadership expertly crafted and led our discussions so that the participants could gain a tremendous amount of applicable knowledge in a short timeframe. The feedback-intense sessions centered on a 360 degree evaluation which was filled out in advance by our peers, direct/indirect reports and supervisors, as well as ourselves. This assessment was an invaluable tool to gain unbiased insight into our strengths and areas of development as a leader. The highlight of the two day seminar was the opportunity to meet for one hour with an executive coach to discuss our assessment. The executive coach provided tangible steps to help us tackle our areas of improvement and any key leadership issues we are struggling with in our current position. Through this academy, it is clear that American Express recognizes the importance of investing in nonprofit leaders of tomorrow. By working to address our development areas now, we can better focus on how to inspire our organizations and communities today and into the future.

The entire experience at the national conference – from inspirational words from organizations like New York Says Thank You to a panel discussing the future of education in America, featuring the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan –truly motivated me to take action. I am invigorated with new ideas on how I can not only carry the service movement forward but also make a sustainable difference in my community. It is clear: It’s Up to YOU and ME.

Volunteers Help Schools Get in Shape for Fall

School may be out for the summer, but Chicago Cares staff and volunteers are hard at work making preparations for the new academic year.

We know a child’s learning environment affects their learning potential - that's why we offer schools multi-layered services by providing facility enhancement projects as well as academic enrichment programs.  Our Education and Development team is preparing new curriculum so we can launch even more academic, extra-curricular and health programs throughout the city.  Our Service Events team continues to partner with corporate sponsors to paint, build and beautify at Chicagoland schools. Whether you’re good with a hammer or a book, join us and use your leadership skills to make a difference for our kids.We have current leadership opportunities with our Business Shares projects and Education programs.  If you feel education is as important an issue area as we do, let’s do something about it together.

Leader Spotlight - Andrew Thorp

Andrew Thorp has been volunteering since high school, continued to volunteer throughout his college career and eventually made his way to Chicago Cares. “I saw an advertisement on a CTA bus [for Chicago Cares] and signed up that night,” Andrew reflected.

In just two years of volunteering with Chicago Cares, Andrew has clocked nearly forty hours of volunteer service through our ongoing programs. Andrew spends much of his time serving children’s education programs, but recently found a passion for the Ginko Garden project in Uptown. “I am looking forward to getting some much needed sun and learning a thing or two about gardening at Ginko Organic Gardens,” Andrew said when asked what he most was looking forward to this summer.

In addition to his role as a team coordinator at Ella Flagg Young School on the city’s North Side, Andrew has used his skills and knowledge to help the Education and Development team create curriculum for Young school.  His dedicated involvement with the school provided valuable insight to the planning process. It’s people like Andrew, who consistently go above and beyond, that allow Chicago Cares to have such a dynamic presence in the community.  

“Chicago Cares has given me the opportunity to work with some amazing people, volunteers and students alike. I am always surprised by the passion that leaders, students, and volunteers bring to each event.”

– Andrew Thorp

THANK YOU Andrew for all that you have done and continue to do for Chicago Cares. Your contributions and hard work make it possible for programs like Story Time and Sports League at Young School to be such a great success and a meaningful experience for all involved.

Nominate a Star By August 13th!

Do you have outstanding volunteers at your projects, know an incredible Team Coordinator or PSM, or participate in a high-functioning leader team at our Serve-a-thon, Celebration of Service, or at one of our calendar programs?  We’re honoring our Chicago Cares volunteer community and their distinguished accomplishments at the Star Awards this October. We need your nominations by August 1^st to make this a possibility.  Take a few minutes to nominate outstanding individuals or teams in our volunteer community today! Volunteer Star Award, Leader Star Award, Leader Team Star Award.

A New Kind of Summer Camp

Afternoons by the lake and hanging out with friends are what make some kids’ summers. For others, specifically youth living in Chicago’s south and west sides, summer in the city can be a very different experience.  Violence, and gang activity riddle the streets in many neighborhoods, making it impossible for some to walk down the block and enjoy a warm summer day. Children that should be enjoying a good summer read like “The Time Machine” or “Noonie’s Masterpiece” may not have access to a library or the resources to get to a library. So, how do we protect our future generation from the violent streets and provide them with the opportunity they need?

One program, The Summer of Service and Leadership (SOSL), is tackling some of these difficult issues facing many of Chicago’s youth. SOSL is a four week program designed to educate and empower incoming 9^th grade students to become active members of their school community. The transition into high school is one of the toughest in a students’ academic and social life; the dropout rate of youth in this age group is the highest of any age group. 

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education said, “When our children are struggling and they need to learn more, the most important thing we can do is spend time working with them.” SOSL is an answer to that call.  Starting with a tour of their new school, the incoming freshmen participate in classes focused on leadership development, team building, and community issues. Once a week, the students get outside of the classroom to complete a service project in their community. “[Summer of Service and Leadership] provides a creative outlet for students, with academic and personal enrichment”, Duncan went on to say. 

Students involved in successful service-learning programming, like that of the SOSL, are more likely to stay in school, do better academically and develop a personal and social responsibility. Students who participate in SOSL express continued interest in their school community and many continue on to become student leaders. The program also helps bond campus and community which promotes pride and interest within the school community at large.

How can you get involved?

Chicago Cares has partnered with area high schools and several community partners to provide this service learning experience for Chicago’s youth. The SOSL program may only be four weeks in the summer, but as a Youth in Service leader you can provide ongoing mentorship and leadership year round.   If you have a passion for working with youth and want to educate, engager, and empower them to be a leader through service, then complete the Youth in Service Leadership application. You can be a role model in the life of a teen and foster the idea of volunteerism and community activism. For more information on becoming a Youth in Service Leader visit the webpage.

Thank You to Our Summer of Service and Leadership Sponsors!

A special THANK YOU to our donors who helped to make Summer of Service and Leadership a success and possibility for over 200 Chicago Public School freshman. With the help of the below mentioned, Chicago Cares’ Youth in Service was able to plan, implement, and manage projects that challenge students to identify issues in their community and design and carry out service projects to address those issues. The donors continued support throughout the year also help to further instill the skills and tools the students learn during this summer program. 



THANK YOU for your support of youth service and learning!

Trani Family Foundation
Grainger
The CarMax Foundation
Prestoncrest Church of Christ
Second Presbyterian Church
St. John's Lutheran Church
Civitas Schools LLC