Teamwork Englewood - Latest news

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.

July Bee Line: Emmanuel's restaurant, Heritage Station

8/25/2009, 5:09 PM

The July issue of the Bernard Place Bee Line includes a review of Emmanuel’s, a lovely sandwich shop at 67th and Normal Blvd., by "your neighbor" Renee Scrutchings, and an update on the Heritage Station project along the proposed Englewood Trail, among other stories.

Download the issue.

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.

Check Out Upcoming Events in the Latest Beeline

6/10/2009, 5:17 PM

See the June issue of the Beeline for a schedule of upcoming Englewood events.

In May, Englewood Springs into Action

5/6/2009, 9:38 AM

The May issue of the Beeline includes a schedule for a variety of Englewood events, ranging from mortgage counseling sessions to an outdoor blues festival.

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.

Dr. John T. Carlsen's Five Tips for Survival in a Down Economy

4/1/2009, 4:23 PM

In the April issue of the Beeline, Dr. John T. Carlsen, a staff psychologist and assistant director of the Englewood Mental Health Center, offers some advice on how to cope with these hard economic times.

Free Quick Relief Inhalers for Englewood/West Englewood

3/28/2009, 10:07 AM

The March issue of the Bee Line reports that Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (RHAMC) and the Respiratory and Allergic Disease Foundation (RAD) recently joined together on an initiative to help uninsured asthma patients in Englewood and West Englewood obtain quick relief inhalers.

RAD Foundation generously donated coupons for free ProAir HFA albuterol Inhalers. They were able to make these available from a grant they received from Teva Specialty Pharmaceuticals. The Addressing Asthma in Englewood Project has been active in a four-year effort to improve
access to care and reduce hospitalizations for children with asthma in Englewood and West
Englewood.

The project is a joint venture between RHAMC and Dr. Victoria Persky at the University of Illinois, School of Public Health in collaboration with local partners. The project is funded in part by the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc.

“Our team is thrilled to be able to help the Englewood and West Englewood communities in a way we can,” said Maureen Damitz, Project Director.

'Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do'

2/8/2009, 11:33 PM

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The February edition of the Bee Line included some advice from Dr. Terry Mason, commissioner of the Chicago Dept. of Public Health and plenty of information about happenings in the

Dr. Terry Mason

community including an Englewood Idol performance, a planning meeting for Englewood, a community survey co-sponsored by Children's Memorial Hospital and the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, mini-grants from Friends of the Parks, a well-attended CAPS meeting and a petition opposing the phaseout of Walter Reed Elementary School.

Dr. Mason told the Bee Line that "we can get through these hard times; and we'll do it best if we do it together." The doctor advised staying with a healthy diet, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, getting enough sleep, keeping a positive mental outlook and showing love for yourself and your family and avoiding risky behaviors.

You can hear more from Dr. Mason over the airwaves of WVON-AM 1690, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., every Sunday on "Doctor In The House."

Also, February is African-American History Month and Footnote.com is launching its African American Collection, which includes records and information that cover historic subjects ranging from slavery, military service, and issues in Black history that date back to the late 18th century.

'Something Happened'

12/3/2008, 6:15 PM

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama and family at Grant Park in Chicago during election night victory rally.

The December edition of the Bernard Place Bee Line captured the thoughts of friends and neighbors on the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. In interviews, thoughts on the historic victory, what it means and the feelings the Obama victory engendered are captured. The Bee Line also includes a photo of the president-elect during his earlier successful bid for the Senate and a 2003 visit to a holiday party at the Yale Apartments. The favorite son from the south side of Chicago and the state of Illinois made history by becoming the first Black man to win the White House. Where were you election night, Nov. 4, 2008, and what were you thinking? Click here to read what some of your neighbors felt and thought.

Click below for a special holiday message from the Obamas:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1349141721

Brought to you by the Bernard Place Bee Line, through Black PR Newswire.

Summer Is Here! Read All About It in the Bernard Place Bee Line

8/1/2008, 9:45 AM

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Summer is here and there is plenty to do in Chicago and in Englewood. The June 5 edition of the Bernard Place Bee Line is full of information about events, including a Juneteenth celebration, and other news. This month's news includes summer festivals; the Freshman Connection 9th grade summer program; a fundraiser at Park National Bank; a Real Men Cook recipe; a Fathers Day Classic Car and Motorcycle Show; the Englewood Farmers Market; summer programs; an Imagine Englewood If youth trip to Washington, D.C., and a farewell to Englewood High School. Click here to read all about it!

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"

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.

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.

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