Y.O.U. in the Media

Evanston March Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
By: Rebecca Schechner
Published: January 16, 2012

Community leaders and Evanston students celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday at the annual Diverse Evanston Walks United event, which included dance, rap and singing performances as well as guest speakers and a visit from Evanston mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl.

"We really see this as an opportunity to make sure that even though Dr. King tragically passed, his life goes on in all of us," said Seth Green, executive director of Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc., a co-sponsor of DEWU.

Students at Evanston Township High School originated the concept for the youth-driven program, which honors King and celebrates peace and diversity in the Evanston community. DEWU, a six-year-old event, took place at the Music Institute of Chicago, 1490 Chicago Ave.

The YWCA Evanston/North Shore and the McGaw YMCA also helped put on the complimentary celebration, which featured speeches by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and District 202 Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. Students from ETHS, Washington and Oakton elementary schools, and Chute and Nichols middle schools put on musical performances.

Green, addressing the audience, commended the respect Evanston students show toward one another, regardless of race, sexual orientation and ethnic background.

"I think it's a cool opportunity for some of the kids to step outside of their shells," said SESP senior Rachel Bhagwat, a Y.O.U. work-study student. "There are a lot of really good messages in the performances, and I think it's important that we do something to honor MLK Day."

Chauncey Martinez, an ETHS junior, participated in the program for the fourth time.

"I listen to a lot of Dr. King's and Malcolm X's speeches, and I go and talk to kids at the elementary and middle schools to see how they feel about things," Martinez said. "I get their perspectives on the speeches and I sort of use that to motivate myself to write down what I personally feel."

Martinez gave original spoken word and rap performances in hope the adults in the audience would be able to understand a young person's viewpoint on community issues.

"I want to get across to the audience that they should listen more to what the kids have to say," Martinez said. "Talk with them instead of talking at them, get the perspectives of the kids and see how they feel about life and certain situations."

Tisdahl stopped by the DEWU event, one of several celebrations she planned to attend Monday.

"I hope that the kids take away the idea that Martin Luther King was a fabulous American and someone to learn about and study," Tisdahl said. "His work is very important to all of us and I hope they realize that today is incredibly important to their parents, their teachers, their community."

In her speech, Schakowsky said Martin Luther King, Jr. Day cannot be easily compared to other national holidays.

"The fact that we are celebrating this as a national holiday has demanded that the people around this country focus on the moral vision of Dr. Martin Luther King," Schakowsky said. "Lots of holidays come and go in our country, but I think few honorees get the kind of attention on their holiday as does Martin Luther King."

Schakowsky also stressed how important it is for the youth of Evanston to realize the impact they can make in their community.

"We want to encourage young people like our dancers, like our rappers ­— all the children that attend our schools — to have the hope for change," she said.

Mentors Make Time to Just Hang Out 
By: Karen Berkowitz
Published: January 3, 2012

Jenal Zak, 29, and Christopher Morris, 12, have established an easygoing rapport since the two started meeting weekly through the Youth Organizations Umbrella’s mentoring program.

“We talk about what happened during the day, and if I’m going on any field trips,” said Christopher, a seventh-grader at Chute Middle School. He fondly recalled the times they baked cupcakes (“they were delicious”) and made a pepperoni pizza almost from scratch, using ready-made dough to fit the baking project into their hour-long visit.

“Cooking is a nice bonding time for us,” said Zak, an Evanston resident of four years who was looking for a way to volunteer in the community. “I have noticed Chris really opens up when there is a little bit of a distraction. It isn’t just me looking directly into his eyes, saying, ‘Tell me about your day.’ ”

Each Wednesday during the school year, Zak starts her day early as a commercial lender for Comerica Bank in Oak Brook so she can leave early and meet up with Christopher at Chute Middle School at 5 p.m., just as he is finishing YOU’s after-school program.

Mentor-mentee pairs

About 30 mentor-mentee pairs meet regularly through the program, which is funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The youths range from 11 to 18 years of age, and the sessions typically take place at Chute or Nichols middle schools and Evanston Township High School.

When the number of mentor-mentee pairs dwindled to a handful last fall, YOU ran a “40 mentors in 40 days” campaign that brought in a new wave of volunteers. The organization is still recruiting new mentors.

As part of the match process, both volunteers and prospective mentees are asked about their interests. The interviewer also tries to get a sense of their personalities to ensure a good fit.

“We try to match them so they have enough similar interests to create a relationship,” said Santrice Martin, volunteer coordinator with the Mentor YOUth program. “We also want to make sure they have enough differences so they learn from each other.”

Christopher said he was asked if he preferred a male or female mentor. “I said, ‘Either one; I don’t care,’” recalled Christopher, casting a wide grin in Zak’s direction that showed he’s quite pleased with how it all worked out.

When the two met up on Dec. 21, Christopher had some math homework to complete. So the two spent time figuring out a formula for calculating the number of calories in certain quantities of trail mix, or the amount of trail mix one would eat if consuming 1,000 calories.

Setting goals

D’Starr Owens, 13, and his mentor, Rachel Rigdon, have worked on goals. When Owens mentioned that he needed to bring his grades up, the two discussed specific things he could do to improve his grades, such as turning in homework and asking teachers or other adults for help.

“He came up with those all on his own,” said Rigdon, 24, a doctoral student at Northwestern University. Given the short, three-week timetable, the two decided to focus on homework completion. The challenge proved so successful, the two celebrated with take-out food from Chicken Shack.

Both Rigdon and D’Starr wrote on their mentor and mentee applications that they like to cook. They’ve made chicken tacos and ground-beef burritos.

“He actually went home and made the tacos for his mom,” said Rigdon. “It was really nice he could help her with dinner one night,” said Rigdon, noting that mom is juggling both work and school.

Christopher wasn’t always able to make the mentoring sessions last year, but Zak didn’t give up so easily.

“Jenal was available for him, whether he was available or not,” said Martin, of the consistency that is all the more important under such circumstances. “We could use a lot more Jenals.”

Said Zak, “I kind of went into it with the attitude, I am going to show him that somebody cares about him whether he hates me or loves me. I am going to ask him about his day, about how school is going.”

Zak marvels at the changes she’s seen, particularly this school year. She doesn’t take any personal credit. Rather, she believes a now-stable home situation has made the difference.

“It is like somebody turned a light on in him. He is much more happy and much more loving,” she said of Christopher. “Our relationship has come a long way.”

If you're interested in becoming a mentor, we'd love to hear from you! Please contact Santrice at 847.866.1201 x330 or at Santrice.RussellMartin@youevanston.org

Live United, a New Strong Focus On Children's Education and Health
Published: September 19, 2011

Three Evanston agencies that serve infants, toddlers and pre-teens will share more than $300,000 in United Way funds to continue their work to support at-risk children and their families on the road to success. Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, Youth Organizations Umbrella and Childcare Network of Evanston received an aggregate of $355,000 from the North Shore United Way as part of it its Live United initiative.

Jessica Vlahogiannis, program manager at North Shore United Way, said the Live United program will be a 10-year, three-pronged focus on education, health and income. The Oct. 4 rollout in Evanston emphasized the first of these, education, to which North Shore United Way is committing an aggregate of $450,000 in Evanston and Highwood.

Two groups of children will be the targets of programs funded through Live United – middle-schoolers and children from birth to age 5, said Ms. Vlahogiannis. The early childhood focus is to help ensure that children are ready to learn when they reach kindergarten, and the middle-school focus is on preparing students to learn in high school and to graduate, she said.

State Representative Robyn Gabel said the Live United program is "so important. Brain development in children is critical from the age of 6 months. It’s really important to get their brains cooking," she added.

This is the second meeting for the United Way Live United Mr. Bobkiewicz has hosted in the past few months. He told the RoundTable he pays for the coffee and donuts "because I think that is my job [as a resident of Evanston]. His job as City Manager, he says, is to promote Evanston agencies with United Way. "I’m glad that United Way is focusing on Evanston, and I want to make sure that Evanston organizations get some benefit from these funds. ... If organizations can receive funding from United Way, that takes pressure off the City."

Evanston Police on High Alert After Summer Flash Mobs
By: Julianna Nunez
Published: September 19, 2011

The words "flash mobs" often inspire images of spontaneous theater performances and people dancing in the streets. But flash mobs took on a more sinister image when groups of teenagers mobbed stores and stole items from Evanston convenience stores this summer.

The rash of criminal mischief has motivated the Evanston Police Department to adopt an "aggressive and proactive approach" to combatting the street robberies, according to an EPD news release earlier this month.

Three flash mob incidents occurred in two Evanston locations this summer. The 7-Eleven store at 847 Dodge Ave. was mobbed twice, once on July 15 and less than two days later on July 17. A third incident occurred at the Mobil Gas Station Food Mart at 1950 Green Bay Road on July 16, according to a news release from EPD Cmdr. Jay Parrott.

The flash mobs typically stole from displays of soft drinks and candy, according to the news release. Eventually, 14 juveniles were arrested on evidence extracted from the stores' surveillance systems.

All of the arrested are Evanston residents, but Parrott could not confirm nor deny whether the suspects were students at Evanston Township High School due to the age of the suspects.

Sam Pettineo, director of safety at ETHS, said the school cannot address flash mob action because it does not occur on school property.

Cherie Hansen, president of the ETHS Parent Teacher Student Association, said the school maintains a good relationship with the Evanston Police Department. Although she said she was not certain of recent flash mob activity, she noted that ETHS students are allowed to send text messages to adults if they spot suspicious activity during school.

In light of the flash mob participants' ages, some local teen programs have sought to increase efforts to combat violence in the community.

Youth Organizations Umbrella has dedicated itself to serving young adults and their families. Melody Rose, site coordinator, currently works with ETHS Monday through Friday throughout the school year and summer on programs designed specifically for high school students.

"That is the primary, at-risk demographic that we're trying to target," Rose said. "There is an academic component that focuses mainly on tutoring, but that is just a small piece of the program. The majority of it focuses on life skills development and promotes social skills that cause positive youth development."

Y.O.U conducts programs with an anti-bullying message and encourages students to make responsible choices on their own, she said.

Although ETHS students have been told to be always on the lookout and to be unafraid of reporting suspicious activity, EPD has asked for the public's cooperation in order to prevent future flash mob incidents.

Y.O.U. Recruiting 40 Mentors in 40 Days
By: Marianne Moberly
Published: August 2, 2011

Y.O.U. (Youth Organizations Umbrella), an Evanston-based non-profit youth development agency announces a new initiative, “40 Mentors in 40 Days.” The campaign is designed to recruit adult mentors for the agency’s Mentor Y.O.U.th program which provides site-based one-on-one mentoring to Evanston youth ages 11-17. Volunteers are asked to donate one hour per week to participate in arts and cultural, sports and recreational, academic enrichment, and life skills activities with their mentee. The weekly meeting occurs during Y.O.U.’s out-of school-time programming offered daily after school and on Saturday morning.

A mentor is a caring adult who offers support and encouragement. He or she is a guide, a listener, a coach, a positive role model, and a friend. Y.O.U. is seeking caring adults who are willing to make a long-term commitment and have a desire to positively influence the life of a youth. All mentors are screened, trained, and supervised. To participate, mentors must pass a reference and background check.

One of Y.O.U.’s current mentors recently wrote, “My weekly meetings with my mentee tend to be one of the highlights of my week. It’s amazing to see how our relationship has grown over the course of eight months. I can’t even begin to express in words the rewarding feeling I get knowing that I’m having a positive impact on such an amazing child’s life.”

You can find more information about Mentor Y.O.U.th and complete an application at www.40mentors40days.org. or contact Santrice Martin, Volunteer Coordinator, at (847) 866-1201, ext. 330 or at santrice.russellmartin@youevanston.org.

Youth Organizations Umbrella provides year-round after school and neighborhood-based programs to assist more than 600 young people and their families annually at six locations in Evanston. The “40 Mentors in 40 Days” initiative pays homage to the agency’s forty years of service to the community which is being celebrated in 2011. For more information about Y.O.U., visit www.youevanston.org.

Evanston Unites Against Violence
By: Rachel C. Loyd
Published: July 5, 2011

The rainy weather did not stop 125-plus youth, family and community members from enjoying food and games as they signed-up for summer programs at the June 11 Community Kick-off to a Fun and Safe Summer at Robert Crown Community Center. Community partners Y.O.U., McGaw YMCA, Family Focus Evanston, Ridgeville Park District, YWCA, All Our Sons and the City of Evanston offered opportunities to mentor, volunteer and participate in a safe summer. Among many other games at the Kick-off, youth enjoyed battles in tug of war. Seth Green, Y.O.U. executive director, and coordinator of the event, joked that he joined in the tug-of-war, but the young competitors were too strong for him.

"The violence that has occurred in the past few months has been a call to action, and the Kick-off was [part of] the beginning of the response," Mr, Green said. "The Kick-off was a perfect start, and the community needs to sustain focus over time on building and maintaining caring relationships [with youth]."

Although he said the Kick-off was a good start, Mr. Green admitted that "there is still potential for a continuance of violence, but this can be an antidote…By bringing youth deep into summer programs, the community can create a nurturing environment."

The Kick-off may have been a tug in the right direction, but most community leaders knew it was only the beginning. Mr. Green said he appreciates the 1,000 donors who have contributed to Evanston community organizations, and said "We [all community partners] can work together for a safer, stronger community. The hard work begins here."

Y.O.U. Names New Executive Director
By: Bill Smith
Published: May 1, 2011

The Board of Directors of  Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc., an Evanston-based youth service organization, has named Seth Green as the group’s new executive director.

Green will start work May 24 and replaces retiring Executive Director Don Baker, who led the organization since its founding 40 years ago.

“It is impossible to measure Don Baker’s contributions to the Evanston community,” said Y.O.U. Board President, Chip Brady. “Don has been an incredible force for positive change.  That’s why we are so thrilled that Seth is joining us. He is an inspirational leader who has the capacity to not only continue our mission of 40 years, but to expand on it.”

Green previously led the Job Opportunity Investment Network (JOIN), a public-private partnership in Philadelphia that builds pathways out of poverty for vulnerable adults and their families.

There he developed a network of innovative job training partnerships that helped over 400 adults gain new skills and higher wages each year. During his tenure, JOIN received a Social Innovation Fund grant, spearheaded an economic opportunity forum with all of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial candidates, and hosted visits from senior Obama administration officials and congressional staff.

Before that Green worked at McKinsey and Company, American Prospect, the Brookings Institution, and Lazard LLC. He also founded Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), a non-partisan organization that empowers more than 23,000 youth members to tackle pressing social challenges from poverty to climate change.  In 2008, Utne Reader named him one of 50 “Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.”

A Marshall Scholar, Green received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, earned master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and Oxford, and completed a juris doctor degree at Yale Law School.

“I am delighted to take on this new role because I believe that Y.O.U.'s work speaks to the soul of Evanston – a community that clearly values education, diversity, and inclusion,” Green said in a news release.

He will be joined by his wife, Caitlin Fitz, who has accepted a position as assistant professor of American History at Northwestern University, and daughter, Sojourner Fitz-Green.

“Y.O.U. has demonstrated for 40 years that making sure youth and families have the resources they need to thrive is a responsibility of the entire community,” he said. “That spirit is what makes this organization, and the city it serves, so special.”

Youth Organizations Umbrella provides year-round after school and neighborhood-based service programs to assist more than 400 young people and their families annually at six locations in the city.

Q & A with New Y.O.U. Director
By: Jia You
Published: May 16, 201

Seth Green will succeed Don Baker as the executive director of the Evanston-based youth service organization Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc. on May 24. Green previously led the Job Opportunity Investment Network, a public-private partnership in Philadelphia that builds pathways out of poverty for vulnerable adults and their families. His wife, Caitlin Fitz, will be teaching American history at Northwestern starting next fall.

Excerpts:

Daily: How do you feel about your new job?

Green: I think Y.O.U. is an incredibly exciting organization, and … I'm both thrilled being in such a valuable organization and similarly thrilled to be following the footsteps of someone who has made such a tremendous contribution to the community.

Daily: You were working for the Job Investment Opportunity Network in Philadelphia previously. Why did you join Y.O.U?

Green: Well, my wife accepted a job as an assistant professor in history at Northwestern. She's going to be starting at the faculty there in fall, so I was following her. And then I started looking at opportunities. By far, the one I was most excited about was Y.O.U. because I just think that what the organization is doing is so transformative and important.

Daily: So how does your new job compare to your work at JOIN?

Green: The biggest similarity is that both are focused on making sure that all people have the opportunity to realize their potential. The biggest difference is at JOIN, I focus primarily on helping

adults go back for education, build their social and emotional skills and then get jobs so that they can support their families. At Y.O.U., the primary focus is on youth, up to 18, although we're also very interested in supporting families that the youths are part of because we realized that you need holistic solutions to support young people.

Daily: What do you identify as the biggest challenges facing youths in Evanston?

Green: Obviously, the economy is a challenge for everyone. What a number of studies show is that the impact of living in poverty is very difficult on adolescent mental health because there's a tremendous amount of stress that goes along with that. Like the country, Evanston has seen increases in poverty with this recession, and that makes it very difficult for students to fully access all the resources they need to fully realize their potential. If you're a young person and you're worried about foreclosure, it's very hard to be fully present at school and to be able to fully realize your potential, so I say that's one challenge. Obviously, you probably have heard in the news some of the recent violence. I think all youths, and I'm sure all families in Evanston, are very concerned about the violence … The key is that we make places like the Evanston Township High School as safe as possible.

Daily: So how do you plan to address the impact of the economy and the violence on youth?

Green: On the impact of the recession, one of the things that are absolutely critical is that we have clinical counseling available to support students and their families on traumatic mental health issues. It is incredibly difficult to deal with the issues this recession has brought on families. And what a lot of research show is that programs that help people deal with those consequences are ultimately the most effective in helping ensure that those youth also end up succeeding in school and in social and emotional development. In terms of youth violence, this is something that we're still in conversation about. We're watching what's happening very closely, and we're talking with a lot of families that are involved in our programs and with a lot of experts in the field about how we can best address issues of violence in a way that is long term and supportive and holistic. And I think one of the things that speaks a lot about Evanston is that as this violence has happened, people have been asking all the right questions – how can we create a more supportive and nurturing environment for youths, how can we prevent youth being on their own (after school).

Daily: How has the transition from Philadelphia to Evanston been for you?

Green: I am formally moving in next weekend. I would say they have a lot in common. They're both cities with great resources but also inequality. I think what makes Evanston truly unique is the level of commitment to inclusiveness and diversity.

Daily: How does your daughter feel about moving to Evanston?

Green: Well, she's only four months old. The nice thing is that we really wanted to raise our daughter in a community like Evanston. We want her to go to schools that are diverse. We wanted her to be among a group of people who are facing the real challenges that people across the country are facing. We also want her to go to a great school where people really care about each other, where they value diversity instead of seeing it as a challenge. I'm just absolutely thrilled that my daughter can grow up in a place like Evanston.

YOU Founder Well Prepared to Turn Over the Reins
By: Karen Berkowitz
Published: May 19, 2011

Don Baker used to worry when someone kindly remarked that “Don Baker is YOU,” all one and the same in their mind. “They meant it to be a compliment; I understand that,” said Baker. “But it scared me to death. If that’s true, what’s next?” said Baker, who founded the Youth Organizations Umbrella in 1971 and has headed the agency ever since.

The 65-year-old Baker is genuinely relieved to say he hasn’t heard that line in more than a year.

“I’m pleased about that,” said Baker, who will receive honors at a retirement party Thursday and officially turn over the executive director’s duties Tuesday to Seth Green, a Princeton- and Yale-educated social entrepreneur who is relocating from Philadelphia.

Baker, his staff of 23 and the YOU board of directors have painstakingly worked through what could have been a rocky passage for the organization. Baker is the first to concede that YOU was a poster example of “founders syndrome,” in which too much control and identity is vested in an agency’s founder or longtime director.

Explained Baker, “I had a vision. People thought I was doing a good job and deferred to me. They gave me too much authority and I took it.”

Baker’s longtime involvement with Evanston youth dates back to his days as a student at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary.

YOU has reinvented itself many times in its 40-year history as new needs arose around the city’s youth population.

For the past 20 years, the organization has focused primarily on youth in south Evanston of Jamaican, Haitian, African-American and Mexican descent.

“On the west side of Evanston, the families are deep rooted and multi-generation. It is a very cohesive community that has had to deal with the issues of racism and poverty,” he noted.

By contrast, minority and low-income families in south Evanston have come from all over.

“They don’t have those roots or political voice,” he said.

YOU serves more than 450 youths in after-school programs at Washington and Oakton elementary schools, Chute and Nichols middle schools and Evanston Township High School, employing scores of work-study college students mostly from Northwestern and Loyola universities.

The organization also mentors youth susceptible to gang influences through a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. YOU was the only Illinois agency to receive the grant, which goes to only 23 programs throughout the country.

YOU also continues to provide 24-hour crisis intervention and emergency housing to youths encountering turbulence in their home or family lives.

“What we are doing now is exactly where we need to be, targeting that population,” said Baker. “But it is not YOU’s mission to provide after-school programs. It is our mission to say, ‘What is the need now?’ That will change over time. At some point YOU is going to have to have the vision to retool itself. The fact that we have been stable for 20 years is both a gift and a danger.”

Green most recently headed the Job Opportunity Investment Network, a $5 million public-private partnership that builds pathways out of poverty for vulnerable adults and their families. He is the founder and board chairman of Americans for Informed Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that empowers youth to tackle pressing social challenges from poverty to climate change. He was recently a plenary speaker at the 2011 White House Conference on Connecting Communities for the Common Good. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, earned master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and Oxford and holds a degree from Yale University Law School.

Green is relocating with his wife, Caitlin Fitz, who has accepted a position as assistant professor of American history at Northwestern University, and daughter, Sojourner Fitz-Green.

Evanston Organizations Offer Job Opportunities for NU Students During Summer
By: Kimberly Railey
Published: May 26, 2011

Last summer, Marielle Meurice interned at Evanston's CarePoint, a nonprofit organization that works with marginalized populations like the homeless and the mentally ill.

The Weinberg junior worked from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day in case management at CarePoint, 113 Custer Ave., talking to individuals and directing them to different resources in Chicago.

"It's really important for students to get out into the community and not just be in the Northwestern bubble," Meurice said. "It's good to be in the real world and not just college life."

Other Evanston organizations are seeking the assistance of college students during the summer, too.

Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to Evanston's youth, recruits NU students to help staff their summer programs for elementary school, middle school and high school students, said Tonya Patterson, the organization's director of human resources and information technology.

During the school year, Y.O.U., 1027 Sherman Ave., relies heavily on the assistance of college students, many of whom go home when school ends, Patterson added.

"We have a great need for volunteers over the summer," she said. "Sometimes you have a job or do some volunteer work and you can't quite see how you're making a difference. Here, the impact of your gift of time is so apparent, and people feel really gratified by that experience."

Aquatic opportunities like sailing and kayaking also abound during the summer. The Evanston Recreation Division offers private sailing classes and group sailing classes on Dempster Street Beach, Recreation Program Manager Adam Abajian said.

"A lot of people see this place in winter, and it's quite different in the summer," Abajian said. "When you go out and do a kayak or sailing lesson, you really are seeing nature in a small vessel on a very big lake. It can be quite an experience."

Besides being outdoors, sailing provides a good core workout, while kayaking promotes upper body strength, Abajian said.

"These are unpowered vessels, and they're challenging," he said. "You can feel the adrenaline rush."

Students can also exercise by attending dance classes, such as Zumba and belly dancing, held at Evanston's Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave. Zumba has especially become popular with the younger crowd, said Karen Hawk, the center's program manager.

"The classes are a lot more fun than taking a Pilates class where you're laying on the ground and not doing a whole lot of moving around," Hawk said. "There are a lot of fun, different types of music."

This summer, Meurice will travel to Uganda on a grant from NU's Global Health department to study women's health.  She said she is looking forward to the experience but will miss being in Evanston.

"There's a lot of concerts going on this summer I wanted to go see, and almost all my friends are living here, but I'm really excited to go to Uganda," she said.

 Evanston 150 Kicks-Off on High Note
By: Thomas Cyrs
Published: March 27, 2011

Well over 500 people attended Evanston 150’s Community Kick-Off Rally on Saturday afternoon, exceeding the group’s expectations and marking a successful beginning for the grassroots planning initiative that aims to generate and implement "10 visionary ideas" for the city’s 150th anniversary in 2013.

Alderman, professionals who work in Evanston, residents and their families all gathered at the rally, held at the Levy Center, to find out more about the planning initiative, submit their proposals for Evanston’s future and partake in free local food provided by participating Evanston restaurants.

“Each one of you represents a neighborhood, a household, or a segment in Evanston that makes us the city that we are, and it is our hope that you will submit your best ideas, your diverse ideas, that will give us a broad picture of who Evanston is,” said Karen Mosby-Avery, member of the 13-person steering committee that planned Saturday’s event and will drive the initiative leading up to 2013.

At the rally, attendees were given "visioning toolkits" to submit their proposals for Evanston’s future. No limitations were put on the scope of the proposals, and ideas circulating at the rally included creating a wind farm off of Evanston’s shoreline, constructing a new indoor soccer field and other youth sports facilities and consolidating local non-profits in order to maximize efficiency in a time of tighter government budgets.

“I think it’s a great process, the way they’re doing this and encouraging people to communicate with each other and brainstorm for ideas,” said Pamela Zbesko, an Evanston resident of 24 years.

“I really love the fact that there are a lot of people from the community that came out today,” said Brian Williams of Evanston Y.O.U (Youth Organizations Umbrella). “The ultimate goal is really impressive; I would love to see all the ideas and I’d like to see how they get brought down to 10.”

The goal of the Evanston 150 initiative will be to accumulate over 2,000 ideas for Evanston’s future by July 31, 2011. The steering committee will also create a selection committee, based on a blind application process, that will filter down the thousands of ideas to 100.

According to Patrick Keenan-Delvin, member of the Evanston 150  Steering Committee, those 100 ideas will then be voted on by the community, assessed for feasibility and financing, and finally reduced to 10 concrete ideas by Nov. 11, 2011.

 “The objective of the steering committee will be to ensure implementation of as many of those ideas as possible,” said Keenan-Delvin of the eventual 10 proposals.  “Those projects could then serve as the culmination of the 150th celebration of Evanston,” he said.

Residents can submit proposals and apply to be on the selection committee via Evanston 150's website.

 Unity on Display, Volunteer Website Launched at MLK Day Event
By: Jordan Graham
Published: January 17, 2011

More than 47 years after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Evanston residents of differing race, religion, background and age assembled in a call to action and display of unity to honor his memory.

Near 100 citizens and community leaders gathered at the First United Methodist Church of Evanston Monday morning to kick off the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Pledge Day with the Community Coffee and Service Fair.

The day’s events were organized by A Community of One, a partnership between several Evanston religious institutions, which joined forces a year ago to promote harmony, discussion and social responsibility within the Evanston community. Beth Emet synagogue, First Congregational Church of Evanston, First United Methodist Church of Evanston, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Lake Street Church of Evanston and Second Baptist Church of Evanston collaborate in the joint-venture.

“We want to show that the faith communities are alive and engaged in Evanston and working together to help build a beloved community,” said Paul Khalil, a co-founder and member of A Community of One. “[We want] to help enact Dr. King’s vision here in Evanston of people working together to do something good.”

There was no shortage of community service opportunities at Monday’s fair. Ten Evanston and Chicago-based nonprofit organizations, including Youth Organization Umbrella, Inc., Connections for the Homeless, YMCA and Mitchell Museum of the American Indian set up booths with fliers, informational packets and volunteer sign-up sheets. People mingled, ate breakfast and drank coffee as they perused the different options.

The event also served as an occasion for Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl to announce the launch of "Volunteer Evanston," a “community-based, volunteer software platform” which aims to aggregate and organize community-service opportunities in the city by connecting local nonprofit organizations with potential volunteers.

Shanee Jackson, volunteer coordinator for the City of Evanston, said the website, which will officially launch at the Feb. 14 City Council meeting, came about through a full partnership between the City, Northwestern University, the Evanston Community Foundation, District 202 and District 65.

“What we’re trying to do is to get all of these organizations to register online and post their volunteer opportunities on there,” Jackson said. “We’re going to categorize it, so that way, when it goes live in February, volunteers can go in and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to work with children,’ or ‘I need court-mandated volunteer opportunities.’”

Residents and organizations can both create profiles on the website, Jackson said, but organizations will go through a screening process to make sure they meet the criteria for joining. The website will keep track of community service hours for those who wish to document their volunteer time.

Mayor Tisdahl emphasized the importance of such a website during tough economic times.

“[The website launch] would be important to me if times were good, but is extremely important when times are bad,” Tisdahl said. “One of our solutions to providing the services people want in a time of declining revenues is volunteers. We have a tremendous need and a tremendous wealth of talent [in Evanston], and this website is going to put the two of them together.”

As the day’s first event drew to a close, attendees began a procession from the Church and began a “Peace March” towards the Music Institute of Chicago to join forces with Youth Organization Umbrella, Inc. From there, the group will proceed on the “MLK Procession” to the Second Baptist Church of Evanston, where Beth Emet’s Rabbi Andrea London will deliver the keynote address at the “MLK Interfaith Convocation.” At 2:30 p.m., in the same location, a 90-minute panel discussion among Evanston religious leaders entitled “Religion, Diversity and Keys to Community Building” will be open to the public, before the day’s events come to a close with a candlelight vigil outside.

A Community of One has organized twice before for events in Evanston, including a march during last year’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and participation in Evanston’s 2010 Fourth of July parade.