Come celebrate the Holidays with Forward Chicago!! The Forward Chicago Dinner Club is hosting a potluck for our community. Join your neighbors at this festive holiday holiday potluck. Please bring an appetizer or side dish to share. BYOB.
Thursday, December 12th, 2013
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Ravenswood UCC 2050 W. Pensacola (use west door).
RSVP & bring a friend!
info@forwardchicago.org or 773-633-8312.
The National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare & The IL Alliance for Retired Americans are hosting a demonstration to draw attention to the critical need to protect Social Security. We would love to have a presence from our community. Please forward this to your networks and also grab a friend and come use your voice for Social Security!
Please RSVP to Jay (phone # below).
PLEASE JOIN US!
– NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION –
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5TH
Senator Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, is meeting NOW and may consider:
Cuts to Social Security
Raising Medicare beneficiary costs
Reducing Medicaid funding
Join us on December 5 to SAVE THESE PROGRAMS FROM HARMFUL CUTS!
Who: Advocates for Social Security
What: RALLY to deliver the message of importance of Social Security
Where: Meet at the corner of Dearborn and Jackson
When: December 5, 2013 at 11:30am
Please RSVP to Jay Lewkowitz by phone, (847) 299-5588.
Career Coaching Sessions
Roger Wright
rogerwright1@sbcglobal.net
Author of Finding Work When There Are No Jobs (February 2013. Think Different Press)
A veteran Career and Leadership Coach, Roger is offering private sessions based on the books Strengthfinder 2.0 and Finding Work When There Are No Jobs.
Finding Work When There Are No Jobs is available at: The Book Cellar, City Lit Books, Women and Children First and amazon.com.
Contact Roger via email for rates and scheduling.
Where you buy effects your local community!
Today is officially Small Business Saturday. We have such fantastic local shops – it is great to have a reminder of the importance that they hold for our local economy. I was struck by a recent article from USA Today talking about the importance of local businesses in our community. For example:
“More than 9 in 10 small-business owners nationally give back to their communities in some way, be it working with nonprofits, coaching youth sports teams or holding public office, said Ron Aldridge, Mississippi director of the nonprofit nonpartisan National Federation of Independent Business.” The article goes on to state,
“Before the recession, a small-scale study in the Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville found that more than two-thirds of the money customers spent with local companies remained in the Chicago economy; 57 cents of every dollar spent at chain stores left the Chicago area, according to Civic Economics, economic development consultants with offices in Chicago and Austin.”
Here is a link to the entire article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/11/29/small-business-saturday/3785883/
We are so lucky to have community businesses who also support Forward Chicago. Please visit our local community business connections (click here for list of businesses) and flex your local muscle while also supporting organizations who support Forward Chicago. Have fun and shop local!
Delicious Café
3827 N. Lincoln
Chicago, IL. 60613
773-697-4857
http://deliciousvegancafe.blogspot.com/
Listen to the stories of Delicious Café and you begin to hear a common theme. The absolute delight at having discovered a personally favorite place. There are as many reasons for that personal delight as there are people. Somebody who had no idea what a “jerk chicken wrap” was, and now it is their absolute favorite new thing in the world. The fact that a breakfast sandwich could taste that good AND leave you feeling like you’ve eating something so healthy. Listen to the stories and you’ll hear great detail about the delicacy and quality of Rishi Tea or small batch roasted Metropolis Coffee. Get someone talking about just how good the baked goods are at Delicious and the details will flow. But they always come back to that personal discovery of a neighborhood treasure. There is a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Comfortable seating for all ages and the chairs and tables don’t all look the same. Local artists have their work on the walls. In the summer, there is a screen door. A personal touch I liked a lot. You’ll discover something personal at Delicious. And it will become your favorite.
Remember when skilled craftsmen used to fix things? Pride in a skill? In good work? Fair prices? All of that is still here in the North Center Neighborhood at AD Watch repair and Services, Inc. Certified Watchmaker Anibel Diaz will take care of:
3821 North Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
1-773-935-3022
adwatchrepairservices@hotmail.com
Walk into ‘knit1’ and immediately you wonder, “Haven’t I been here before?”
There is giant table in the middle of the room. People are gathered around. Someone is holding a baby. You are instantly welcomed. Smiles that are real. On the walls are bins of natural fibers for knitting and crochet. Every color imaginable. You think, “If they don’t have it, I probably didn’t want it in the first place.” Then that feeling of having been here before. And you realize why. It’s because knit 1 is more like a community center than a store.
It is every warm neighbors kitchen table you know. It is he neighborhood store of an earlier time. If you knit or crochet, you need to drop by today. If you don’t, you might want to think about taking it up. Because what they do here really isn’t about “customer service.” Those words don’t really describe it. What they do here is invite you in to a community. As warm as a brilliantly colored hand knit sweater. Whether you are a beginner or have been knitting or crocheting your whole life. The feeling around their table is: Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!”
3823 North Lincoln
773-244-1646
Chicago, IL 60612
Through Personal Training, Small Group Training and Corporate Wellness Solutions, Orange Shoe offers a workout like no other. We believe your workout should be a part of your life, and your workout space should feel like a second home. This isn’t simply a gym – it’s a new way of life, a new community, a new you.
Forward Chicago is just delighted to welcome our newest Community Business Connection – Cafe Selmarie. We are so pleased to have the participation of such a fantastic community gathering spot. Happy 30th Birthday to Cafe Selmarie!
Café Selmarie is an independently owned restaurant and bakery located in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. The business opened in its same location 30 years ago, in 1983, as a tiny bakery café with just a few tables, a pastry case and espresso machine. It has since grown into one of the city’s primary neighborhood destinations for contemporary american dining as well as for its handmade baked goods. Café Selmarie serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch with menus created by Executive Chef Bryant Anderson, complimented by a boutique wine and beer list, plus specialty cocktails.
Café Selmarie is open 7 days a week: Monday 11am – 3pm, Tuesday through Thursday 8am – 9pm, Friday and Saturday 8am – 10 pm, and Sunday from 9am – 9pm. Visit us at 4729 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago, or at cafeselmarie.com. 773-989-5595
I am always amazed at the generosity and kindness of our Forward Chicago members. You see this amazing photo – these were just casually dropped off at Ald. Pawar’s office by Forward Chicago member Betty Rogus.
Betty is a member of the Forward Chicago Craft Circle, and Lunch Bunch, and a supporter of many different community organizations. She also is quite crafty, with a lifelong passion for sewing. She makes jackets, aprons, more.
At our last Craft Circle we talked about the new Lincoln Square Friendship Center that just opened. This super organization is a community space that is operating as a local food pantry and also a pet food pantry (open the Third Thursday of the month). We discussed that the food pantry needed fabric bags for their patrons and to give to donors. You see, they want everyone to use these bags – to promote our local food pantry that is helping to support people when they need it most.
Our Craft Circle decided they wanted to do a “sew-in” and create bags for the new Lincoln Square Friendship Center. What is a “sew-in” you might ask? Well, that is when a group of crafty folks get together to work on a project. We divide the project into parts – one person irons, one person cuts fabric, one person sews on a machine, one person might make tea for the crafty folks, another might donate fabric – it is just a way to get folks together and work on a project using the skills and expertise of everyone – there is a role for every person there and it is a very good way to make projects come to life, quickly – it’s like a turbo project.
Betty said she might have a pattern we could use, and we decided to discuss it at the October meeting. Well, just before the October meeting – I got a call. Someone had donated fabric to the Craft Circle, did I want to come and pick it up? Well, a couple of days after, I picked up the bag and guess what – it was from Betty and she had not just donated fabric…she had started to make bags. 13 BAGS!!!!!!! And they are gorgeous. She made them on her own. Because she wanted to help a growing organization in the community. And she wanted to help those in need – and she donated her skills, time, and fabric to lovingly make bags – for those who need it most. Thanks Betty – you are amazing!
Our Sew in is going to happen in December, and it is going to be fun. Email info@forwardchicago.org if you would like to join us – there is room for all, if you would like to donate fabric, bring your sewing machine, or just come along and enjoy a lovely group of folks. Send us an email, or give us a call.
And make sure to thank Betty when you see her – she is one amazing woman who just keeps on giving. Yay Betty!
Forward Chicago 