The conference will be held Friday, May 9, 2014 at the Three Crowns Park, 2323 McDaniel Avenue in Evanston.

The Aging Well Conference and Film Festival for older adults, their families, professionals and other caregivers will include a wide range of topics.

Admission to both events is free. All costs are underwritten by the collaborating organizations and sponsors. Space is limited; conference attendance is limited to 175. Register by Friday, April 25, 2014 to receive confirmation by mail.

Transportation is available through the City of Evanston’s Levy Senior Center. If you have a disability or need additional assistance, please call 847-864-7274. Continuing Education Units (CEU) are offered by Chicagoland Methodist Senior Services for Licensed Clinical Social Workers. One CEU is available for each workshop. Keynote and closing session each offer 0.5 CEUs.

If you have questions, please call 847-864-7274 or email aging@cityofevanston.org

Forward Chicago is delighted to be a local sponsor for The Second Wind! Join us May 6th at this fantastic event. Here is new video from the Washington DC stop of this nationwide bus tour:

Click here for video: http://youtu.be/GXVCxG_lfR8

We are delighted to have you join us as we delve into the creation of the communities for our future. The conversation starts here!

Email info@forwardchicago or call 773-633-8312 and we will get you a ticket. Join us and bring a friend!

by Tana Durnbaugh

When you move to a big city you often expect to find what you had in a smaller town. Surprise! In Lincoln Square I could not find Open Play Bridge. When I talked to Dara she said, “Start one”. So Forward Chicago put a note in the Alderman’s newsletter. The first time we had no one but me. The second time we had 3 anxious people; one hadn’t played in 50 years. The next 3 times we had 5-7 people. Fun play! This is real progress. We can keep this up until we get 3 tables then we can become a Club. An Open Bridge Club in Lincoln Square! Maybe we could have tables at Sulzer’s Game Night. Maybe we could have a younger table – even a teenage table. Let’s keep this great game alive. Come! Play a game that never gets old and is always a challenge. See you the 1st and 3rd Friday at 10am at Sulzer Library. Forward Chicago -Together.

We have some really exciting events happening this Spring and Summer and here is the first one…Forward Chicago is interested in learning more about what “Aging in Community” means for our community.

We’re creating a group of community members who are interested in this topic and creating a community where they can age as they wish. The American Society on Aging recently published a journal about trends in this area, and we want to see what parts of this work apply to us: what exists in our neighborhoods, supports in our community, and where some of the gaps might be.  This group will last for a few months and we hope that lots of great ideas will be generated by the discussion. Please join us  – a different person will be leading each week and you are welcome to read the articles associated with the topic.  Interested? email – info@forwardchicago.org or call 773-633-8312 to join us.

Thanks to the Forward Chicago Team who makes this happen!

Chicago-based Writer and Documentary Filmmaker, Ebony Marie Coward is looking for interview subjects for a documentary called “Listen To Your Elders”.  Subjects must be senior citizens that willing to answer three questions in detail…

What is your fondest memory?

What is your biggest regret?

And finally, what message do you have for younger people?

There is unfortunately no compensation for these interviews as the documentary will most likely not make a profit.

I am looking for subjects from a variety of backgrounds, however, all subjects must speak English fluently.

If you have a picture of yourself from when you were younger that you would be willing to allow me to scan for inclusion in the project, that would be much appreciated.

The interviews will be no more than 30 minutes and take place in the 47th Ward Public Service Office 4243 N. Lincoln Ave, on February 17 & 24 from 10am to 12pm.

RSVP with a date: Dara Salk after 2/12 phone: 773-868-4747 or email dara@chicago47.org

A consent form will be provided for each subject to sign at the time of our meeting.

If you are planning on participating, please give some thought to what stories you will be sharing, in order to be prepared for the interview.

Take a look at her other work:

http://wom-productions.com/

I participated in the annual day of service in honor of MLK at a Sew In that was sponsored by Forward Chicago at the Lincoln Square Friendship Center  located at 2733 W Lawrence Avenue. Two groups, the women of the Craft Circle decided that they wanted to make a difference during their monthly meetings at the Sulzer Library.

They joined forces with a local girl scout troop  to help our neighbors by sewing reusable grocery bags for the clients at the food pantry, as well as cloth dog toys made out of old tee shirts.

While I am not a sewer, I was able to join right in and participate by cutting fabric for the dog toys while the girl scouts and their leaders braided the actual toys. Another neighbor brought lunch for everyone so that we could work through lunch. Over 50 bags were made for the clients of the food pantry.

It is so great to have neighbors helping neighbors, we had a few folks that saw the notice on Forward Chicago’s or the alderman’s website and showed up. This winter, just showing up counts for a lot and we all thought it was well worth it.  Please check out the DNAinfo article for more about this wonderful event . http://dnain.fo/KAUfFA

Research Participation is a Part of Healthy Aging

Our best hope to find new ways to treat, prevent or cure health conditions is through research.  Did you know there is an urgent need for adults of all ages and health levels to participate in research?

We invite you to help test new educational materials on research participation that are being developed by organizations at the federal level.

Join us for coffee and discuss:

• How & why research participation can be a part of your plan for healthy aging
• Easy steps you can take to find research studies looking for volunteers just like you
• Your feedback on how to best get the word out about this important issue, which will increase the number of adults participating in research – helping us all to be more healthy as we age

Where:   47^th Ward Public Service Office – 4243 N. Lincoln Avenue

When:    January 18, 2014 11am- 12 pm

Walk in to Forward Chicago’s Craft Circle and the first thing you notice is that everybody is smiling.

Then you notice that everyone gets right to work. There is a motion, an energy in the room. Propelled by forces as old as time and as recent as this very second: First the fact that work is always better when you’re doing it with people you like.

The visitor asks, “Why are you here?” And the answers bubble up in that kind of tone that only happens when a group is really a group. “It’s a social thing,” or maybe “keeps me out of trouble!” These are the kind of laughing answers offered up by group members. But the answers come fast as the group organizes itself for today’s meeting.

“Sew? Knit? Crochet? Something else? We like it all! We originally called ourselves The Sewing Circle. But we now have so many different skills in this group that we changed it to The Craft Circle.”

Watch the group move together. Watch them include new members. Somebody misses a stitch and then someone else says, “You can always correct a mistake.”

But what makes this grassroots, self-led group most unique is there sense of a practical, shared purpose. The social part is enjoyed by all. But this is a group that knows how to make the most out of every piece of fabric. They are working on hand sewn hand bags that they will be donating to the Lincoln Square Friendship Center Food Pantry. A wonderful example of one community group helping another in serving a greater need—hungry neighbors.

And as you watch this constantly moving group of community members of all ages, you see how the work connects the generations. How it blends the wisdom of age, the energy of the young at heart and does the work of building a community where everyone is included, active and influential.

You see a group where everyone matters.

Please join the Craft Circle at two final “sew-in” sessions will be held at the Lincoln Square Friendship Center (2733 W. Lawrence) on Wednesday, January 15th and Monday, January 20^th from 10:30 am -1:30 pm.

The Forward Chicago Craft Circle meets the third Wednesday of each month from 11am – 12:30 pm at Sulzer Public Library. All ages and all crafters are welcome.  Please check the website for more information www.forwardchicago.org or call 773-633-8312.

You may have seen the Divvy bike stations around our community – they are a low-cost, healthy way to get around. Divvy is looking for community input on where to put more bike stations around town. If you would like to make a suggestion, click here (http://suggest.divvybikes.com/page/about) or read more below.

Help Suggest Locations for More Divvy Stations

Divvy currently has 300 stations all across Chicago, but will adding 175 more stations in 2014. With 475 stations, Divvy will be the bike share system with the most stations in North America! With these new stations we’ll be able to expand in all directions into new neighborhoods while also filling in gaps in the current service area.

 

Divvy launched a website where you can make suggestions for locations of new stations.

On this map, you’ll see:

• Current Stations
• Suggested Stations by the Public

Because you know your neighborhoods best, we ask that you use this page to suggest new stations and provide comments on existing ones.

All of your input will be considered by the Divvy Siting Team.

Please feel free to share this page (suggest.divvybikes.com) with your friends, family, and community for their feedback.