by Julie Sells

The August Meet and Greet offered time to dialogue about ideas generated during our readings and experiences with Forward Chicago. Familiar -and new -faces joined the discussions throughout the summer while common themes  and shared interests emerged around topics of:

Community- building/ leadership;
Service/ volunteerism;
Healthy and productive aging;
Quality of life; living environments;
Purposeful activities; and
Neighbors and neighborhoods.

The group is excited to start its new chapter and begin planning to  turn good ideas into action!

Join us as we stay active, influential and engaged in our growing community!

Meets the third Saturday of each month at St. Matthias Covenant 11am – 12:30.

by Matt Altstiel, Chicago

Chicago and much of the world came to know the names, faces and stories of 11- to 13-year-old boys from Chicago’s South Side. These boys, of course, are players for the Jackie Robinson West All-Stars, the Little League team that represented Illinois and the Great Lakes Region. Their magical run ended with an 8-4 loss at the hands of the bigger and ultimately more talented South Korean team. JRW made a most unlikely run, becoming the champions of the United States and just five runs shy of world champs.

Living in Chicago, I was rooting for this team to go all the way. Even if I weren’t a Chicagoan, I would have gravitated toward this team. Indeed, there were many reasons people around the globe started rooting for them.

For one, this Chicago team became the first national champion since 1967 to be from one of the country’s five largest cities. For another, this was the first all-black team to win the championship, and the only majority African-American team to even make to the World Series since JRW last did more than 30 years ago. The JRW kids come from the some of the most disadvantaged communities in Chicago, and the program has historically lacked the coaching, equipment and funding to compete with wealthier suburban teams.

This JRW team was everything one would want to show to young kids about how to handle themselves. We saw the exuberance of a home run, only to be followed by an apology to the opposing coach for what was considered excessive celebration.

We saw it at the end of a championship game when a JRW player coordinated an impromptu five-part fist bump with his Korean counterpart. Rather than sulk and cry, which, given the circumstances, they would have been excused for doing, these team members kept their heads high saluting the crowd.

Who knows where these kids will end up. I suspect that they will all be high-achieving adults and successful at whatever they attempt. Indeed, they’ve already shown the attributes to be winners in life at any age, far younger than most of us. They know how to win. They know how to lose. They know how to fight and how to be a team. In post-game interviews, they were selfless. They showed poise, understanding the enormity of the moment but never getting caught up in their new-found fame.

The team is important for other reasons too. It is the best possible antidote to the steady stream of headlines blasting the city’s violence and supposed criminality. This was a positive headline of what young men can be with the right influences.

If these kids are more emblematic of the future of Chicago than the 14 year-olds killing each other over social media, I am incredibly hopeful for the future of this city.

Jackie Robinson West players aren’t just champions for the South Side, or Chicago; they are America’s champions. Sometimes the best on the field are also the best off it. This was one of those times.

Congrats JRW; you earned it.

Join the Forward Chicago Book Club. It’s more than just a book club.

Get together with like-minded people that love idea sharing, good conversation, exploring diverse topics and getting thoughts into motion.

Last month the group discussed Second Wind, by Bill Thomas, a thought provoking examination of the choices all of us have while transitioning to older age.

Next month’s gathering will be held on Monday the 25th of August from 6 – 8 pm at the 47th Ward Public Service Office (4243 N. Lincoln – free parking on street and in Jewel parking lot).

Read a book or article of your choice and share what you’ve learned – or simply listen to what others have to say. One person’s selection may introduce you to something you haven’t considered reading.

One suggested reading choice is, Calling Invisible Women, a novel by Jeanne Ray.

The goal of this book club is to get people engaged and connected in an idea-sharing environment that ultimately enriches lives and community.

Join us!

by Dära Salk

I remember how shocked I was when the CTA said they were going to cancel the #11 Lincoln Bus from Lawrence to Fullerton. Why would they want to stop the middle of a well-used bus route that served so many neighborhood people and small independent stores? Shop Local, right? The #11 never lost money! The CTA  said they were going to put more cars on the Brown Line and that people would use that or people could take the Damen or Western Buses; that the #11 was “redundant”. We did everything humanly possible to change their minds: we wrote, emailed, called, signed petitions and went to a Tuesday night meeting downtown in the cold. Our elected officials, State Representative Williams, County Commissioner Fritchey and Alderman Pawar attended that night. Ald. Pawar presented a letter from Congressman Quigley. They asked for a stay on the decision for 6 months and they would find the funds to cover the continuation of the #11. The answer then and now has been NO!

Now we have a chance to make our voices heard again. The CTA was certain the #11 wasn’t needed! Alderman Pawar is launching a survey for everyone to let the CTA know how the cancellation of this bus is affecting us and our neighborhood businesses. Please take the survey online or on paper, send it to your family and friends, talk to the local businesses and get the word out to everyone you know. Let the CTA know that this decision must be reversed!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/cta11bus

by Dära Salk

When I was told in March that I had cataracts, the doctor said “No hurry, come back in 6 months”.  Then along came the first lovely spring day, when I got on my bike and realized – I can’t see the potholes! I quickly scheduled cataract surgeries two weeks apart.

The first amazing reality was that there was no pain and not even a little discomfort. The biggest surprise came when the first eye patch was removed – I was shocked by the colors around me. As a long-time gardener I had been choosing plants for years not really seeing their bright colors! I had no idea there were so many hues and shades!

It reminded me of Dorothy after her house landed and she walked out into the bright colorful world of Oz! I’m not in Kansas anymore.

Fibber McGee and Molly, the Great Gildersleeve, Mr. and Mrs. North, Sky King, Ma Perkins…are you acquainted with any of these names?  If so, you are a part of a very select group of people who remember turning on a radio dial and tuning into the hilarious, exciting, awesome adventures of these personalities who came out of the Golden Days of Radio.  

Would you like to recreate these wonderful memories?  Then please join us at the North Center Senior Satellite to participate in a radio script reading group.  We meet at the Center every Tuesday, 12:30 to 1:30, to research and read old-time radio scripts which are available online.  So far we have about a dozen participants but would welcome more to help with research, reading and writing scripts, sound effects, commercials, music, voice coaching, and announcing.

Our first “broadcast” will be July 3rd, 12:30 pm., when the the North Center Senior Satellite marks its sixth anniversary.  Festivities begin at 10 am.  We will present a spoof on the famous 1957 black and white film, “Twelve Angry Men.”   Be sure to tune us in!