Blog

Driving Toward Change

April 4, 2016·0 comments

by Jean I. Anderson

I just completed an eight-hour driver safety class sponsored by AARP. The focus of the class is change. It’s the key word, probably in all of life.

We change as we age, losing some of the flexibility and response time to assess and react to the demands of driving.

The roads have changed, with more roundabouts replacing tricky intersections. High-speed highways have replaced the two lanes that took us on a lazy Sunday afternoon drive.

Change is evident in the vehicles we drive, now with greater safety features and buttons, which can be distracting as we attempt to figure out how to use them.

If involved in a crash, seniors are more likely to suffer greater serious injury or be killed because of their increased fragility. Even if you think you have no concerns with your current driving ability, this class was an excellent refresher on driving techniques and strategies that can be life-saving. You even save on your auto insurance when you submit the certificate of completion to your insurance.

What do you think is the greatest cause of fatalities for seniors? Sign up for the class and find out. Go to the AARP’s website, or call toll free [1-877-390-8806] for information. I’m glad I took the time to attend the class.

Community Events, Forward Chicago Activities, Lifelong Learning

Tidying Up: Listen, Learn and Share

March 29, 2016·0 comments

Join us on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Sulzer Library for a great conversation about getting rid of stuff and rethinking your relationship to your stuff. We will have a real live organizer to help demystify just what they can help you do, as well as a discussion of the now famous book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

We all have stuff, most of us have too much of it. If you have lived in the same place for more than 10 years, I’ll bet that you have a fair amount that you haven’t seen or used for a while. You may not need that dresser you had as a child or the jewelry from your ex-husband or the two sets of china that you won’t use because it is “too good.” You don’t have to abandon your stuff on the curb, but you may want to rethink your position after this talk.

I have a friend that got together all her old gold jewelry, some from childhood gifts from her parents, some from her ex-husband, and some lone sentimental items that she was never going to wear again. She sold it and purchased a camera that she uses virtually every day to take gorgeous pictures in the mountains of North Carolina. What a great reuse of that stuff. Sitting in a box never to be worn again or something that gives her joy on a daily basis. That is one example of rethinking your attitude about your stuff.

Come and listen as Pat and Sandy lead a discussion that will be lively. Sandy has a company called Step-by-Step by Sandy, and she will get you thinking! This may be just the thing that helps you to get started or to complete that project that you have been trying to finish. Join us!

Local Businesses, Local Programs & Services

Romance & Responsibility in Resale Shopping

March 19, 2016·0 comments

by Jean I. Anderson

I like to explore resale shops, not only for bargains but for the imagined stories behind each donation. Maybe families are downsizing or planning a move; maybe a family member has been lost and houseware items are no longer needed; maybe someone has simply grown tired of whatever is being donated.

At the Family Tree Resale Shop, I discovered a new and worthy concept for bargain hunting and donating: charitable contributions for designated partners.

This unique shop, located nearby at 5066 N. Lincoln Ave., just south of Foster, supports a voucher program for schools and organizations which benefit needy families.

It works like this: People make donations to the shop in the name of a designated partner school or organization. Each month, tallies for each partner organization are made, and these groups receive vouchers to be distributed to needy individuals and families in their community. These vouchers are then spent as cash for shop items that are 75 to 90 percent below retail.

At this point, there are 10 partners: St. Matthias, Budlong and Peterson elementary schools, Swedish Covenant Hospital, The Friendship Center, Ethiopian Community Association, Apna Ghar, Oak Street Health, Friedman Place, and the Syrian Community Network.

Any school or organization can join at no cost. When items come into the store that cannot be sold, NOTHING is thrown into the garbage. Family Tree Resale works with two organizations — Shoes for Africa and Greenpeace — to pass along clothing and other items that are not sold in the store.

Since 2009, Family Tree Resale shops (there’s also a shop in Wheaton; read more about it) have donated $82,000 in vouchers — $4,100 over the past winter season alone. It is a registered Illinois charity trustee.

Go on an adventure! Check out this wonderful neighborhood shop that was conceived with the brilliant and generous idea to give to neighbors in need. Besides, with your donation, you receive a card granting you a 15 discount on purchases, excluding sale items. Happy hunting! Happy disposing!

Please join Forward Chicago at our Spring Series with a discussion about tidying up on Thursday, March 31, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sulzer Library.

Community Events

Join Us at the Union League Club for the State of Chicago’s Neighborhoods

February 16, 2016·0 comments

Forward Chicago is delighted to have been asked to participate in a forum convened by the League of Women voters.

Please join us for Chicago in Focus – a quarterly discussion series featuring All Things Chicago – on Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Union League Club (65 W. Jackson Blvd.). Bring a friend!

Doors open at 5 p.m., program begins at 5:30
Admission is free, cash bar
Dress: Business casual, no jeans/denim
RSVP to 312-939-5949 or League@LWVChicago.org

Topic: The State of Chicago’s Neighborhoods

Are people taking their cues from the city?
How will the city budget affect neighborhood life?
How can we get involved?

These issues will be discussed with a panel of neighborhood activists, including:

Kevin Jackson, Chicago Rehab Network

Karen Kolb Flude, Forward Chicago

Giselle Mercier, Elevarte Chicago

Lauren Nolan, Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement, UIC

Ald. Tom Tunney, 44^th Ward Alderman

Sponsored by: League of Women Voters of Chicago and Union League Club of Chicago.

Community Events, Local Programs & Services

Forward Chicago Supports Ravenswood Senior Housing Development

February 16, 2016·2 comments

View of proposed senior housing at the former Ravenswood Hospital.

At the Feb. 3 informational meeting on the proposal to build sustainable and supportive housing for our community’s elders, Alderman Ameya Pawar made it clear that he is absolutely for the project at the former Ravenswood Hospital site and is willing to go to bat for it.

Forward Chicago is so pleased that our alderman is helping to make this happen. We hope there will be housing for those who helped make this such a great neighborhood.

The meeting was held at Lycée Français was well attended by people of all ages. The great thing about this project is that the location (4501 N. Winchester Ave.) is close to one of the city’s regional senior centers — the Northeast (Levy) Senior Center, at the corner of Lawrence and Damen — as well as a new Mariano’s grocery store, Welles Park and public transportation.

The building itself will be an adaptive re-use, which is fantastic. That is so much better than it going to landfill.

Most of the discontent arose about parking issues. As noted in the DNAInfo story about the meeting (in which I’m quoted), the developers have planned for a substantial number of parking spaces, and residents’ ages and incomes assure that they will not own many cars. We trust that the management company that already runs buildings like this in Chicago understands the parking needs of the employees.

Now, if only every neighborhood could do this, we could make a dent in the need for sustainable housing for our elders.

Local Programs & Services, Reflections

Beyond The Holidays: Caring for Our Older Neighbors

February 4, 2016·1 comment

The winter holiday season is often the time we use to reconnect with family and friends. It’s also when we’re more likely to check up on our older neighbors and other seniors who are important to us, to make sure they are doing well.

But times of need are neither predictable nor convenient, especially when it comes to one’s well-being. We shouldn’t wait for the holidays to pay attention to changing situations.

A simple checklist can help us become consistent guardians for the seniors we know:

Community Events, Local Programs & Services

Join Us to Champion Sustainable Senior Housing

February 1, 2016·1 comment

We are thrilled that a plan has come forward for the remaining building on the former Ravenswood Hospital site.

A community meeting will be held this Wednesday, Feb. 3, to learn more about a proposal to convert the building at 4501 North Winchester Ave. into 74 senior affordable housing units and a supportive living facility with 120 units.

More details about the proposed development, which also includes a deck parking garage, are available here. You can also view the site plan.

As you know, we have been advocating for additional housing for older adults in the Lincoln Square area for years. We commend Alderman Ameya Pawar for his leadership and stewardship for our older residents.

Forward Chicago conducted a Housing Survey in 2014. Among the findings:

Local Programs & Services

Ideas into Action: The Value of Business Partners Within Civic Actions

January 4, 2016·0 comments

Point in Time proposes turning underutilized parish properties into senior residential facilities with shared common spaces.

It’s probably not a stretch to assert that most feel civic groups excel at doing good and businesses are often good at doing well.

So would it be controversial to suggest that both types of organizations are better at doing good and well when they heed sound counsel from each other — or at least leverage the respective skills that each other brings to bear?

Doing good and doing well are attributed to notable luminaries as far back as Benjamin Franklin, and the concept is taught every day in undergraduate and graduate business school curriculums, popular business periodicals, and church sermons. Taken alone, both well and good seem universally understood. But in trying to marry the two, we almost invariably fumble at reaching an equitable partnership. And this is not necessarily a functional gap, but perhaps, just as often, a perceived gap.

The November Ideas into Action meeting centered around some innovative ideas a local real estate design team is offering to help address some of the impending housing and lifestyle challenges older residents will face in the coming years.

Forward Chicago Activities, Reflections

What a Year! A Look Back and Looking Forward to 2016 …

December 24, 2015·0 comments

Craft circle members at Sulzer Library with some of their creations.

Forward Chicago is working toward its fifth year. It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed – and it is hard to imagine that we haven’t known each other for a really long time. It’s been remarkable to witness the growth of a small, grassroots community organization.

Our members have worked together to make contributions to better our neighborhoods and enliven the lives of the young and old. Last year, Craft Circle made beautiful blankets for refugee families. This year, they increased their efforts to make blankets, gloves, hats, and more for The Night Ministry, Salvation Army Women’s Shelter, Project Linus and Lurie Children’s Hospital. The creations covered a table at the library for two months, and the collective efforts were astounding.

Arts & Culture, Forward Chicago Activities

At the Theater: A Sinner’s Success!

December 22, 2015·2 comments

The courtroom drama gave us much to think about.

Forward Chicago’s first try at a group theater outing was a success!

Even though we had less than 10 days to pull it all together, 14 eager enthusiasts attended “Never The Sinner,” a Victory Gardens Theater presentation that offered a creative account of the 1924 murder of young Bobby Franks by wealthy college students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.

Directed by Gary Griffin, the play included an account of the events leading up to the crime, the murder itself and the ensuing court case. It offered the audience thought-provoking insights into murder, motive and capital punishment. A post-play Q&A session allowed the audience to offer rigorous opinions and responses to other attendees about the play, and the related legal, societal, moral and ethical questions.

Due to the success of this outing, we will be organizing more theater outings that will offer a variety of plays to enjoy, with an eye on thrilling content and attractive ticket prices.

Keep your eye on Forward Chicago’s Community Calendar and email announcements for future events.