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Chamber of Commerce News, Volume 1

11/10/2009, 11:01 AM

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Near West Side Chamber of Commerce

The Near West Side Chamber of Commerce's first newsletter. Join our mailing list today to stay up to date on the latest and greatest. View newsletter.

Safety Alert: Recent Retail Break-In

11/6/2009, 2:12 PM

Friday, November 6, 2009

Near West Side Chamber of Commerce

Clip taken of Sankofa's "It's in the Bag Boutique" being robbed (broken into at night) on October 20, 2009 @ 3:50 AM. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, in the West Haven community, 2413 W Madison. Anyone able to identify the robber are advised to call the Chicago Police immediately.

Top Ranked Website

11/5/2009, 3:21 PM

Mike Quinlan

Our hard work in covering the West Haven community is getting city-wide attention among professional journalists. www.nearwestsidecdc.org was recently ranked #52 among all city-wide news websites,

making our website the #1 local community-based website

. The Chicago Reporter ranked #16, EveryBlock #24 and the Chicago Journal ranked #31. The rankings were determined among journalistic peers assembled by the Community Media Workshop and commissioned by the Chicago Community Trust.

Chamber to Provide Marketing Services

10/22/2009, 4:44 PM

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Near West Side Chamber of Commerce

Download Marketing Service Application Here.

We want to see your business thrive in our neighborhood, because a healthy business means a healthy chamber member. More importantly, we also know that staying healthy in a downturn economy means no longer taking a "wait and see" approach towards building your base of customers, which is why our chamber proudly offers quality marketing and promotional services for your business at prices that cannot be beat. Please take advantage of this opportunity by contacting us today.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTING
free to members

Whether you're looking to get your feet wet or wish to dive right in, the chamber can help you navigate through Constant Contact, Business Blogs, Linked-In, Flickr, Facebook, Yelp!, YouTube, Twitter and many other social services. Many of which a free an effective way to promote your business.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPGHY
$50 per session

The cliché is true when it comes to marketing, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Finding the right set of photos is vital element towards expanding your base of customers. These days quality photos have a diverse number applications and can be used online, through e-blasts and in marketing materials.

QUALITY MARKETING MATERIALS
ranges $50 to $150

When it comes to mass marketing, the chamber can help create quality brochures, fliers, postcards, dinner menus and special event announcements for any occasion. The chamber wishes your business to succeed and will work with you until completely satisfied.

BASIC WEBSITE
$250 per site

The chamber can even get your business up and running with the largest fishing net available for new and existing customers - the world wide web. We can setup website name on your behalf and get it running with a couple basic pages for people to learn more about your business.

Package deals available as well!

NWS Chamber Application

10/19/2009, 1:43 PM

Monday, October 19, 2009

NWS Chamber of Commerce

Download Membership Application here.

Looking to join the chamber? Here are a couple of reasons to join today:

10. Easier access to city programs and services for your businesses

9. Networking and social events

8. Advocate for cleaner and safer retail corridors

7. Learn about grants available to renovate & update

6. Educational business seminars

5. Summer intern participation program

4. Get involved in streetscape beautification projects

3. Discounts on quality Chamber services

2. Promoting and marketing your business

1. Flourish in any economy

Youth paint school mural, explore selves

10/2/2009, 6:23 PM

Friday, September 11, 2009

Ed Finkel

The West Haven “Phoenix Rising” mural on the back wall of Victor Herbert Elementary School facing Touhy Herbert Park looked faded, chipped, warped and slumped over earlier this summer, but soon it will rise again and look just like new.

That’s because it is new – the mural was repainted on cloth earlier this summer by 15 West Haven high school students, and that cloth will be glued onto the wall in place of the old wooden panels this month. Muralist Damon Lamar Reed, who led the summer project, says this process will be much more durable for the outdoors.

Photo: Ed Finkel

The previous mural is warped and faded, which is what prompted the summer project in the first place.

“After it’s done, it actually looks like it’s part of the wall,” said Reed, speaking during the six-week program he ran in a classroom at Crane High School, with funding from LISC/Chicago and After School Matters, and assistance from NCP lead agency Near West Side Community Development Corp. in recruiting the student-artists.

NCP director Paulette Boyd contacted Reed through the Chicago Public Art Group. “They were questioning, ‘What’s the best way to go about redoing it?’ ” Reed recalled. Students applied online, where they filled out a questionnaire about their experience and interests; they received a stipend for the summer.

Three or four students at a time, assigned different sections of the mural based on their artistic strengths, sprawled on the floor of the classroom amidst their paint palettes while others worked on side projects that Reed assigned. A visitor to the classroom needed to tread carefully to avoid ending up splashed with colors.

Reed interrupted answering questions to direct students at various points: “If you’re not working on the mural, you should be working on your own projects,” he said at one point. Sometimes, his directions were more technical: “Your lights are too light,” or, “Try and make your colors blend together.”

Who Am I?

Photo: Ed Finkel

The 15 students from Crane and surrounding high schools spent six weeks on the mural, which is being glued to the wall of the school.

But Reed said he recognizes that most of the students probably will not grow up to become professional artists, and he wanted to offer a broader value-added for them than just technical art tips.

In addition to the class project to repaint the mural, students took on a half-dozen individual projects, ranging from self-portraits, to cityscapes, to their own money.

“Even though it’s an art class, a lot of times most of them realistically are not giong to be artists, or trying to be artists,” Reed said. “At the beginning, we worked on different projects to get them warmed up. I try to focus the projects on trying to understand something about themselves, to discover something. For each of the projects, there was a question they had to answer.”

In addition to visually portraying that answer and learning painting techniques, students wrote a paragraph to accompany their artwork. For the self-portrait, for example, that written piece covered “how you see yourself, and what makes you you,” he said. The money design came with a written answer to the question, “What makes you valuable?”

Reed said he’s been undertaking similar projects through the Public Art Group for several years and has worked with NCP lead agency Lawndale Christian Development Corp. in the past. “It’s always about more than just teaching art skills,” he said. “Usually four or five are really interested in art. The rest, it’s to build self-confidence and understand their purpose in life. It’s about, what can they take with them after the program?”

‘New Experience’
Participants said they had taken plenty. “I never painted a mural, and I always wanted to,” said Andrew Singleton, who’s entering his freshman year at the rebuilt Westinghouse High School. “The part I liked most was learning how to draw, and making sure to be neat with it and get the details right.”

Photo: Ed Finkel

Holy Trinity senior Brooke Dunlap shows the self-portrait she painted.

Jessica Hill, entering her freshman year at Crane, said she’s done plenty of artwork over the years but never anything like the mural. “It was very creative,” she said. “I liked the [other projects]. I like to cooperate together and work as a team.”

Cortez Sanders, a sophomore at Chicago Hope Academy, said he’s been painting since fifth grade and helped with a mural on a wall of Circle Rock Prep School in Chicago. “It’s hard,” he said. “I like learning how to paint on different materials."

Holy Trinity senior Brooke Dunlap said she liked projects like the self-portrait. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that” before the class, she said. “I liked learning how to mix colors. It’s been a new experience.”

Profile of Near West Side Community Development Corp.

11/11/2008, 1:55 PM

Near West Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) was established in 1988. For over 20 years, the organization has been actively developing affordable housing, organizing and providing supportive services to low and moderate income residents in the West Haven community. Learn more about NWSCDC's mission, accomplishments and key programs.

Organization

Incorporated in 1988 and has been active for over 20 years in the West Haven community

Stated mission is to create a viable, mixed-income community in West Haven without the displacement of low and moderate income residents

Accomplishments

Developed affordable residential and commercial real estate, including 35 moderate-income homes, a subsidized fifteen-unit rental building, over 100 CHA replacement units and a 20,000-square-foot shopping center.

Designated a Chicago Housing Development Organization (CHDO) in 1995, which empowered NWCDC to provide supportive services to low-income families, including home maintenance and lease compliance advisory support, landlord-tenant rights seminars and home buyer's counseling services.

Piloted an initiative that served as a model for the CHA Service Connector program. NWSCDC was instrumental in the conceptual development of outcome measurements and goals for service connector activities.

Produced the only existing protocols for the interface of property management, state government, local supportive service providers, and employment services directly related to addressing the issues of housing permanence and eviction prevention.

Designed the Home Visitors Program (HVP). HVP served as an important forum to identify and address issues associated with transitioning public housing tenants into new mixed-income developments. Since beginning the program in 2000, over 600 families (and over 1,000 individuals) have been serviced.

Programs

NWSCDC has placed a high priority on working with families of Henry Horner/West Haven housing developments:

Tenant Selection Committee & the Henry Horner/West Haven Security Working Group – Meets regularly with Brinshore-Michaels, the developer, to discuss concerns and opportunities related to the existing CHA housing and new mixed-income developments.

Small Grants Program – Provides modest funding to residents to stimulate community improvement activities. For example in the summer of 2003 NWSCDC awarded grants to the Major Adams Academy and Chicago Commons to support recreational programming for Horner/West Haven youth.

Community Partners – Fosters communication and interaction among existing public housing tenants and new families in the community. The group is comprised primarily of representatives from community agencies.

Resident Support Groups – Addresses CHA relocation issues and hosts informational workshops on housing, leadership and education. There are two groups, one comprised of Phase II residents and the other of current Henry Horner/West Haven residents

Gentle Wash: connecting local businesses with local kids

9/28/2009, 11:53 AM

Friday, July 24, 2009

Madison-Western Chamber of Commerce

Gentle Wash Mobile Detail
Delashone White, Owner
Make an appointment today: (312) 428-8634
E-mail:gentlewash1@yahoo.com

Gentle Wash Mobile Detail (GWMD) is one of the many local businesses providing summertime internship opportunities for kids in the West Haven community. This mobile car washing service has grabbed the attention of several kids in the community who are under Delashone’s supervision. In addition to learning life skills and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, these interns are also doing a bit of community service by cleaning up our retail corridor in their down time. On the day these pictures were taken the local Principal at Dett Elementary was having her car washed by GWMD and company. Delashone and several of the interns also happen to be graduates of Dett. The interns ages range between 15 and 19.

In a community without a carwash, GWMD found itself a smart niche market. After catching up with Delashone from our previous article, he spoke of plans to expand his business. From being a start-up a just year ago, Delashone has worked hard to earn an excellent reputation in the community and has started branching outside of the neighborhood. Long term plans for GWMD include purchasing a building nearby to convert into a carwash, and serve as a base of operations for a fleet of mobile wash detailers which could serve all of Chicagoland.

Delashone got started by taking advantage of a low interest loan program facilitated by Near West called the United Center Economic Development Fund (UCEDF). This is a special program exclusive to businesses looking to open their doors in West Haven. Near West facilitated the internship program as well, as part of the 119 internship opportunities being provided over the summer. The Madison-Western Chamber of Commerce was able to connect local businesses with these pre-paid internships.

Beyond car washes, Gentle Wash Mobile Detail provides a variety of services, such as:

interior & exterior detailing
pressure washing of storefront /window canopies
minor roadside assistance
snow removal during the winter months
landscaping during the summer months

To make an appointment, please call Delashone at (312) 428-8634. Gentle Wash Mobile Detail is here to work around your busy schedule. VISA, Discover, MasterCard and American Express are accepted as well. Group rates are also available.

2339 W Adams for Sale

7/23/2009, 10:54 AM

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Mike Quinlan

$331,500 for a 6 br 4 ba 2,600 sqft Multi-Family Home

Be a homeowner today and start building equity from day one! This newly built two-flat home was recently completed last spring and has 1,300 square feet of living space per unit; each unit has three bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a large living room, dining room and a full basement.

The two-flat includes landscaping, concrete walls, fencing, (chain link & ornamental), off street parking pads and a security system. The structure is wood frame. The facade is brick veneer masonry with stone sills and lintels above windows and doors, with classically designed architectural elements. The house is capped with an architectural parapet, side and rear facades have siding.

The appearance is that of a two-story townhouse building, typical to this area. Several energy efficient systems were built to help reduce monthly utility bills. All systems are new and comply with all applicable zoning and code requirements. Click here to download brochure and available incentives.

This is the only remaining home left of this development, so serious homebuyers are advised to act fast. To make an appointment or for more information, please call Earnest Gates (312) 738-2280.

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