Claretian Associates latest news

Local green efforts highlighted on new websites

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Our partners in the South Chicago Retrofit Program, led by Claretian Associates, created great, new websites highlighting their efforts to green the southeast side.

The Field Museum's new page details their efforts with the Chicago Community Climate Action Toolkit and its efforts in the area. Click here to check it out.

The Southeast Green Gallery is part of a community-wide exhibit called “Retrofit Your Neighborhood: From Steel to Green, Pollution to Solution.” The exhibit showcases stories from Southeast Side residents about the different ways they are already “going green” and helping their families and communities become healthier and more environmentally friendly. The stories were collected by youth from The Zone, a youth and community center serving the Southeast Side of Chicago as well as youth from the South Chicago Art Center.

Check out The Field Museum's terrific video highlighting the green efforts in South Chicago!

Free tax help available at Olive-Harvey College

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:00 -0600

Get your taxes filed for free by City of Chicago tax clinics, including one at Olive-Harvey College. Families earning less than $50,000 and individuals earning less than $25,000 may be qualified to participate. Between January 19 and April 17, tax preparers can help you! For all the details including exact dates and times, click here or download the flyer.

New webiste offers easy ways to lower your energy bills

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:00 -0600

A new website is helping area residents access tips to reduce energy bills and see all the rebates and incentives available. To access the new sit, visit energyimpactillinois.org.

"Healing the Community" unites Mireles Academy & local artists

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0600

South Chicago resident artist Roman Villareal was recently motivated by a series of violent gun shootings that took the lives of several youth in the community. He created a hand-carved alabaster sculpture which is traveling to various local schools to send the message that it is time to “Stop the Violence and Heal the Community.”

The sculpture, which depicts a mother holding a child to protect its innocence, was unveiled as part of the kick off of the Healing the Community campaign November 21. Engraved on the sculpture is a poem by Arnold Mireles Academy student John Olowu.

Other Mireles students also participated in the poetry contest writing about violence and peace in their community. These entries will be used to create a book.

Partners in the kick-off event included 10th Ward Alderman John A. Pope’s office, Claretian Associates’ South Chicago New Communities Program, Mireles Academy, Artist Roman Villareal, Cocomocha Arts, and Intergenerational Growing Projects. The program included 10th Ward Alderman Pope, State Representative Barbara Flynn-Currie, and South Chicago Chamber of Commerce Interim Executive Director Raya Lopez.

Also at the event, was the unveiling of an interactive mural created by the founding partners of Cocomocha Arts Derric Clemmons and Luz Castillo. The mural is a collection of children’s games such as hop scotch, four corners and a new game created by the artist called “Amaze Me,” a game of tag within a maze that must be followed in order to win.

“The students could barely let the paint dry before they started playing the games,” said Jackie Samuel, Claretian Associates’ New Communities Program Director for South Chicago. “These murals were developed as solutions for replacing a basketball court on in the school playground which was encouraging gang crime.”

The mural will be accented by a community garden planted by Intergenerational Growing Projects and sponsored by LISC/Chicago and Kraft Foods.

“While we wait through a Chicago winter to see the garden’s first growth, you can also visit the Peace Lily plant given to the school as a final reminder of what “Healing the Community” means,” Samuel added.

Southeast side featured on WCIU's Now Chicago show

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0600

WCIU, The U recently showcased South Chicago and the Eastside on their Now Chicago show with George Blaise. What a great opportunity to highlight the efforts of so many local organizations making a difference in the area. Valentina Gamboa-Turner represented Claretian Associates on the East Side show and did a terrific job. To see the shows, click here!

"Hoops in the Hood" scores big in South Chicago

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:15:00 -0600

Kids from South Chicago are enjoying basketball, making new friends and having fun this summer through the new Hoops in the Hood program, a critically acclaimed traveling basketball program offered citywide and sponsored by LISC/Chicago and State Farm Insurance.

Claretian Associates is collaborating with many local partners to make the program a success: South Chicago YMCA Street Interventions, Alderman Pope’s 10^th Ward Office, South Chicago Neighborhood House, Pilgrim Baptist Church, Chicago Park District, La Causa Community Committee and Our Neighborhood Times.

The goal is to create a safe and peaceful community and foster civic engagement and community building. Youth ages 10-19 participate in age-appropriate basketball camps with a culminating “block party” where basktball is played in conjunction with activities for youth and adults that are not playing in the game.

“This program has been a long time coming for South Chicago,” said Jackie Samuel, New Communities Program Director at Claretian Associates. “It builds on the success of an earlier program offered by the South Chicago YMCA Street Intervention Program – at that event, Alderman Pope was shooting hoops with the kids and thought it would be great to start a program like this in South Chicago.”

If the program is a success, we hope to to expand it next year and partner with block clubs to host games. If you are interested in learning more or participating in this program, please contact Graciela Robledo at 773-734-9181 x14 or by clicking here.

Casa Kirk featured on ABC-7 for going "smoke-free"

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:06:00 -0600

ABC-7 Chicago featured Casa Kirk Apartments on its Sunday morning news program as Claretian Associates is receiving a new grant from The Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project for our efforts to encourage the adoption of smoke-free policies in our apartments. To see the video, click here. The story was also covered on the Huffingon Post.

“We are excited to be able to complement our smoke-free policies with real programming solutions that will provide tools to break the difficult addiction of smoking,” says Angela Hurlock, executive director of Claretian Associates. Hurlock will oversee implementation of smoke-free policies and smoking cessation resources that will affect at least 45 families, including more than 100 children, in its Casa Kirk and Rehab South Chicago apartments.

The proposed program is part of Claretian Associates’ strategy to move South Chicago “from Steel Town to Green Town” by creating healthy programming for South Chicago residents in a community not typically known for having clean air or healthy living options.

Free resources, including a “toolkit” for adoption of smoke-free building policies and a searchable registry of smoke-free homes, are available here. As the delegate agency for the Chicago Department of Public Health, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago oversees the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project. Funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control, the comprehensive program includes hard-hitting media, outreach to vulnerable population groups, and policy efforts that reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. For more, click here.

Learning useful lessons at National Gang Symposium

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:13:00 -0600

Participants at our CeaseFire anti-violence "ring the bell" event leave flowers for those that died too soon from violence in South Chicago. The event was part of CeaseFire Week, which raises awareness about mediating violence through peaceful interventions. Claretian Associates' staff from our South Chicago New Communities Program attended the 2011 National Gang Symposium in June in Orlando, Florida to learn about best practices in gang prevention and intervention that could be replicated in South Chicago.

Staff from Claretian Associates' South Chicago New Communities Program atended the 2011 National Gang Symposium, which was hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and coordinated by the National Gang Center and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Claretian Associates hoped to learn best practices in gang prevention and intervention that could be replicated in South Chicago. In September 2010, Claretian Associates participated in the Chicago Public Schools' Culture of Calm Community Watchers program, providing safe passages for student to and from Bowen High School. Last fall, we hired a new Safety Manager and contracted with 30 community watchers to be the eyes and ears of Bowen High School. In November 2010, CeaseFire began its violence provention program in South Chicago led by Claretian Associates.

"Attending the National Gang Symposium was the perfect opportunity to learn more about how to maintain both of these programs successfully," said Jackie Samuel, South Chicago NCP Director. "The students, parents and broader community have been very appreciative of these programs. Many youth expressed that this was the first time they did not have to take an indirect route home from school and felt safer on the streets."

The 2011 National Gang Symposium featured innovative, successful programs for preventing young people from joining gangs, intervening with gang members, suppressing gang-related crime and violence, and facilitating reentry of incarcerated gang members into local communities. The conference theme, “Progress Through Partnerships,” describes the essence of what has been learned about anti-gang strategies in the past few decades.

South Chicago NCP team with plenary speaker, Luis J. Rodriguez: from left: NCP Director Jackie Samuel, Safety Manager Katrina Parker, Mr. Rodriguez, Tenth Ward Alderman Staff Yessenia Carreon and NCP Organizer Graciela Robledo. Mr. Rodriguez is the bestselling author of Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A., a memoir that explores the motivation of gang life and cautions against the destruction that claims its participants.

South Chicago rallies for Neil Bosanko

Mon, 16 May 2011 12:48:00 -0600

Read a great article on LISC/Chicago's New Communities Program website about Neil Bosanko, head of the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce and long-time community leader. As Neil struggles with cancer, the community is rallying to make sure Neil's program continue for many years.

US Catholic Magazine highlights Hurlock

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:56:00 -0600

Read a great article about Angela Hurlock in the March 2011 issue of US Catholic magazine, published by The Claretians — the parent company of Claretian Associates. To see the article, click here. To learn more about US Catholic magazine, click here.

The City is seeking all Chicago Creatives!

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:11:00 -0600

From February 4–25, 2011, the City of

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) will conduct an open, online survey of all Chicago Creatives.

Everyone who considers themselves creative is invited to take the Creative Chicago Survey.

Who is a creative? That's what the City will learn. An artist or an architect, a chef or DJ, a member of a church choir or a fashion designer, a teaching artist or playwright, an arts administrator or a filmmaker, a knitter or an industrial designer, every person who engages in a creative practice as their job or their hobby is "a creative."

The Creative Chicago Survey will invite all creative practitioners to describe who they are and what they need to thrive in Chicago, including specific space and business assistance information. The goal is to hear from all creative people who live and/or work in Chicago.

To link to the survey — from February 4-25, click here.

Need roof & porch repairs? Call 311 on January 1!

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:58:00 -0600

Low-income homeowners may qualify for the City's Emergency Housing Assistance Program, which offers “forgivable loans” to low-income homeowners for repairs to roofs & porches. Applicants must call 311 on January 1st to be placed on the waiting list.

For more information click here.

Details include: Assistance is provided on a first-come-first-served basis. Applicants must be owner-occupants and reside in the property for at least one year. Applicants must fall within the income guidelines.
The Department of Community Development will accept applications based on available funding.

Greenbuild 2010 comes to South Chicago

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:15:00 -0600

Photo courtesy of Landon Bone Baker Architects

As a part of Greenbuild’s Affordable Housing Summit, Claretian Associates participated in a tour and discussion of our green initiatives in South Chicago in partnership with Landon Bone Baker, our architects. We gave a tour of an energy efficient affordable home currently under construction and also presented the planning, green retrofit and new LEED affordable infill housing work in progress. For more info about LBBA, click here.

Casa Kirk residents celebrate with 2010 summer picnic

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:51:00 -0600

Families living in Casa Kirk apartments enjoyed their annual summer picnic in late August.

South Chicago seniors dancing to better health

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:48:00 -0600

Over the past year, Villa Guadalupe has worked closely with David Xavier Marquez, assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition in the College of Applied Health Sciences, as he recruited 13 Latinos, all 55 or older, who have done little or no exercise the past year. The group — 12 women and one man — have learned merengue, cha cha cha, bachata and salsa.

The pilot study, called BAILAMOS (Spanish for "we dance," and an acronym for "Balance and Activity in Latinos, Addressing Mobility in Older adultS"), was limited to people who are relatively inactive and have limited mobility.

Julia Lopez, Villa Guadalupe's social service coordinator, recruited participants with the help of other community organizations.

For the complete story and photos, please click here.

Tour South Chicago with local youth as your guide

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:08:00 -0600

Youth from Germano-Millgate Apartments hosted "Green Tours" during the 10th Ward Green Summit month of May. The teens took the lead in researching and documenting green efforts while also developing and designing a green resource directory for the community, too. The project was led by South Chicago Artist Coalition member Gerri Gibson in partnership with a resident artist from archi-treasures.

For more information, contact Jackie Samuel.

South Chicago People's Park Gets a Makeover - thanks to Evergreen Supply Company!

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:31:00 -0600

Thank you to the employees of Evergreen Supply Company and EverLights who spent a day refurbishing South Chicago People’s Park at 91st Street & Buffalo Avenue in late March. As a volunteer project, they raked up 100 bags of leaves, rebuilt the stage, installed new brick pavers, repainted murals on the benches, recovered two giant children’s “climbing” turtles, refinished site lighting and planted a pear tree. We are so grateful for their dedication!

Hurlock honored with Chicago Magazine's 2010 Green Awards

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:10:00 -0600

Chicago Magazine has honored Executive Director Angela Hurlock with one of its 2010 Green Awards. She received the award at the John G. Shedd Aquarium April 13, 2010. Check out the article, photo and video celebrating Angela's dedication and spirit.

Community Ecumencial Service set for April 3

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0600

South Chicago area churches and community groups are preparing for the 10th annual South Chicago Ecumenical Easter Service set for Saturday, April 3. This year's theme is "Have faith in our community - God is with us!" Everyone is welcome to celebrate this milestone service with presentations from area leaders, pastors, choirs, and dancers!

Here are some pictures from last year's event.

Free tax assistance for Claretian Associates' clients

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:14:00 -0600

Claretian Associates offers free, weekly tax services in our offices up until April 15, 2010 through a new partnership with Intuit Tax Freedom Project.

To download the flyer and see if you qualify, please click here. If you'd like to recieve tax assistance, please call Valentina Gamboa-Turner at 773-734-9181, x24 to make sure we have space for you!

LISC/Chicago honors South Chicago heroes

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:53:00 -0600

South Chicago Heroes Kevin Murphy & Joann Podkul

Photo by Alex Fledderjohn

Two inspiring South Chicago couples, Joann Podkul and Kevin Murphy, and Zebedee & Tonya Rivera, were honored last week at the New Communities Program's annual Community Heroes Celebration sponsored by LISC/Chicago.

Joann & Kevin

When Joann Podkul and Kevin Murphy led “From Pollution to Solution,” a bus tour of South Chicago on May 16, 2009 for the Bold Plans, Big Dreams Community Showcase, it in many ways represented a satisfying crescendo of the couple’s tireless community work. For starters, the tour was an outgrowth of a comprehensive environmental tour of the Lake Calumet region created by the couple for South Chicago’s first annual Green Summit in 2008.

Podkul, an educator who has lived in South Chicago for 70 years, and Murphy, an author who has been in the community for a quarter century, worked with South Chicago’s NCP partner, Claretian Associates, to launch the summit, just the latest project for the two to promote a greener future for South Chicago. Podkul founded and was the director of the Bowen Environmental Studies Team High School, both have served on a slew of local environmental groups, and in 2007 they founded the Calumet Stewardship Initiative. “Our role is to help everyone network a bit better and work together,” Murphy says.

South Chicago Heroes Tonya & Zebedee Rivera

Photo by Alex Fledderjohn

Tonya & Zebedee

You wish you had neighbors like Zebedee and Tonya Rivera. Since moving to South Chicago in 2005, the young couple has become a powerhouse to support a better community, involved in everything from sitting on the transitional advisory council to open new public schools in the neighborhood to helping to organize community tours.

Tonya, a former teacher who is now a CPS instructional coach, and Zebedee, an artist, have worked with local youth to paint a mural of their hopes for the future on the wooden fence that lines their property. They sponsor a community garden on an empty lot next to their house, are active in the local block club, and even put up a haunted house for kids around Halloween. “They’re just a wonderful family for South Chicago,” says Jackie Samuels, the NCP director at Claretian Associates. A bit bemused by the attention, Zebedee is more modest. “We just want to be involved in the community,” he says. “Isn’t that what neighbors are supposed to do?”

Census 2010: It's in our hands, South Chicago!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:28:00 -0600

Claretian Associates received a Count Me In grant through the Illinois Census Funders Initiative to increase response rates in the 2010 census in communities that are at risk for being undercounted. We are busy reaching residnets often overlooked by the census - through parties, meetings, mailings, e-newsletters, door-to-door outreach and more.

The census is like a snapshot that helps define who we are as a nation. Data about changes in our community are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers. If you'd like to volunteer to help, please click here to contact Valentina Gamboa-Turner.

South Chicago's Southworks highlighted in Burnham Plan Centennial video

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:48:00 -0600

Photo by Eric Young Smith

Watch a short video, "Unfinished Business" created by Kurtis Productions and The Burnham Plan Centennial, featuring Jackie Samuel, Director of South Chicago's New Communities Program. The Chicago region of today is vastly different from that of 1909, thanks in certain ways to the Burnham Plan, but there is still more to be done. The video explores the Chicago of 1909 and shows how the Plan transformed the region. Current projects underway are highlighted, showing there remains a civic-minded push toward improving our global metropolis, even 100 years after the Burnham Plan.

Hear Hurlock on Chicago Public Radio

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:10:00 -0600

Executive Director Angela Hurlock was selected as one of 15 visionaires leading our region into the next century, as part of the Chicago Matters series, Beyond Burham.

To hear her story - which aired September 15, 2009 on Chicago Public Radio - click here.

Chicago Matters features yearlong, original programming by WTTW11, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, the Chicago Public Library and The Chicago Reporter.

Tour South Chicago - virtually!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:27:00 -0600

Enjoy short tours of South Chicago online, thanks to the Chicago Rehab Network, ExploreChicago.org, YoChicago.com and NewHomesNotebook.com.