May is here!  When I was a little kid, May was my favorite month of the year.  It was the month that school ended in my district AND it was my birthday month.  Frequently, the two events would land on the same day.  It was better than Halloween or Christmas.  Now, May is bringing and end to school but I don't feel as excited about the transition. 

Good luck Rania (left)

This year we were fortunate to begin a relationship with Northeastern's Social Work program as one of their field sites.  As a result we had a BSW student serving 15-20 hours per week at Connections, for her internship.  Rania was a welcome addition to the team at Chicago Ave. and eventually took on the intake process, interviewing community members who were in need of our services.  We wish her some much needed rest (!) and the best of luck as she begins her career.  Thank you so much Rania.

The other bittersweet part of the end of the school year is the hiatus that many of our school groups take over the summer.  (We have open cooking slots listed below that represent the student groups that we will not see for the next couple of months.)  This year we were supported by so many schools, student groups, and individual young people who wanted to find a way to have an impact in their community.  Harper Elementary in Wilmette committed their school community to almost monthly acts of service and support.  They gathered food for our families for Thanksgiving, cleaning supplies for shelter residents moving into their own apartments, made bag lunches for the homeless drop-in program, and are about to raise funds for CTA passes at their annual fun fair, and that's just a few of their projects this year!  Chiaravalle Montessori and North Shore Country Day School both invited their neighbors to collect food for our food pantry by conducting a bag drive for us.  They left bags with Connections' literature attached, on the doors in the neighborhood and identified a day that they would return to pick up donated items and deliver to the pantry. St. Athanasius and Lincolnwood Elementary organized their own fundraising efforts on site and then presented us with checks to support our programs.  

Principal Castagna, student council members, and St. Athanasius students present Connections with over $7,600 for the Family Housing Program.

Haven School, St. Joseph Sunday School program, Scouting groups in Evanston, Skokie, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, and Wilmette all found ways to collect toiletries, food, and clothing.   Teenagers preparing for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and confirmations, reached out and planned service and fundraising projects on our behalf, as part of the preparation for their own rite of passage in their faith.   

The youngest members of our community are refusing to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of homelessness in our area.  They are doing what they can, one bake sale, pizza party, and 2K run at a time.  More than their financial and in-kind contributions, I am gratified by their impulse to think of others and for all the teachers and parents who facilitate that impulse.  It means that the next generation is already thinking about the need for healthy communities and civic responsibility.  I plan to identify new ways that we can harness more of this creative and passionate engagement.  If you know of a school or group of young people that wants to get involved, please help spread the word!

Peace to you,

Lisa Todd

Community Relations

847-424-0945 x.11