Newsletter

Check out our latest may 2021 Newsletter!

"Chicago HOPES for Kids provides students with the resources and encouragement needed to succeed academically, despite the challenges of homelessness."

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UPDATES

Rita Kahn
Executive Director

As I know many of you are feeling, I am deeply saddened by the continued deaths at the hands of police officers. Although the fight is long and frustrating, I do hope and believe we are moving toward positive change rooted in a growing appreciation of our shared humanity. Chicago HOPES for Kids continues to stand with the communities and families who have been impacted by police brutality.

I am pleased to announce the addition of three new members to our HOPES Executive Board whose collective experience, leadership and passion for our mission will continue to help guide HOPES forward. Frieda Holley is a long-standing Chicago community activist and non-profit manager of Frieda’s Place, Sonya Teague is Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Illinois Commerce Commission, and Amy Anthony is a Strategy and Analytics Manager at Salesforce and was recent President of HOPES Associate Board. Please join me in welcoming Frieda, Sonya and Amy to their new roles within the HOPES family.

Erica Walker
Program Manager

Chicago HOPES for Kids’ spring programming is currently underway at Good News Partners, Cornerstone Community Outreach, Apna Ghar, Primo Madison, Primo Sangamon, and Family Rescue. We are engaging more enrichment partners as well this semester, with Harmony, Hope and Healing, Noggin Builders and One Heart One Soul among them. After CPS Spring Break, our programs returned to four days onsite, the closest we have come to resuming our pre-pandemic format. Of course, nothing is or ever will quite be the same as it once was.

ADVOCACY ARTICLE

Energy: The Forgotten Cost of Poverty
By: Alex Kirchner
Development Administrator

Poverty comes at a cost. Some of these costs may be familiar, like housing that’s unaffordable when earning minimum wage, or healthcare emergencies that can quickly overwhelm uninsured families. For families living below the poverty line, these costs make up a disproportionate amount of their income and can also lead to poor public health and weaken the overall economy. Nowhere is this more true than when considering one expense that is easy to overlook, but that no family can live without: electricity.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Meet our volunteer spotlight for the month of May, Deb Perez! Deb is one of our AmeriCorps S&N at Chicago HOPES for Kids. She is a Chicago native, born and raised, and is a mother of three kiddos. Deb is going to school at Truman College to get her prerequisites done before transferring, and is trying to get her degree in human development and family studies. She enjoys the outdoors and cooking, and she is very very very passionate about the arts and creativity, especially when it comes to our youth. Deb love helping them find their voice and use their creativity in ways that they normally wouldn’t.

updates

Join us for a workshop to learn more about childhood homelessness! The virtual event will be held on Zoom on April 27th from 5:30-6:30 CT. We will discuss what childhood homelessness looks like, what it means to live doubled up, and the McKinney-Vento Act. Follow this link to register. We hope to see you there!

Chicago HOPES for Kids is excited to partner with Solstice to raise funds for our summer program! You can help everyone enjoy the summer sunshine a little more by signing up for a share of a Solstice community solar farm. Every sign-up means up to 20% energy savings for you with no additional fees, and a $200 gift to Chicago HOPES for Kids! Your support will help us provide high quality outdoor enrichment to students experiencing homelessness all summer long, including exciting hands-on STEM projects like building robots, outdoor art activities, and of course our key component of literacy through read-alouds and 1:1 reading time with volunteers. Help us reach our goal of $2000 and complete your sign-up today! Follow this link to learn more and sign up.

You can sign up for the May 20th session or May 25th session by following the Zoom links!

The Associate Board of Chicago HOPES for Kids is putting on a virtual and in-person charity golf outing. There are several different ways you can participate and give to Chicago HOPES for Kids! Golf not your thing? We would love to have you participate by playing mini-golf and contributing to HOPES! Check out the website to learn more.

We wanted to give a huge thank you to all who donated snacks for our students to eat during program. A special shoutout to Exelon Audit Services who contributed a large donation. We appreciate you!

SchoolHouse Connection is a national nonprofit organization working to overcome homelessness through education. They provide a lot of great policy updates, resources, and online webinars. Sign up for their newsletter to stay up to date!