UPDATES |
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Rita Kahn
Executive Director HOPES spring program has begun and we are excited to welcome some new team members to the family. Margaux Ziss and Hannah Sullivan have joined HOPES as site coordinators and will be leading programs at Cornerstone Community Outreach and Family Rescue. We have also onboarded two new AmeriCorps State members, Francess Dunbar and Deborah Perez. We look forward to the energy and expertise our new staff and volunteers will bring to our programs and children. In lieu of a holiday gathering, our staff, board members and AmeriCorps volunteers enjoyed getting together for a virtual trivia mixer on Thursday, February 4th. Not all of us (especially me) proved to be trivia experts, but we did all have a great time testing our brains and getting to know each other better. Please stay warm and safe and thank you for your continued support of Chicago HOPES for Kids! |
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Erica Walker
Program Manager Our program this semester is a result of the experimentation and adjustments we have made over the last year out of necessity; we are providing a hybrid format with in-person programming twice weekly with virtual program components on Thursdays, and twice weekly resource newsletters sent to families and other subscribers. Please subscribe and share widely! |
ADVOCACY ARTICLE |
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Love Fridges
By: Francess Dunbar AmeriCorps S&N Millions of Americans take advantage of their local food bank every year, and that number has only grown during the pandemic (1). Cook County alone has almost 800,000 food insecure residents, a more than fifty percent increase since 2018 (2). But difficulties with distribution and social distancing have created new lines and delays at pantries even as rising unemployment has increased demand, and the older volunteer base which often sustains food distribution organizations has been forced inside indefinitely. |
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT |
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Meet our volunteer spotlight for the month of February, David Castillo! David is one of the Program Coordinators at Chicago HOPES for Kids. He is a Chicago native with a degree in History from Ripon College. David loves to play videogames, occasionally participate in a baseball league, and spend time with his friends and family. |
updates |
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Thank you to Horizontal Talent! Their gift of cleaning supplies will help us to continue our work in a safe and healthy manner!
CALLs TO ACTION |
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There are a variety of calls to action this month, from policy advocacy to orgs seeking donations!
The Emergency Family Stabilization Act has been re-introduced. EFSA helps children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness during Covid by supporting them through the systems that they are already connected with. There are a few new small provisions to the act, as seen above. HOPES endorses this legislation.
Actions you can take:
- Urge your Senators to support the legislation by contacting them directly
- Endorse the legislation yourself, or consider signing on your business or nonprofit organization.
For more information on how you can get involved, follow this link.
Actions you can take:
- Urge your Senators to support the legislation by contacting them directly
- Endorse the legislation yourself, or consider signing on your business or nonprofit organization.
For more information on how you can get involved, follow this link.
This Chicago Mutual Aid Map is a great resource for finding mutual aid groups near you, food pantries, and other needed resources!
