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Rita Kahn
Executive Director Wishing you a happy and healthy spring season! Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating with our desire to start celebrating the end of winter, no surprise to any life-long Chicago residents. April is April, enough said about that. Despite the weather, we are excited to be doing some spring cleaning and sprucing up of our program sites with the help of All Nations Foundation. They have requested wish lists for each of our sites and are supplying furniture, cabinets, bean bags, bookshelves, and more to make our program spaces more functional and inviting for our students. The All Nations Foundation is a newly established organization on the southeast side of Chicago. They are launching an “Access” Campaign to raise awareness of the need for literacy and technology for those in need. We are excited to begin this new partnership and grateful for their generous investments in HOPES program spaces. Thank you for your support and commitment to children experiencing homelessness in Chicago. |
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Erica Walker
Program Director Greeting friends, Spring semester is underway at Chicago HOPES for Kids! Our twelve active programs are running at partner sites including Good News Partners, House of the Good Shepherd, Cornerstone Community Outreach, Primo Shelter locations in Austin and Englewood, Family Rescue, Frieda’s Place and the South Chicago branch of the Chicago Public Library. |
ADVOCACY ARTICLE
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The Need for Transportation: How Our Streets Facilitate Homelessness
By: Matthew Friedland AmeriCorps State and National By car, train, bike, bus, or simply on foot, the ways in which we choose to travel grants us the freedom to go where we want or need. Unfortunately, mode of transportation is not a choice for many. The expenses of purchasing and insuring a car, maintaining a bike, or the price of a bus or train ticket all limit the number of places and resources in which those experiencing poverty or homelessness can access. Low-income neighborhoods often lack fresh food grocery stores and jobs, meaning residents often have to travel further than those in wealthier areas to access food and work. |
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
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Spring is here and our volunteers have been working hard to instill a love of reading in our students this semester! This month, we are highlighting Ivy McMullen, a volunteer at one of our Northside sites. Ivy is from Metro-Detroit, Michigan and has been in Chicago for the past five years. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and works as a Packaging Engineer.
Q: Why did you decide to volunteer with HOPES? “I decided to volunteer with HOPES because I wanted to find a way I could support a Chicago community in need, in a meaningful way. |
updates
- We are so excited to announce our partnership with @kidsrunthiscity! Kids Run This City aims to inspire children through running. Through a series of hometown races, KRTC gives kids the opportunity to test their personal limits and connect to their community while gaining experiences and skills that will serve them for a lifetime. Click the link in our bio to register for an in-person running event Kids Run This City is organizing or information on how to get involved! Proceeds for this event will go towards children experiencing homelessness! Click HERE to get registered!
At the beginning of each program semester, students are assessed to determine their reading levels and areas in which they are struggling. Each day, when students have completed their homework, volunteers provide additional literacy support at the student's level. This may come in the form of an educational game or just simply reading a book together! Our books are carefully selected by our HOPES program team and intentionally cover a variety of relevant topics and are representative of different races, cultures, and ethnicities. Our Literacy Leaders program focuses on building academic confidence and developing a passion for reading for students grades 6th-8th. Students have opportunities to build their literacy skills in 1:1 and small group settings, while discussing relevant social issues and engaging with learning experiences in STEM and the arts.
GET INVOLVED WITH HOPES! Apply for our Americorps Summer Program Coordinator position! This is perfect if you want to get involved in the non-profit sector and work with children experiencing homelessness. The program coordinator will be responsible for the following: Help develop, differentiate, and coordinate materials for after school programming. Serve as a member of a designated shelter site’s leadership team by helping students M-Th with homework, individualized literacy time, guiding and orienting community volunteers, conducting reading assessments, and supporting Site Coordinators to lead the enrichment activity each day. They will support in collection of data and train volunteers and staff in the usage of digital platforms. Attend community meetings in the respective shelter neighborhood. Assist in planning of individual site field trips and HOPES annual zoo trip. Attend tabling events throughout the community...and much more!! If you think you are interested in this crucial role of our organization, please create a profile on Americorps.gov and search our organization! If you have any questions or need assistance do not hesitate to contact Jen@chicagohopesforkids.org.
Each day, students participate in a short activity designed to provide them with additional cultural and academic experiences. The activities vary from day-to-day and include lessons in art, science, creative writing, coding, music, zoology, robotics, dance and movement, mindfulness, cooking, and more! Check out our program highlight to get a closer look!
Check out some pictures from our family night at @primocenterchicago in the Englewood Community Kitchen space! We invited all of our families to join us in the kitchen to enjoy a pizza night where they got to assemble their own pizzas, enjoy games and receive resources from HOPES. Our family night events are an essential part of building community and keeping parents and students engaged with our programs at different shelters throughout the city. If you would like to volunteer or sponsor our next family night event, click the link in our bio and reach out to us! #nonprofit #chicagohopeforkids
Our gala is coming up this June and we want to give a big shoutout to our sponsors. Without your support this would not be possible, and we are grateful for you supporting the HOPES mission!
We are hosting a virtual workshop where attendees will learn about the educational rights of students in temporary living situations as they pertain to the McKinney Vento Act. This is a great workshop for parents, school staff or community members who work with at risk youth to join and share this resource with their networks. We are excited to have a special speaker from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on the call who can help to answer any questions or concerns. To sign up, copy and paste the link below or click the link in our bio! We are hosting a virtual workshop where attendees will learn about the educational rights of students in temporary living situations as they pertain to the McKinney Vento Act. This is a great workshop for parents, school staff or community members who work with at risk youth to join and share this resource with their networks. We are excited to have a special speaker from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on the call who can help to answer any questions or concerns. To sign up, click HERE.
