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The Greater Englewood Farmers Market Is Here!

6/25/2009, 5:20 PM

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Rodney C Walker

The Greater Englewood Farmers Market kicked off June 18th, 2009 at 63rd and Union street. The Farmers Market is opened from 8:00am - 1:00pm on Thursday's from June 18th to October 29th, for more information please call 773-602-4508

Fresh produce and other products will soon be available to Englewood residents and other south siders through a new farmers market.

“The objective for this farmers market is to provide goods and produce that is, for the most part, grown in our community. The overall goal is to show the people of our community that the same type of produce they buy from big name stores can be grown in our own community. Moreover, we will help educate our people about eating healthily, diversifying their food choices, and selecting options beyond fast food,” said organizers.

Englewood residents can now enjoy fresh vegetables from a neighborhood farmers market.

Produce from Englewood’s own Wood Street Urban Farm, which is operated in a partnership with Growing Home and Teamwork Englewood, is available. High schoolers at the Lindblom Math and Science Academy are involved in the market and customers can use Electronic Benefit Transfer machines to pay with credit cards or public aid debit cards.

Collard greens, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, spinach, mustard greens, lettuce, celery, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, beets, brussels’ sprouts and cabbage are some of the products offered. Over 20 vendors offer flowers, meat, cheese and bakery items, in addition to produce.

The market serves as a gathering place and serves a neighborhood researchers declared part of a south side “food desert” in Chicago. A 2006 study described Englewood as one of the city’s communities in which residents have a hard time finding fresh fruit and vegetables, which contributes to the growth of diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Food grown at Englewood's Wood Street Urban Farm will be available at the farmers market.

Richard Muhammad

Organizers say the farmers market can offer “fresh organic produce” for many south side residents beyond Englewood. Market travel time is cut and produce offered is culturally appropriate and reasonably priced, they said. “Chefs and cooks will be present to provide demonstrations on how to prepare the variety of foods available,” organizers added.

The farmers market fits into Quality of Life plans to improve access to fresh food and improve the health of neighborhood residents.

The farmers market can also use support:

Monetary donations can be mailed to Teamwork Englewood, 815 W. 63^rd Street, 2nd Floor, Chicago IL 60621. Indicate “Farmers Market” in the memo line.
Volunteers with a variety of skills are needed. If you have special skills or gifts (musical talent, nutrition education, fundraising expertise, etc.) to contribute to this community effort, contact organizers at englewoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
Help get the word out. You can help by advertising the market through your church, school, block club, or other organization. Or support the market by placing ads or information in community organization, church, school, or other organization bulletins or add info to your group’s website.

“This farmers market will help show people in our community what can be done with the resources and assets in our community. Most people, moreso in the Englewood community, are used to going outside of their community to get food and other things because of lack of access to grocery stores and shopping centers,” said the Rev. Rodney Walker, executive director of Teamwork Englewood.

“By establishing this market, Teamwork Englewood is taking a step toward empowering our community and bringing people in to generate economic stimulation. Bringing on a change in the community and starting a chain of wonderful events in Englewood is the root goal of the NCP Quality of Life Plan,” he said.

For general information, contact the Englewood Farmers Market at 773-602-4507, or e-mail englewoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com. Click here to download a flyer promoting the farmers market.

November Bee Line headline: "I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling"

11/10/2009, 2:51 PM

Sunday, November 1, 2009

A. D.

I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling: The Crash of '29, Its aftermath in Englewood and Modern Memory, Eighty Years On

October Bee Line: Neighbors address crime & disorder

10/13/2009, 11:37 PM

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The October issue of The Bee Line documents how residents of Bernard Place are addressing the inevitable issues of crime and disorder that affect even their area

September Bee Line: Angela Sell Is Off to College

9/10/2009, 2:51 PM

Download the September 2009 issue of Bee Line to read about Angela Sell's college journey and other neighborhood news.

August Bee Line: First move-in for Bernard Place II

8/25/2009, 5:12 PM

The August issue of the Bernard Place Bee Line features Kenyatta Vaughn, the first new resident of the Bernard Place II development.

Download the issue.

Spring Break for Princeton Students: Englewood and More

4/20/2009, 11:31 AM

Monday, April 20, 2009

Deborah Alexander and Gordon Walek

Backpacks opened and laptops poised, 13 Princeton University students occupied Teamwork Englewood’s conference room on a recent Thursday afternoon, poring over the 1,500-page American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to determine how South Side residents might benefit from the $787 billion federal stimulus program.

Princeton University students researched federal stimulus funds during a recent visit to Teamwork Englewood.

Gordon Walek

The students were using their spring break to help develop information packets for the 70 neighborhood residents, business owners, health care workers and others that Teamwork Englewood had gathered to discuss the economic stimulus package and opportunities it presented to the community.

The packets referred back to the 10 strategies in Englewood's quality-of-life plan, which include economic development and jobs, business development, arts and culture, community infrastructure, technology, housing, health and nutrition, community safety, education, civic and resident engagement.

"This is the time for us to identify opportunities for ourselves and identify our own self-interest, then invite public officials in to get behind these projects," said Johnnie Muhammad, Teamwork Englewood’s community organizer, who arranged the gathering.

Many of the lead agencies in LISC/Chicago’s New Communities Program (NCP) have hosted meetings to discuss the stimulus package. But few have had Ivy League researchers crunching the numbers. What gives?

“They called us,” said Doris Jones, Teamwork Englewood’s NCP director.

The second-year students from Princeton’s Pace Center for Civic Engagement – all interested in community building and organizing – had selected Chicago as the destination for volunteer work during their week-long spring break. The Pace Center paid for their transportation and accommodations; the students organized the trip.

Teamwork Englewood's Johnnie Muhammad, left, and Rev. Rodney Walker discuss stimulus opportunities with neighborhood residents.

Gordon Walek

“We figured there’s no better place to study community organizing than Chicago,” said Melekot Abate, one of the student leaders. “Saul Alinsky, Back of the Yards, Gail Cincotta. It all happened here.”

An Internet search led them to Teamwork Englewood and the subsequent call to Jones, who helped organize their activities and immediately put them to work. In addition to the stimulus research, they spent a day at City Hall, speaking with 4^th Ward Alderman Tony Preckwinkle; another day with Father Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish in Auburn Gresham, examining the issue of teen violence; and another day interviewing organizer/educator William Ayers and John Rogers, chairman and CEO of Ariel Investments.

“You can barely learn anything in one week unless you go out and meet the right people,” said Bryan Locascio, another of the student organizers. “And you can’t do all your learning in the Ivory Tower. You come out here and you realize you don’t know as much as you think.”

Example: On their first weekend in town, the students parked in front of a restaurant, where the sign indicated no parking Monday-Friday. After dining, they were shocked to discover their auto had been towed. Unjustly, they said. Their appeals, though, fell on unsympathetic ears at the towing service. One hundred and seventy dollars later, they had their car back and a lesson under their belts.

“It makes you realize how powerless people can feel,” said Abate. Welcome to Chicago.

Saving Black Boys

4/29/2008, 10:17 AM

Friday, April 25, 2008

Richard Muhammad

Phillip Jackson was blunt: The first-class prisons are there, the juvenile offender lock-ups are there, but first class education and opportunity are not available for young Black males.

Performers take part in recruitment effort for African American Male Initiative event sponsored by Teamwork Englewood.

Richard Muhammad

The executive director of the Black Star Project said the Black community needs to come together and demand much more for its male children than what is being delivered. “They got a lot of rooms here in Chicago where when you come in talking about wanting to save young Black boys, they make you apologize,” Jackson said. “I’m happy to be in a room where you don’t have to apologize for wanting to save Black boys.”

The room at Park National Bank was full of young Black males joined by adults, girls and staff members from Teamwork Englewood, who sponsored the session that included guest speakers, dinner, music, entertainment and an opportunity. The aim was to recruit 100 young men to participate in the African American Male Initiative through four neighborhood groups. Resources for the effort come from the United Way of Chicago. Judge Louis Nixon was the keynote speaker.

Seeking a model for success

Each Teamwork Englewood partner — Englewood United Methodist Church, the Peace Center, Boulevard Arts and West Englewood United Methodist Church — will take in 25 young men and offer a quality experience aimed at helping them succeed, explained Johnnie Muhammad of Teamwork Englewood, who also served as the evening’s emcee. He is project manager for the initiative.

Young men listen during presentations.

Richard Muhammad

The goals are to help boys succeed in school and avoid drugs, gangs and violence, said Muhammad. Chicago is part of a United Way national pilot program trying to “rescue Black boys from the tragedy we’ve been seeing the last 20 years,” he said.

Muhammad likened the plight of Black males in Englewood to navigating a dangerous maze fraught with poverty and neglect. Nationally over a half million Black men are behind bars versus only 40,000 Black men who will earn college degrees, he said.

The initiative uses a two-pronged approach to intervene in the lives of boys ages 10 to 16. It offers mentoring and tutoring on the school side and “constructive engagement” outside of school, including recreation and physical and cultural activities that keep them away from the lure of gangs and drugs. The national initiative is about two years old. The Englewood pilot was launched a few months ago, but the number of participants has been small. The April 11 evening program was designed to recruit more boys, said Muhammad.

Each neighborhood partner emphasizes a different kind of activity to enrich young lives. Some offer creative and potentially entrepreneurial outlets, like music and CD-making, while others focus on developing talents for the visual arts and dance, or employ cultural activities to deepen self-knowledge and respect, he said.

United Way plays a key role as a funder and through technical support to Teamwork Englewood’s partners. The principal donors and overseers of the initiative are successful Black corporate execs or self-made businessmen who desire to see Black boys succeed.

'We're all in this together'

“We think at the end of the day, it will be a demonstration of how you can successfully intervene in the lives of Black boys,” Muhammad said. Intervention is based on care, concern and creating environments that nurture the boys, he said.

Adrienne Brooks, of the United Way, explained how in 2004 the non-profit asked groups and individuals what was needed to improve neighborhoods. The overwhelming response was, “we need help with our boys,” said Ms. Brooks. That led to creation of the African American Male Initiative, which includes projects in Roseland, Rogers Park, Grand Boulevard, North Lawndale and Englewood. “The whole point of the initiative is to help boys become successful adults,” she said.

When Brooks spoke she shared her personal story and the range of existence for Black men in her family. Some are doing well, working as educated professionals and enjoying good lives, she said. Others have suffered mental breakdowns and incarceration, Brooks added.

Johnnie Muhammad, left, served as emcee for evening program. He is the project manager for the African American Male Initiative at Teamwork Englewood.

Richard Muhammad

The core group of Black males behind the project have similar experiences and worry about African-American boys and men who aren’t making it, she said. “It is a problem we cannot ignore,” Brooks said. “We’re all in this together.”

Part of United Way’s hope is that other funders will see a successful model and come forth to support more focus on Black males, she said. Funding for the African American Male Initiative is earmarked for five years.

Jackson said efforts like the initiative are critical. The key is to educate, organize, mobilize and take action, he said. The Black Star Project focuses on education and positive action to save Black boys and men and rebuild families. Young Black men in Chicago have to know the odds are against them, from unemployment to school drop out and incarceration, Jackson said. Only 35 percent of young Black males in Chicago will graduate high school and only three of 100 Black freshmen will receive a college degree by age 25, he added.

Jackson stressed the long odds and the personal responsibility African-American adults and youth must own up to. Clean up your community, raise your children, take care of your grandmother, don’t use drugs, don’t sell drugs, learn your history, respect women, rebuild your neighborhood, he exhorted the audience.

Black young men in Englewood are the focus on a program supported by the United Way.

Richard Muhammad

Jackson condemned corporate-sponsored music, film and videos that promote the destruction of Black men. He closed with a poem that described the Black struggle from slave ships to the streets of Chicago. “Even with all this pain and suffering, I ain’t mad, just don’t tell me every Black boy is bad,” he said.

Despite the dire statistics and the challenges, another essential message was delivered to the youth.

“The people in this room are here to help you, they care about you, and they love you,” Muhammad said. “We believe it is easier to build strong Black boys than to fix broken Black men.”

Check out Teamwork Linkages, a quarterly newsleter published by Teamwork Englewood

3/11/2008, 6:56 PM

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Teamwork Englewood recently published the inaugural edition of “Teamwork Linkages,” its quarterly newsletter. The newsletter aims to offer interesting and useful information about the work Teamwork Englewood is doing in the community and provide progress on the “Quality of Life” Plan. The newsletter also is a way to let community residents, supporters and potential partners know how to “link” to initiatives in Englewood and contribute to and back Teamwork Englewood’s overall mission. Click here to download Teamwork Linkages!

Chicago Sun Times Highlights Englewood Housing Market

10/8/2007, 9:23 AM

Monday, October 8, 2007

Chicago Sun-Times news coverage touted Englewood's hot housing market.

Englewood is a hot property and great opportunity for buyers, according to recent Chicago Sun Times coverage of neighborhood housing trends. Check out the stories below:

"Englewood rising"

"A good time for Englewood buyers"

"Englewood — facts at a glance"

Teamwork Englewood Chosen as One-Stop Ex-Offender Service Center in City Partnership

3/8/2007, 11:46 PM

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Johnnie Muhammad, of Teamwork Englewood, at press conference where Mayor Richard M. Daley announced funding for ex-offenders services effort to be led by the community-based organization.

Teamwork Englewood is one of two community-based organizations chosen to provide one-stop services for ex-offenders in a partnership with the city of Chicago.

Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the program Feb. 22, and it includes $100,000 in funding. City officials said it is part of “new city efforts to help ex-offenders turn their lives around and re-enter society.”

Mayor Daley said the city will work with the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Chicago Bar Foundation to provide additional services. He urged passage of federal legislation to fund programs that help ex-offenders find jobs and housing.

“Every year, some 20,000 ex-offenders are released to the streets of Chicago. Most of them have few, if any, job skills and many of them lack even a high school diploma or GED,” the mayor said at a news conference at the Westside Health Authority, 5814 W. Division St.

The Westside Health Authority was the other community group to chosen to provide services and will also receive $100,000 in funding.

“These men and women represent a major challenge to our city, and especially to the communities on the South and West sides of Chicago where most of them return,” said Mayor Daley. “I understand that people don’t have much sympathy for former criminals. But as I’ve said many times, if we don’t help them become productive members of society, they’ll return to crime and create more problems for the law-abiding residents of our neighborhoods.”

A city staffer will serve as a liaison to the community organizations to help them take advantage of all city resources available to ex-offenders, the mayor added.

According to the mayor’s office, the city will work with the Illinois Department of Corrections to develop a re-entry package containing information on ex-offender programs, a CTA map and a ticket for two CTA rides. “It will be given to individuals as they leave prison. Currently, prisoners are given practically no information upon their release,” the mayor’s office said.

The mayor shared plans to work with the Chicago Bar Foundation on options for making legal resources available to eligible ex-offenders who want to expunge or seal their criminal records, which may be necessary to obtain employment. The expungement and sealing options are available to certain ex-offenders under Illinois law, but require dealing with different agencies, including police, the State’s Attorney and the Circuit Court Clerk.

According to the mayor’s office, city funding of programs for ex-offenders has increased from $400,000 in 2004 to $2.6 million in 2007. “The money, which includes proceeds from the lease of the Chicago Skyway, helps finance job-training programs in fields such as shipping and receiving, food service, maintenance, farming, auto repair, landscaping and recycling,” said the mayor’s office.

Congress should pass legislation that increases federal funding to help ex-offenders find housing and employment; helps children whose parents are incarcerated; and improves coordination among the federal, state and local governments in matters involving ex-offenders, Mayor Daley said.

Do You Know A Living Legend in Englewood?

1/30/2007, 10:41 PM

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Beginning in 2005 with the Englewood Cultural Council and Imagine Englewood If, the first Living Legend was honored (Mr. Stamz) with a birthday celebration.

In 2006, Anna Langford and Charles Wilson were selected as Living Legends. That same year, the workgroups agreed that each February during Black History Month, Living Legends would be celebrated as a reflection of the KUUMBA theme that we have adopted.

Community members select one of 15 West African principles the community adopted (See Kuumba Card) and make a pledge and a report to those Living Legends on the principle that they have selected to hold up.

Who Are Living Legends?

Living Legends are elder residents of the community who reflect the KUUMBA principle. These living legends are “Making A Difference” in the community through action. It could be reading to children, checking on other elders, cleaning their block. What makes them special is that they have been doing it for a long time. The press may not know them but their neighbors do.

Step 1:

Recommend someone by FEBRUARY 2nd.

Step 2:

We will post all submissions on the web site, through email and through mail by FEBRURY 9th.

Step 3:

By February 14th phone in your responses to 773-602-4511 or via email to:

teaminfo@teamworkenglewood.org

Step 4.

By FEBRUARY 20th, complete a KUUMBA Principles Info Card to return to us via fax: 773-602-4510, drop off, or email:

teaminfo@teamworkenglewood.org

Step 5:

Join us Saturday February 24th at a brunch beginning at 10:00 a.m. to celebrate all of those recommended and selected.

BEGINNING THIS YEAR WE WILL ARRANGE FOR LOBBY DISPLAYS IN THE COMMUNITY TO HONOR ALL LIVING LEGENDS.

LIVING LEGEND RECOMMENDATION

*KUUMBA

To do always as much as we can in every way that we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

I AM RECOMMENDING

NAME:

ADDRESS:

PHONE:

I have recommended this person as a living legend because they demonstrate the principle of KUUMBA by: (Please Print or Type Your Response)

Choose one way to submit your recommendation:

Phone-In Info: 773-602-4511
Fax Info: 773-602-4510,
Email: teaminfo@teamworkenglewood.org ,
Drop off: 815 W. 63rd, 2nd Floor

Newsletters Offer Englewood Info

6/18/2007, 11:00 PM

Looking for the latest news about what’s happening in Englewood? Check out the Bernard Place Bee Line, an independent publication. The Bee Line served up info on a recent “Showcase of New Homes” sponsored by Neighborhood Housing Services in Englewood, a Chicago Tribune article about Urban Prep Academy in Englewood and other news. Click here to view the publication. Then check out the Imagine Englewood If quarterly newsletter. The most recent edition featured coverage of the problem of lead poisoning in Englewood. Imagine is published by the Imagine Englewood If Youth Committee. Click here to view the newsletter.

Tribute to NCP "Community Heroes"

2/14/2007, 1:03 AM

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Richard Muhammad

As a child, Betty Swanson rode the bus with her mother through the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, with its classic Chicago-style bungalows and Victorian-era homes, and thought it was a beautiful place. As an adult, Swanson has lived in the area since 1964 and seen it go through good times and bad.

Deanna Woods, left, was selected as one of Englewood's Community Heroes. She is shown with a poster of her late niece Seritha White.

Photo: Richard Muhammad

"No matter which way it falls, I still love the neighborhood," she said.

Her love has translated into 15 years of leadership. She has served as a block club president, facilitator for the community policing program, board president for Auburn-Gresham Neighborhood Housing Services and board member for the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corp.

Swanson has "exemplified and gone far beyond any means and measure to be a Community Hero in the Auburn Gresham area," said Ernie Sanders, New Communities Program organizer for the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corp.

Swanson and 27 other neighborhood leaders were chosen as Community Heroes and recognized for their efforts Nov. 30 during the New Communities Program Leadership Assembly at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel.

(Download the Heroes booklet here in Adobe PDF format [large 4.1 MB file] or visit the neighborhood pages to see heroes from each area.)

NCP lead agencies and their partners chose these "ordinary" people for their extraordinary commitment to improving neighborhoods that are part of the NCP planning process.

Assembly organizers call the Community Heroes "individuals who offer their passion, strength and talent to improve their neighborhoods, benefiting people who may never know them by name, but who will reap the rewards of their work."

A "Community Investment Portfolio" was unveiled at the NCP Neighborhood Assembly. It consists of 14 projects that are being pursued in NCP neighborhoods and that need additional investment to move forward.

'In the trenches'

"Any time someone calls me and asks me to help in any way, if I possibly can, I do. I'm not too quick to say 'no,' if it means working with the community," said Swanson.

Swanson is looking forward to the Neighborhood Assembly and is obviously a strong believer in community organizing and neighborhood activism.

"If you love the area you are living in, only you and the people around you can bring it back to where you want it to be," she said.

Joy Aruguete, executive director of Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp., had a hard time choosing the Community Heroes for Humboldt Park. The eventual honorees were Miguel Morales, of Community Organizing for Obesity Prevention in Humboldt Park , and Ofelia Navarro, of the Spanish Coalition for Housing.

"We don't recognize our local leaders near enough, especially the ones who are less inclined to put themselves out there for recognition. They are the quiet leaders in the trenches working every day," said Aruguete.

"A lot of times community plans don't go anywhere because you don't have the resources, or people, or opportunities, and I think one of the things the whole New Communities Program has brought together is a venue to plan, to bring people to the table, and at least some of the resources to get that plan moving," Aruguete observed.

"But even with all those things, you still need to have your folks, right? Being able to highlight the contributions that people have made is important," she said.

Highlighting the good

"It's so good to see something positive, something highlighted in our community that is going to help us go forward," said Carmelita Frias, chosen as a Community Hero for Pilsen by The Resurrection Project.

Frias went from volunteering for a local foundation to starting her own organization to benefit children in her neighborhood. The mother of four and creator of Carmelita's Kids uses athletic events and other outings to expand the experiences of Pilsen youth.

"In this community, it's typical for children not to leave a three- to four-block radius," said Frias. But Chicago has many opportunities for free or reduced priced activities, she said.

Frias has taken children by the hundred to White Sox, Cubs and Chicago Bulls games, visited museums and given away thousands of books. She believes positive experiences will help youth make better choices and strive to live fuller lives.

The Community Hero award, she added, is another way to highlight good things about neighborhoods.

"I feel like Pilsen is such a hidden treasure. I mean I love my community, I love the kids, I love the people here. You always hear about the negative things when there are just so many great and wonderful things," she said.

"When you're active where you live, you know what's going on. You are aware of what's going on, you're aware of what might go on in the future," said Murray T. Johnson, Sr., one of two Community Heroes for the Washington Park neighborhood.

Johnson, president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, has lived in the area for 56 years. He has been a block club president and actively engaged in the NCP process through St. Edmund's Redevelopment Corporation, the lead agency for the community.

Johnson sees his activism as "something that any ordinary man would do for his community. Basically that's walk, get to know the people, try to get them organized, let them know what's going on."

With signs of positive changes, following a decline and loss of over 40,000 people in the last 10 to15 years, Johnson argues that long-term stakeholders in communities have little choice than to get involved.

"We're only eight miles from downtown. Instead of people working and going way out to the suburbs, two or three hours, in the traffic, they can get a bike and ride to work. They can run to work," he said.

"It's very important that you know what's going on and be involved in it, if you are going to survive over here in Washington Park," Johnson said.

'Reliability, consistency and concern'

Englewood residents and work group members defined a Community Hero "as a person who is a resource for the community, a person who other individuals at the local level can go to and find out information, or rely upon for volunteer assistance with community activities.

"It's that character of reliability, and consistency, and concern over others that really distinguishes them from other residents in the community," said Johnnie Muhammad, Teamwork Englewood outreach and project coordinator.

Englewood chose Henry Wilson and Deanna Woods as Community Heroes, who are "very different in their outward display of heroism," said Muhammad.

Henry Wilson has been retired almost 20 years, but has never retired from giving back, and is seen as the "Godfather of Community Redevelopment," since Englewood's decline in the early 1970s, Muhammad said.

Woods has been a good resource for youth and struggling families, particularly women trying to raise children in West Englewood in a very dangerous environment, he added.

For Woods, whose niece Seritha White was killed by a stray bullet in March, the recognition is bittersweet. Since the death, Woods has expanded her activism, including work with Teamwork Englewood and other organizations.

"I'm trying to help people, like I would have wanted some help. I really didn't get noticed until tragedy happened to me, and really it was too late. I would like to get to people before it's too late," she said.

Henry P. Wilson, far left, has a long history of work in the Englewood neighborhood. He was chosen as a Community Hero.

Photo: Richard Muhammad

Portfolio: Englewood Auto Repair Training

2/14/2007, 1:03 AM

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Instructor Clinton Hall and students.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

The Chicagoland Youth and Adult Training Center (CYATC) Auto Repair Service, or CARS, provides training to at-risk young adults, especially the formerly incarcerated. Based at Kennedy-King City College , CARS trains students to become industry-certified automotive technicians—one of Illinois' fastest-growing occupations with an average starting salary of $30,500.

CARS maintains 250 vehicles for the City of Chicago and has placed more than 60 graduates in private-sector positions. This project will allow CARS to offer repair services to the general public at a garage building near 59th and Halsted.

BENEFITS The program helps launch careers among those who might otherwise take a wrong turn. The expansion will provide direct employment opportunities to residents; provide local repair services; generate scores of good-paying jobs in other repair shops; and attract additional commercial investment.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION Teamwork Englewood (TE) brings together diverse representatives to participate in a collaborative and approach to community development. TE does not control the process or dictate to the community, but rather serves as a facilitator and coordinator of the talents, energies and resources of residents and other stakeholders.

Students learn technical and computer skills.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

LOCATION
59th and Green Streets

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
$275,000 — $75,000 for workshop, garage rehab; $200,000 for working capital, inventory, license fee, and equipment

OVERALL PROJECT VALUE
$275,000

TIMELINE
Early 2007 Begin rehab within 90 days of securing capital commitment

The facility will be built in this garage.

Photo: Johnnie Muhammad

PARTNERS
Ford Motor Company, Daimler-Chrysler, City Colleges of Chicago , Cook County Courts, EmployAmerica, BAC Partners

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Rev. Henry Barlow
773.783.4024
pastorbarlow@aol.com

Looking for office space? Check out Englewood

12/20/2006, 1:14 AM

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Looking for office space? Check out these prime Englewood locations.Multiple_Commercial_Space.pdf Contact Teamwork Englewood for more information at 773-602-4508, or e-mail: teaminfo@teamworkenglewood.org

Heroes: Henry Wilson, Deanna Woods

2/14/2007, 1:03 AM

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Community Heroes are individuals who offer their passion, strength and talent to improve their neighborhoods, benefiting people who may never know them by name, but who will reap the rewards of their work. The Community Heroes for Englewood are Henry P. Wilson and Deanna Woods. They were selected, along with 26 others from across the city, by the New Communities Program lead agencies and their partners. Congratulations to these extraordinary "ordinary" people for their steadfast commitment to improving Chicago neighborhoods.

HENRY P. WILSON
Photo: Alex Fledderjohn

The "community mayor" of Englewood, Henry P. Wilson was a vocal and active neighborhood contributor before urban renewal and model cities programs. Now Henry is a leading advocate for rebuilding a vibrant and healthy tax base in the New Englewood Village communities. A former chairman of the Englewood Conservation Community Council, established by the city in 1961, Henry's efforts helped stakeholders shape a land-use plan for Englewood. His corporate sector and Empowerment Zone work led to non-profit investment and resources for two new neighborhood facilities, the Salvation Army's Red Shield Center and the Children's Home and Aid Society's new Englewood Family Center. The fruit of past work is seen in new housing and on-going public investment. Henry's patience, diligence and commitment make him a true neighborhood hero.

DEANNA WOODS
Photo: Alex Fledderjohn

Deanna Woods, the aunt of " Englewood angel" Seritha White, has a face that lights up when you mention the community's children. She has long been a sister, friend, and surrogate mom for West Englewood children looking for someone to talk to. The death of her niece in March 2006 brought attention and new opportunity to a long neglected community. It also brought Deanna's gifts directly to youth through program work with churches, block clubs and other organizations. Her focus is always on fun things for children to enjoy. Quiet and humble, she doesn't seek recognition for her contributions. Through adversity and pain, Deanna gives to people asking only that they do good to someone else. She is an example of community leadership and service

Quality-of-Life Plan Sets Goals, Projects

2/14/2007, 1:03 AM

Friday, March 10, 2006

More than 650 individuals participated in the development of an Englewood quality-of-life plan that provides a roadmap for improvement strategies ranging from safety and schools to job creation and retail development. (Scroll down for download.)

Residents and leaders spent many months attending meetings and discussing strategies for the plan.

Photo: Patrick Barry

Coordinated by Teamwork Englewood, the planning process included scores of meetings as residents, business ownersand leaders of local organizations developed 10 strategies and outlined 41 projects.

Participants developed this vision for the neighborhood:

We envision an Englewood where every resident, business owner, community and institutional leader is "making a difference." The Englewood of 2010 will be a welcoming place where people from diverse economic backgrounds live, play and work together. It will be a community that nurtures its young people, seeks wisdom from its elders and provides an opportunity for lifelong learning and positive civic engagement.

We will create this community of opportunity by building on the past and taking advantage of today's resources and innovations.

The 10 strategies are:

1. Attract new industries and service firms that create living-wage jobs while preparing residents for regional employment opportunities.

2. Renew Englewood's identity by reclaiming empty spaces and enlivening the community through cultural activities, gardens, new parks and public gathering spaces.

3. Rebuild a vibrant and diverse retail and business community at key locations throughout the neighborhood.

4. Jump-start the housing market to create a balanced, mixed-income community while providing support services to local families and individuals.

5. Promote healthy lifestyles that include physical fitness, good nutrition and better use of health-care resources.

6. Improve safety and security throughout the community.

Nearly 100 young people participated in a Youth Summit to contribute to the quality-of-life plan.

Photo: Patrick Barry

7. Bring new resources to schools to expand health and social services that help improve academic performance.

8. Create diverse opportunities for recreation, lifelong learning and civic engagement.

9. Initiate targeted services to special-needs populations to address critical service needs.

10. Create a community network to spread information, resources and expertise within Englewood and beyond.

To download the eight-page summary plan in Adobe PDF format, click here.

To download the full plan (a 5MB file that may take a few minutes), click here .

What Do the Adinkra Symbols Mean to Us?

2/14/2007, 1:01 AM

What does the neighborhood of Englewood mean to you? This is the very question Teamwork Englewood tackled this year. How can one combine all the traditions, love and sense of community in one idea?

The symbol Sankofa represents the importance of learning from the past.

Teamwork Englewood has choosen a handful of Adinkra symbols to represent the neighborhood and all that it stands for. These symbols originated in West Africa and have come to hold significant meaning in the culture. Now the symbols can hold significant meaning in our culture and neighborhood.

Introduction to Teamwork Englewood

6/27/2006, 12:19 PM

Monday, May 1, 2006

Teamwork Englewood was formed as a vehicle for comprehensive community development in 2003 through the joint efforts of St. Bernard Hospital, Greater Englewood Parish United Methodist Church and Pullman Bank (now Park Bank). Its first task was to organize the community planning process that is a requirement of LISC/Chicago’s New Communities Program (NCP).

The organization got off to a slow start because it lacked a broad base of support and many community stakeholders did not clearly understand its purpose. In 2004, after expanding its board of directors and hiring two new staff members, Teamwork Englewood re-started the planning process and has since established itself as a leadership organization.

As the lead NCP agency, Teamwork Englewood brings together diverse representatives of the community to participate in a collaborative and comprehensive approach to community development. Teamwork Englewood doesn’t control the process or dictate to the community, but rather serves as a facilitator and coordinator of the talents, energies and resources residents and other stakeholders bring to the process – and finds outside resources and partnerships that make sense and that the community believes are a good fit.

Whether providing office space for meetings, and snacks, printing flyers, writing funding proposals for community-based organizations, or listening and teasing the needs of stakeholders out of discussions, Teamwork Englewood helps get things done. The New Communities Program is a long-term initiative of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago to support comprehensive community development in 16 Chicago neighborhoods. The five-year effort seeks to rejuvenate challenged communities, bolster those in danger of losing ground and preserve the diversity of areas in the path of gentrification. Lead agencies generally forge partnerships with other nonprofit groups, businesses, government and residents to address issues such as affordable housing, prisoner re-entry, cultural programming, education reform, community marketing and open space.

For Teamwork Englewood that has meant a Quality of Life Plan crafted by 650 individuals and organizations, dozens of meetings to support the community quality-of-life planning process, convening social service providers to determine what services are available and find ways to improve service delivery. The agency also responded to requests by the Pastors of Englewood, 7th District Police and the Chicago CAPS office to convene residents to discuss allegations of police corruption related to drug trafficking and facilitated public meetings after the announcement by Chicago Public Schools that Englewood High School would stop accepting freshmen in 2005, then reopen as a new school. Teamwork Englewood’s goal is to continue its role as convener and facilitator, bringing together existing and new organizations to implement this quality-of-life plan. Rather than implementing projects on its own, Teamwork Englewood expects the bulk of its effort to be focused on helping other groups work together, catalyze change, find resources and attract new energy to the community.

“There’s a wealth of knowledge, skills, resources and personal linkages that have been developed by people in the community right now that can be exploited and built upon, if there is a willingness to do so.”
Johnnie Muhammad, New Communities Program organizer

Teamwork Englewood - Home page

The Greater Englewood Farmers Market Is Here!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Rodney C Walker

November Bee Line headline: "I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling"

Sunday, November 1, 2009

A. D.

October Bee Line: Neighbors address crime & disorder

Thursday, October 1, 2009

September Bee Line: Angela Sell Is Off to College

August Bee Line: First move-in for Bernard Place II

Spring Break for Princeton Students: Englewood and More

Monday, April 20, 2009

Deborah Alexander and Gordon Walek

Saving Black Boys

Friday, April 25, 2008

Richard Muhammad

Seeking a model for success

'We're all in this together'

Check out Teamwork Linkages, a quarterly newsleter published by Teamwork Englewood

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Chicago Sun Times Highlights Englewood Housing Market

Monday, October 8, 2007

Teamwork Englewood Chosen as One-Stop Ex-Offender Service Center in City Partnership

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Do You Know A Living Legend in Englewood?

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Who Are Living Legends?

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4.

Step 5:

LIVING LEGEND RECOMMENDATION

Newsletters Offer Englewood Info

Tribute to NCP "Community Heroes"

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Richard Muhammad

'In the trenches'

Highlighting the good

'Reliability, consistency and concern'

Portfolio: Englewood Auto Repair Training

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Looking for office space? Check out Englewood

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Heroes: Henry Wilson, Deanna Woods

Saturday, December 16, 2006

HENRY P. WILSONPhoto: Alex Fledderjohn

DEANNA WOODSPhoto: Alex Fledderjohn

Quality-of-Life Plan Sets Goals, Projects

Friday, March 10, 2006

What Do the Adinkra Symbols Mean to Us?

Introduction to Teamwork Englewood

Monday, May 1, 2006

HENRY P. WILSON
Photo: Alex Fledderjohn

DEANNA WOODS
Photo: Alex Fledderjohn