Introducing our NEW Volunteer & Leader Services team!

Chicago Cares is very excited to announce the creation of the new Volunteer and Leader Services team! Thanks to our great Leaders and Volunteers, we are providing an ever increasing number of projects and resources to the Chicagoland area.  Due to this increased presence, the time has come to centralize a Volunteer & Leader department within the organization.  The creation of this department will streamline the volunteer and leader recruitment process for both our volunteers and staff.  

 

Our team “veteran” is Abbie Davis who has been working at Chicago Cares for the past year as the Assistant to Programs and Service Events.  She has managed our social media since last January and is very passionate about opening channels of communication with our volunteers. We are so glad that Abbie has accepted the new role of our Coordinator of Volunteer & Leader Services.  Managing the department is Jennifer Brown, a newcomer to Chicago Cares who brings 9 years of nonprofit volunteer management experience.

Two more new staff members have also been added thanks to our relationship with the AmeriCorps Volunteer program. Our new Get HandsOn AmeriCorps Member, Leader Services is Claire Dooms.  Claire is from the Chicago area and is no stranger to volunteering. She took part in a summer AmeriCorps program in Lake Tahoe’s Great Basin restoring, constructing and maintaining trails in a national forest. Rounding out the team is our Get HandsOn AmeriCorps Member, Volunteer Services, Lyzeth Mondragon.  Lyzeth’s varied work and volunteer experience includes tutoring and clerking for a law firm. 

The new team looks forward to getting to know our wonderful volunteers!

Thank You, Business Shares Leaders!

Fall has traditionally been the busiest time of year for our Business Shares projects, and 2010 has been no exception.  With the partnership of our great leaders, schools, community groups and corporate partners more schools have been enhanced to brighten the lives of students and community residents.  Highlights from these volunteer projects below: 

On September 11^th, approximately 350 volunteers joined Chicago Cares and the Chicago White Sox in transforming Alexander Graham Elementary School.  Through their hard work, these volunteers were able to paint 21 classrooms, 16 murals (both wall and canvas), 13 mosaics, beautify the outdoors with planter benches and update the auditorium. 

On September 24^th, Discover Financial Services’ Business Technology division brought 319 volunteers to serve with Chicago Cares in Zion, IL.   In one day, this group was able to make over two schools.  At one school alone, volunteers created nearly two dozen murals, built reading lofts and cubbies for the classrooms and overhauled the outside by adding line games and re-landscaping the school’s entrance.  At another school, volunteers painted murals and constructed planter benches, planter beds and planter boxes.  New seating and gathering areas were also created outside by constructing a flagstone path and benches.  Discover volunteers also added a new baseball diamond to the field between the two schools so all of the students could enjoy the space.  

On October 2^nd, over 600 volunteers from Medline transformed North Chicago's  A. J. Katzenmaier School inside and out!  Painting took place in hallways, classrooms, the gym and the cafeteria.  Murals were  created, a tile mosaic was completed reinforcing one of the school’s major ideas, that one must “READ TO SUCCEED.” Planter benches and boxes were built and placed around the grounds and a peace garden was created.  Volunteers even constructed an outdoor teaching area for the students to learn in the shade of the school’s largest tree.

We can see the physical impact of these projects, but the true reward will be felt by the students, faculty, administrators and parents who will enjoy these brighter environments for years to come. Many thanks to all who donated their time!

November Leader Spotlight: Mike Brunlieb

The Students on Stage program at Hinton Elementary school is quickly gaining interest with students, thanks to team coordinator Mike Brunlieb, who brings lots of energy and planned activities for students at each project.   Mike joined Chicago Cares two and a half years ago and quickly saw potential for improv and acting programs for children. As a leader for Students on Stage Mike is able to pull from his personal knowledge and experience as an accomplished improv performer in Chicago and share it with eager youth.

When we talked with Mike he shared some of his amazing experiences with his programs.  As students begin the program they are sometimes very resistant to learning improv or feel awkward, but quickly begin to open up, letting their intuition guide them. He sees improv and acting as an opportunity for the youth to drop their pretences and toughness.

“I think that improvisation is unique in the way allows people of different ages and backgrounds to create something together. When people drop their cool, and start really playing, especially people who would normally have little contact with one another, something wonderful happens. There's nothing like it!”

Mike stands out as a leader for this children’s program because he takes the time to sit down with the kids and get to know them, laugh with them, and listen to their stories. The students have told us that they are excited to return to his projects. 

Mike enjoys the leadership role for the program because it allows him to include colleagues from across different theaters in the city as guest speakers. He also uses the opportunity to expose the students to a variety of styles, techniques, and skills.

Thanks Mike for your commitment to Chicago Cares, your program at Hinton Elementary, and the many students and volunteers you work with at each project!

Lead at the Celebration of Service and Honor Dr. King

It may be hard to believe, but January will be here before we know it. Please consider leading a project at the 2011 Celebration of Service on January 15^th. 

What does it mean to be a Chicago Cares Leader for Celebration of Service?  You will be trained to lead a small group of volunteers (encourage your friends and family to BE those volunteers!) as they take part in one of our various projects to brighten the lives of children, seniors or adults with disabilities. Volunteer opportunities can range from throwing a birthday party for Dr. King to creating hope quilts or spending time with seniors. There are many projects for everyone to participate in! 

In 2010 over 3,300 volunteers and leaders served more than 40 agencies and schools across Chicago during Celebration of Service.  Each project is uniquely rewarding and reminds us that we can all make a difference—even in just one day. We hope you will join us on January 15^th! 

Mastering Multiplication at Marillac Social Center

This post comes to us from Martha Renken, one of our Education & Development Program Coordinators, managing programs as varied as Read-With-Me, Students on Stage, Healthy Start, Eco-Art, School News and Math + Science Club.

 Most of us can probably recall the grueling chore of learning our times tables in elementary school. No matter how much teachers tried to make math fun—Around the World and Mad Minute games, prizes, you name it—the task of memorizing the entire multiplication table felt exhausting. We can probably also recall, however, how much finally memorizing these tables helped us move forward in math; from multiplying double digits and fractions to studying algebra, we never could have learned the lessons to come without knowing that 5 times 5 is 25.

Students at Marillac Social Center in East Garfield Park receive after school tutoring, but the tutoring program’s director notices that they struggle to move ahead in the subject of math because they have not yet mastered multiplication tables. Through Chicago Cares’ new Math + Science Club program at Marillac Social Center, students and volunteers will engage in hand-on experiments and activities, as well as incorporate the use of flashcards and games to encourage retention of vocabulary and times tables.

Alternating weeks with Math + Science Club is Read-with-Me, where students will have the opportunity to read with a volunteer before completing a creative craft activity that relates to that week’s book. Students will be exposed to a variety of authors and themes, and they will be encouraged to connect to the text and brainstorm during the creative process as they participate in the art activity.

Marillac Social Center is a non-profit organization providing early childhood education, teen mentoring, family support services, and companionship and assistance to the elderly. Mark your calendar for October 13 when Math + Science Club at Marillac will launch, followed by the launch of Read-with-Me on October 20. Marillac House is accessible by the Green Line just a few miles outside the Loop. Join Chicago Cares on Wednesday evenings and enhance a child’s education at Marillac Social Center.

Food Deserts in Chicago: How You Can Fight Hunger

Hunger is an issue that plagues many low-income people throughout Chicago.  Without an appropriate amount and variety of food, we lack the essential nutrients needed to stay healthy.  But what if you were unable to buy fresh fruits and vegetables?  What happens when it is just too hard to get these fresh, nutritious foods?

A food desert is an area with little or no access to full-service grocery stores that sell the food needed to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.  In these food deserts, most people have to travel twice as far to get to a full-service grocery store as they have to travel to get to a fast food restaurant or convenience store.  Without their own method of transportation, most people will shop at the food source closest to their home, despite their preferences or dietary restrictions.  It is estimated that over 600,000 Chicagoans live in areas with an imbalance of food choices.^[1]

In 2006, the Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group submitted a report on the impact of Food Deserts on Chicago neighborhoods and found that in the western area of Chicago alone, seven neighborhoods were food deserts.  Fast food restaurants and convenience stores are often a much closer alternative in these areas, and this can affect the overall health and wellness of a community.   Their research has shown that the imbalance of access to healthy foods can also lead to higher rates of obesity and hypertension and also increases the likelihood of premature death from diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular complications.  The prevalence of these chronic disorders can have a huge impact on a community – it directly affects the quality, productivity, and length of life and can also indirectly affect health care costs, school test scores, and the area’s economic strength. ^[2]

To address this, Chicago Cares currently runs hunger programming with three different organizations in West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, and West Town – all of which are neighborhoods identified as food deserts.  One of these programs is a healthy cooking class with residents at Open Door Shelter, a temporary shelter for young adults who may have been exposed to difficult life circumstances.  Chicago Cares volunteers focus on teaching these young adults to use healthy alternatives while cooking meals they would want to eat.

In the future, Chicago Cares hopes to further tackle hunger by expanding programs in the critical neighborhoods highlighted in the western and southern areas of Chicago.  For more information about volunteering at hunger programs on the west side of Chicago, please contact Joyce Cruz at jcruz@chicagocares.org or 312-780-0800 ext. 141.  

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^[1] http://marigallagher.com/site_media/dynamic/project_files/ChicagoFoodDesProg2009a.pdf

^[2] http://marigallagher.com/site_media/dynamic/project_files/2_Chi-ForwExecSumOnly.pdf

RSVP for the Star Awards

Our Star Awards Event is fast approaching! Chicago Cares will spend an evening at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel on Monday, October 25^th from 6:00-9:00pm honoring outstanding members of our volunteer community.  T hanks to your time and effort nominating your fellow volunteers, this year’s selection process has been especially competitive. 

Star Awards is the perfect time to come together and celebrate all the great achievements from our dedicated volunteers in the community. It’s more than simply a night to honor a few individuals; Star Awards is an opportunity for our corporate partners, weekly volunteers, youth groups and community partners to meet. We have transformed our awards to focus on and celebrate the volunteer community that Chicago Cares considers its greatest asset. Please join us for what will surely be a night to remember.

RSVP now at http://chicagocares.kintera.org/starrsvp or visiting our website: www.chicagocares.org. We hope to see you and your Chicago Cares’ family there!