All Aboard! Our Programs
Are on the Move and We Want You AND Your Ideas
Photo: Jose Torres
Village programs are increasingly filling
up with a wait list. The reason: Programs are planned and presented
by members and volunteers, in and for our community, which makes them
on-target and unique. Please think about jumping in and matching
your own interests and skills to help plan one of the following:
For Care Givers.
A major forum on care giving is in the works for the spring.
Have you experienced the challenges of care giving? Do you have
insights to share? Interested in working with our strategic partner
CJE SeniorLife to plan the event?
For Foodies.
We know about book clubs, but how about a dining club? A group
of Lincoln Park foodies is beginning to organize. We invite you
to bring your appetite and restaurant recommendations and join us as
this program takes shape.
For Jokesters.
How can you resist? Gather your favorite puns and thigh-slappers
and join the planners for our March 21 program "Laughter Really IS
Great Medicine." Our strategic partner Mather LifeWays is setting
the stage. Come and add your good ideas to what will surely be
a popular offering. No joke!
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Upcoming Events For
complete details, visit our website: www.lincolnparkvillage.org
Register by calling 773.248.8700.
T'AI CHI
CLASSES RESUME, Mondays,
February 1 - March 22, 10:00-11:00 am, Whole
Foods, 1550 N. Kingsbury. Breathing
and gentle movement increase your energy, flexibility, and muscle strength.
FIGHTING
SLAVERY IN CHICAGO, Sunday,
February 7, 3:00-5:00 pm. Member hosted. Village
member Tom Campbell discusses his new book detailing the role Chicago
abolitionists played in ending slavery.
LINCOLN PARK
MARKET HOSTS A WINE TASTING, Wednesday,
February 17, 5:00-7:30 pm, Lincoln
P ark Market, 2500 N. Clark. Enjoy
wine, hors d'oeuvres, and conversation with friends and neighbors.
THE JOYS OF
JUICE, Saturday,
February 20, 10:00-11:00 am. Member hosted. Discover
the benefits and delights of freshly squeezed juice; led by a registered
dietician.
A
CONVERSATION: RELATIONS OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS, Sunday, February
21 4:00-6:00 pm. Member hosted. Professor
of Church History Bruce Rigdon will lead the discussion followed by a light
supper.
A TOUR OF THE
AUDITORIUM THEATER, Wednesday,
February 24, 11:45 am-1:00 pm. Our
tour of this jewel of Chicago architecture will be led by Brenda Sollitt,
member of the restoration committee, and will include "secrets" and "firsts."
NIA - Continuing
Thursdays through February 4, and starting again on February 11- April 1
Coming
in March . . .
HEALTHCARE
REFORM: HOW CHANGES WILL AFFECT YOU, Thursday, March 4
A CHANCE TO
CHOOSE: YOUR MEDICAL AGENDA INTO END OF LIFE, Sunday, March 7
MASTER
VIOLINIST PLAYS A RARE GUARNERI VIOLIN, Wednesday, March 24
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Dear Member,
In the eight months since we started delivering services to members, the volume of requests has been increasing day by day. And, in the process, our members are learning that the resources the Village has assembled are high quality, relevant, and effective.
As time passes, the level of trust is also growing so that members are feeling more comfortable asking for help with sensitive issues. Our first calls were all about computers and rides. Now, people trust the Village with more personal matters such as problems that may arise in the role of caregiver or help with personal finances.
It turns out this is a recognized process: the engagement and empowerment model. It is the process whereby a naturally occurring but unaffiliated community such as ours is transformed into a functioning community of support.
But name or no name, the process is creating the Village and the community we all envisioned from the beginning, where people can choose to age well, in their homes, with enjoyment and peace of mind.
Please read on to discover how the Village is putting engagement and empowerment into action.
Dianne S. Campbell
Founding Executive Director
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THE 'PLUS' FACTOR:
Village Services Bring Multiple Benefits
That Build Community
Lincoln Park Village has been offering
services to its members for a little over six months now. It seems longer,
doesn't it? Maybe that's because it turns out that the effect
of the services on members' lives is rich and complex and interesting.
The services we are delivering can be described in simple phrases: a
ride to a class, referral to a plumber, a daily well-being phone call.
But when you examine the effect they are having on people's lives,
the true nature of our Village becomes apparent.
Ride to
a class, plus . . .For example, we have a member who was
living quite an isolated life. Her family was concerned and arranged
for her to become a member. She now is a regular attendee at some
of our fitness programs and does volunteer work (which she loves!).
Another member helps her get to and from the class. A third member found
out how much she likes to walk. So now they walk together around
the pond in the park - sometimes adding lunch to the outing. One service
- a ride - created two new friendships, a new volunteer, and a relieved
and grateful family.
Referral to a plumber, plus . .
.A member and his wife were out of the
country on an extended vacation leaving a family member at their home
in Lincoln Park. While they were gone, a potentially serious plumbing
problem arose. One call to the Village solved the problem, saved
the vacation, the house, and everyone's peace of mind.
Well-being phone call, plus . .
.In a similar situation, vacationing
members asked the Village to make a daily well-being phone call to a
family member who lives with them in their Lincoln Park home. Two volunteers
took on the month-long assignment. Through that initial connection,
it was determined that the family member was not sleeping well.
The Village was able to refer her to a sleep clinic and further engage
her by asking her to help us evaluate the sleep program for use by other
members.
On the surface, these three stories
may appear to be simply delivery of one service to one member. In reality,
however, they are stories about building community. They demonstrate
how the benefits of one service can radiate out to encompass not just
the Village member, but also the member's family and caregivers, our
volunteers, and the community as a whole. It is this weaving of
care and connection that makes us a true Village.
Be sure to read the following Member
Profile, which puts face and voice to this Village fabric.
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. . . . . . M E M B E R P R O F I L E . . . . .
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ELVINA MOEN
Spirit, Determination, and A Little Help
From Her Friends and Her Village
Two years ago, Elvina Moen fell and broke her pelvis - "I think it just plain cracked" - as she describes it. She was treated at St. Joseph Hospital
and ready for release after a few days, but of course was unable to
walk. Her doctor asked her if she preferred to recoup in
a nursing home. "Not if I can help it," Elvina replied. "I
want to go home."
And so she did go home - to her apartment
at Wrightwood and Sheffield where she has lived for the past 25 years.
Anyone who knows Elvina Moen knows she would make that decision, and
that she then would marshal her determination and great good humor,
along with in-home services and help from her church and close friends,
to regain her strength and mobility.
It's also no surprise that, last
summer, after she was encouraged by friends to consider joining Lincoln
Park Village, Elvina arrived at the Village office on Clark Street,
on her walker, to talk directly to the executive director and determine
for herself what our organization could do for her. And she didn't
join that day. She went home and thought it over.
"I figured it was going to be a good thing to be a member, but I didn't
know how good," she says with a smile.
In many ways, Lincoln Park Village
simply is enabling Elvina to build on her own unwavering determination
and desire to stay where she is, active and involved in the community
she loves. Among other services, Village volunteers
have taken her to get her hair cut; repainted her living room - she
calls the color "Elvina blue"; and helped her buy a ceiling fan
and made sure it was properly installed. Elvina
walks to the grocery, but now she calls the Village in bad weather and a
volunteer drives her there.
With great gusto, Elvina also has embraced
the educational and social life of the Village, joining other members
on art tours, at concerts and forums, at holiday gatherings hosted in
members' homes. And she is a loyal volunteer whenever office
work, in particular the all-important mailings, needs doing.
"I count my blessings," she explains. "I live in a great
part of town, I have a church that watches out for me, I know so many
people I enjoy being with. And I'm meeting so many more good folks
through the Village."
Chicago became Elvina's "town"
early on. Born and raised on a farm in Iowa, she initially moved
here as a young woman to take a job as nanny for a family living on
Lincoln Park West. Once she decided to make Chicago her permanent
home, she also decided to make a difference in her community. The plaques
on the wall attest to her success: recognition for her longtime work
in the Night Ministry; induction into the City's Senior Citizen Hall
of Fame; a medal of honor from the Cook County Sheriff. Her community
activity over the past 3 ½ decades in Lincoln Park has been notable.
Elvina's longstanding passion?
Local politics - knowing whose running, working campaigns, and voting,
always voting. Just ask her.
Photo: Jane Curry
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Soups, Stews, and Boy, That Bread!
Village members Pam and Mel Washburn
recently hosted a group of 20 enthusiastic Villagers for Sunday supper
at their home. On that blustery evening, guests dined on a delicious
soup and stew prepared by chef and nutritionist Avril Greenberg.
While the meal bubbled away, they learned all about the grains, legumes,
and spices used in the preparation. Pam's home-baked bread was
a highlight. Pictured above, chef Avril describes the "how-to's"
of the menu to the hungry guests, while Pam (hidden), slices her bread.
In the meantime, Mel relaxes and enjoys all the hubbub in his kitchen.
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U of C Student Joins Village as Intern
The Village's third intern has been
on board since December, and it's a perfect match.
Andrew Walter, a student in social
service administration at the University of Chicago, is serving a four-month
rotation at the Village through his social work internship with Rush
University Medical Center Older Adult Programs. Thanks to
Rush, one of our strategic partners, Andrew is applying his professional
interest in aging and his experience in program administration to help
coordinate our on-going Health and Wellness program series.
The Doctor Dialogues forum, just held, as well the earlier book
discussion, How Doctors Think, has kept him more than busy. His
next Village assignment: helping to button up details for the
next three health-focused sessions scheduled in March.
Andrew discusses details of the upcoming
forum, The Doctor Dialogues, with planning committee members (from left):
Elaine Sampson, Monna Ray (hidden), Bruce Hunt, and Mary Morrisey.
Andrew, who was born and raised in
Park Ridge, Illinois, expects to receive his degree this June.
"Ultimately, I would be interested in engaging in the government and
policy side of social services," he explains. "But I definitely
want to pursue work in the health arena and in collaboration with community."
He explains his abiding interest in
studying and working in the area of aging this way: "I was always
very comfortable and involved with older adults. I was close to
both sets of grandparents, was often in their homes, and socialized
with their friends. It seems like a natural progression."
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Call us! Join us!
773.248.8700
Lincoln Park Village
2502 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614
p. 773.248.8700 f. 773.248.8181
www.lincolnparkvillage.org
info@lincolnparkvillage.org
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