Chicago Cares

This year Chicago Cares sent Sr. Manager of Comms, Katie Nathenson to The Communications Network 2024 Conference, held in Kansas City MO! “ComNet was an amazing experience! This conference reinforced the value of storytelling in systems change. My favorite parts of the conference included the keynote sessions (in particular the final address that celebrated the Clarence B. Jones’ award winners!), the thought-provoking learning labs, and of course the planned and unplanned networking I was able to experience with my fellow story tellers (misadventures in BBQ, if you know, you know!)” Thank you ComNet for a great conference! We’ll see you next year in Denver!

This election season, I got to prepare and host 10 election outreach text banking projects with Chicago Cares in collaboration with Chicago Votes. It created such a beautiful space for Chicagoans to get together and provide essential election resources to our neighbors. Last night we had a full *virtual* house of volunteers, eager to get civically engaged before election day. This was an incredible reminder that people care. In worrisome times, people will come together to do great things. If you haven’t already, get out and vote today! Remind your friends and family and visit Chicago Votes for important election day information.

New staff member alert! Today we’d love to highlight the newest member of our team: Ezekiel Alexander! Ezekiel is our Volunteer Relations Coordinator. Ezekiel was born in Chicago but raised in Oklahoma. He is working towards a degree in interpersonal communications and is extremely passionate about the study of human connection and communication. A lifelong link to nonprofits and community building brought Ezekiel to Chicago Cares, where he is excited to bring his passion for people and communication to build relationships and invest in a more equitable city. His hobbies include going to the gym and playing with his pets, a cat and dog! We are so excited to see what Ezekiel makes possible for our work – so please join us in welcoming him to the team!

“¿Serás mi vecino?” Al igual que nuestro icono, el Sr. Rogers, nos preocupamos mucho por nuestros vecinos. Creemos que nuestros vecinos deben tener acceso a una vivienda segura, alimentos frescos y deliciosos, asistencia sanitaria y el derecho a vivir con dignidad. Chicago ha ganado miles de nuevos vecinos en el último año, y Chicago Cares ha tenido la oportunidad, en colaboración con la ciudad, de estudiar formas en que los voluntarios puedan dar la bienvenida a los refugiados a nuestra ciudad. Puedes ser parte de este trabajo uniéndose a cualquiera de nuestros programas de referencia con la Coalición de Refugiados de Chicago o participando en nuestro banco de texto continuo “Get Out the Vote” con Chicago Votes. La democracia y el servicio son ingredientes de una sociedad que se preocupa sus vecinos. Todos tenemos el poder de ser buenos vecinos. ¿Serás nuestro? ………………………………………………….. “Will you be my neighbor?” Just like our icon Mr. Rogers, we care an awful lot about our neighbors. We believe our neighbors should have access to safe housing, fresh and delicious food, healthcare, and the right to live with dignity. Chicago has gained thousands of new neighbors over the last two years, and Chicago Cares has had the opportunity in partnership with the city to consider ways that volunteers can welcome refugees to our city. You can be a part of this work by joining any of our referral programs with the Chicago Refugee Coalition or by participating in our ongoing Get Out the Vote text-banking with Chicago Votes. Democracy and service are both ingredients to a society that cares for neighbors! We all have the power to be good neighbors. Will you be ours?

Thanks to support from Union Pacific Railroad, Chicago Cares was able to engage volunteers in beautification efforts on Chicago’s South and West sides that contribute to the vibrancy of each community. Through relational, community-driven, and equity-centered service that is co-designed in partnership with Chicago’s most impactful community leaders, Chicago Cares equipped and mobilized Chicagoans to build the city we all deserve. One impactful outcome of this grant was the creation of a beautiful community mosaic in Belmont Cragin, in partnership with our community partner Northwest Side Community Development Corporation. Designed by Green Star Movement, the mosaic captures the heart of the predominantly Latine community on the Northwest side. Hundreds of volunteers from around the world joined Chicago Cares during the 2023 Points of Light conference – an international convening that brought together social impact leaders from across the nonprofit, governmental, and business sectors - to execute this public art installation and learn more about the vibrancy of this community.

This Hispanic Heritage month we’d like to highlight the amazing Latine leaders that sit on our Governing and Associate Boards! 🔥 Jason Estremera, MBA, CBA is the Executive Director of Northwest Side Community Development Corporation! Jason brings so much joy, love and positive energy into every space. 🔥 Joel Rodriguez, a member of our governing board and a Community Organizer with the Southwest Organizing Project offers a unique perspective of the intersection of organizing and community care. 🔥 Armando Saleh is a member of our governing board and a Director of Government Affairs with PepsiCo. Armando is a proud Southwest Sider and invests his love and energy into our city. 🔥 Prisilla Tito is a Youth Coordinator with Palenque LSNA and just joined our Associate Board! Prisilla empowers young people to use their voices for change! 🔥 Eva Greene is the Director of Client Experience at Cresset and just joined our Associate Board! Eva is proud of her Latine roots and is an active ESL volunteer with our partner PODER. These leaders donate their time, experience and passion to create a stronger, more inclusive Chicago. We are so grateful to have them on board!

On Saturday September 28th members of our Associate Board and their networks joined Chicago Cares and the Northwest Side CDC in Belmont Cragin for a morning of community building! Attendees learned about the connections between food, community, and diaspora and were able to try food from several local businesses! This event marks the end of our fall fundraiser and we awarded prizes for the highest fundraiser, friendraiser, and an in person wild-card category! This year our prizes were hand painted candles from El Artesanal, a local gift and coffee shop in Belmont Cragin.

Cheers to Our Volunteers 2024 is coming up on October 10th! Don’t let this opportunity to eat, dance, and amplify outstanding Chicago community members pass you by! Tickets are FREE, but they are running low – get your tix today at https://lnkd.in/gCzVefSZ

We are ecstatic to announce that our CEO Rosie Drumgoole has been named a 2024 Notable Black Leader by Crain's Chicago Business! Some facts about Rosie: ⭐️ Rosie has been at Chicago Cares for over 14 years! ⭐️ Rosie has been instrumental in reshaping our approach to service, implementing the Community Investment Strategy which has connected 22,000 volunteers and leveraging $9.7 million to fuel the work of partners on Chicago’s South, West and Northwest sides. She also worked with PepsiCo to develop a new initiative that invested $5M in preparing 3,000 young people on Chicago’s South and West sides for high-quality careers. ⭐️ Rosie is an alumnus of the Allstate Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program, the American Express Leadership Academy, is a Board member of Deborah’s Place and sits on the Board of Directors of the Serve Illinois Commission! Congratulations Rosie, we are so proud of you!

Today we’re delighted congratulate the amazing volunteers nominated for the 2024 Cheers to Our Volunteers awards! Help us show these change-makers some love. We are so inspired by their accomplishments-- each going above and beyond to contribute to the change work in motion in communities across Chicago. Congratulations to all of the 2024 nominees! Join us on October 10th to find out the winners of each category, and to raise a glass to transformational service! We’ll save a piece of dance floor just for you. RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gCzVefSZ