Earlier this week Chicago’s City Council passed the Bodily Autonomy Sanctuary City Ordinance! This ordinance will ensure that local law enforcement does not collaborate with outside law enforcements to criminalize people for seeking the medical care they need or people aiding others in access care.

This ordinance was modeled after the Welcoming Cities Ordinance that has made Chicago a “sanctuary city” for undocumented residents, the ordinance also calls for expanding Chicago’s 311 nonemergency line to provide information and resources to people seeking access to abortion and gender-affirming care. For more information on this huge achievement, follow this link.

Thank you to all the organizations who work every day to ensure access to bodily autonomy! 

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We are excited to announce our new staff at the 33rd Ward Alderman’s Office! 

In order from left to right:

• Raul Marron – Neighborhood Services Coordinator 
• Stacy Erenberg – Director of Neighborhood Services
• Meghan Smith – Communications Manager
• Veronica Tirado-Mercado – Chief of Staff
• Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez – Alderwoman
• Eric Ramos – Ward Superintendent
• Joe Engleman – Director of Policy and Development.

Stay tuned for more information on our website!

In This Week’s Newsletter

Quick Links 

*Want more information on community opportunities and job postings? Check out our Community Bulletin!

*Block party applications are open! Read more under “Form” on the Neighborhood Services page, and apply here! 

*Please consider donating to Jackson, Mississippi to help their residents gain access to clean drinking water as the water crisis still remains indefinite! 

These organizations are currently collecting funds to purchase and distribute clean drinking water: Mississippi’s Rapid Response Coalition, Cooperation Jackson, The Mississippi Food Network, and Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity.

Construction Notice for Addison St, Happening Now

IDOT recently began resurfacing Addison St and repairing the sidewalks to make them more accessible for everyone. This construction will cause lane lane closures and will prevent street parking from 8:30 am to 4:30pm. Please allow for additional time on commutes for potential traffic delays. For any questions, please email info@33rdward.org.

Participatory Budgeting Committee Meeting, September 26th

We are hosting our first PB Committee Meeting for 2023! Anyone living in the 33rd Ward and 14 years old or older is eligible to join. In order to join this committee, please follow this link. To RSVP, please email Stacy at stacy@33rdward.org.

CityKey Event, October 5th

On Wednesday, October 5th Our Lady of Mercy Church will host a CityKey event in our ward. The CityKey is a free and optional government issued to Chicagoans. This event is open to the public and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. No RSVP required. 

Community Wealth Building Initiative

As a part of the Chicago Recovery Plan, the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) has partnered with The Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ), to design the Community Wealth Ecosystem Building (Community WEB) Program. The Community WEB program will allow the city to invest in the organizations that start, sustain, and scale CWB models.

The Community WEB program will fund an interconnected network of advisors to provide high-quality, specialized, and culturally-relevant technical services for free to eligible non-profit and for-profit start-ups and operating businesses, such as worker cooperatives, limited-equity housing cooperatives, community land trusts, and community investment vehicles.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, November 1st. Click here for more information.

Walk My Block Registration

Neighborhood Events

1. Albany Park Lot Jams Concerts, Present-Oct 8th

 

2. Famous Fido Rescue Adoption Event & Art Fair, September 24th

3. Israel’s Gifts of Hope Basketball Tournament, September 24th

4.McKinley Bark 5k & Health Fair, September 24th

5.Roe Rage Theme Fest Benefit for Women’s Health, September 30th

6. World Fashion Festival & Latina Expo, September 30th-October 2nd

7. Irving Park Bar Crawl, October 13th

Youth Opportunities

1. Future Founders Internship Program, Applications Due September 23

Future Founders is offering a paid virtual internship opportunity for high school students that are interested in developing their own business ideas and participate in Chicago’s startup community.

Applications for the October and November “Be Your Own Boss Internship” cohorts are officially open! Click here to start your application today.

2. CPS Families Child Tax Credit

Chicago Public Schools families may be eligible for up to $3,600 per child through the expanded federal Child Tax Credit program.

To find out if you’re eligible, and to apply for this credit, visit GetCTC.org/chicagops, a simplified tax filing tool that takes just a few minutes to complete and does not require any tax documents. Some families may also be eligible for an additional $1,400 stimulus payment. Families have until mid-November to claim this money. More information can be found on this flier.

3. Little Explorers, October 3rd – November 21st

The Kedzie Center is hosting another cycle of their parent-child play group called Little Explorers/Pequenos Exploradores for parents and young children (0-5) in our community. The program is bilingual and offered at no cost to community residents. Call them at (773)-754-0577 to reserve your spot. Masks and proof of vaccination required for adults. 

4. Department of Water Management (DWM) Art Contest, Entry Deadline October 7th

The Department of Water Management (DWM) is holding an art contest for their Imagine A Day Without Water campaign. They are looking for art entries from children in grades 3-12. 

Click here to learn more about the Imagine A Day Without Water campaign.  

5. ComEd High School Career Day, October 18th

ComEd is hosting a Career Day for high school students on Tuesday, October 18th from 9am- 2pm at the United Center. 

The career day will include a 45-minute session with a ComEd executive, learning about career paths within ComEd (Construction, Engineering, IT, HR, Finance, etc.), and other fun activities, such as touring fleet vehicles, watching drones in action, touring the United Center’s athlete locker rooms and the Michael Jordan statue, and take pictures in our photo booth.

In order to attend, please RSVP by September 30th. Lunch will be provided to all students.

Cats in Action, September 25th

Cats in Action is hosting a free community workshop about TNR (trap, neuter, and return). 

Seeing cats outside? Feeding cats? Log in to this free workshop to learn how to help. Helping cats near you– free TNR (trap, neuter, and return) workshop on Sunday, September 25th from 4-6 PM 

You can access the zoom link here and the password to join is feralcats. 

Click here for more information. 

Landlord Workshop, October 3rd

Join North River Commission on Monday, October 3rd at 3 pm virtually or in person as they partner with the Department Housing and the Center for Housing & Health for a workshop focused on rental subsidy programs that landlords can participate in to provide housing to individuals experiencing homelessness and more.

Landlords will get a chance to ask questions, share concerns, and learn about all the benefits, including being compensated at market rates when participating in these programs. 

You can attend this event in person at 3403 W Lawrence Ave or you may request to join via Zoom. RSVP by text at 872-257-8773 or via email at erika@northrivercommission.org.

Hispanic Heritage Month Business Highlight

During the Hispanic Heritage Month, the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce will be highlighting local businesses owned by Hispanic entrepreneurs. If you would like your business to be highlighted on their social media platforms, reach out to Marisabel via email at marisabel@northrivercommission.org or call/text 312-860-9294.

Love Fridge

Love Fridge is a mutual aid network that sets up community-run fridges all across Chicago to provide access to free food and help fight food insecurity. The fridge provides free food to anyone on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can basis, stocked by us and awesome neighbors like ours! The Love Fridge is currently accepting donations, and they are looking for volunteers to support the maintenance and cleaning of the fridge. Click here to sign up as a Love Fridge Volunteer!

Small Business Spotlight: Community Laundromat

Community Laundromat is a new business in the ward. They pride themselves on having short wait times for laundry, and they have high tech, eco friendly washers and dryers. Stop by at 3701 W Lawrence to support this new business.

Business Resources

1. Business Education for Entrepreneurs

The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) offers free weekly webinars to educate entrepreneurs in all areas of running a business. Click here to register for upcoming webinars.To watch all past webinars, visit BACP’s YouTube channel.

• Wednesday, September 21 at 3:00 PM: Grow Your Small Business with Grants Up to $250K
• Thursday, September 22 at 2:00 PM: Empower Hour: Dulcelandia 
• Friday, September 23 at 9:30 AM: Launch Your Business with Customer-Focused Marketing- Part 1

2. Marketing for Restaurants, October 3rd

On Monday, October 3 at 11 AM join Albany Park Chamber of Commerce and Rene’ Velazquez, President of the Southwest Business Network, for this special marketing webinar dedicated to restaurants. Master restaurant marketing and learn how to build a customer base, how to get FREE advertising, make compelling videos from your phone, and more!

RSVP via email to cgeorge@northrivercommission.org or text/call 312-344-0333.

CTA Bus Operator and Bus Mechanic Career Fair, October 1st

CTA and ATU Local 241 are hosting a Bus Operator & Bus Mechanic In-Person Career Fair on Saturday, October 1st from 9:00AM – 12:30 PM. During this event, you will learn about both positions, how to apply, and hear from CTA team members and union representatives.

Registration is required so follow this link and register today! CTA JOB FAIR

Serve as a Poll Worker on November 8th

Chicago needs poll workers more than ever! Help defend democracy and apply today to work the November 8, 2022 General Election. Apply today to become an Election Judge or Election Coordinator! 

Ask CTA Event, Now- October 6th

CTA is hosting “Ask CTA” events at key rail stops now through the first week in October (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of each week). At each event, CTA will have at least two CTA Senior Staff Members available to address customers’ comments and feedback.

The Ask CTA events will be held in the mornings from 7:30-9:30am and in the evenings from 4:30-6:30pm. Locations of event will be posted on CTA’s social media accounts each week.

Volunteer with the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

CERT is a national community-based opportunity for citizens to learn basic hands-on disaster response techniques that can be applied to daily lives. Over the years, Chicago CERT members have supported many special events, disaster preparedness drills and emergency exercises alongside the City of Chicago’s public safety team.

The next 30-hour CERT training course will be held every Tuesday and Thursday between September 6th and October 6th from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Chicago State University. The course covers topics such as disaster preparedness, fire safety, hazmat, search and rescue, and more.

To sign up for this training course, you can register/sign-up by emailing chicagocitizencorps@cityofchicago.org or by using this registration link.

MeterSave Program with DWM

The Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) has announced that they are installing free water meters after approval by the City Council, which allowed for some additions to the program. The voluntary MeterSave Program, which has provided over 130,000 meters to
homeowners since 2009, has saved residents up to 50% on their water bills.

Those on the MeterSave waiting list will be prioritized when the program begins in September, but anyone interested in receiving a meter can join the list by registering at: www.MeterSave.org

The program in its current form will end in January of 2023 when the state law changes to require lead service line replacement as part of any meter installation.

Job Resources

1. NAMI Chicago

NAMI Chicago has positions open in Mental Health Services and they are looking for outstanding and dedicated people to join their growing team. Interested candidates can apply online by selecting any of the available positions below:

• Helpline Peer Support Specialist
• Helpline Specialist
• Controller

Public Health Updates

MonkeyPox Resources

The monkeypox virus is spread through close contact with body fluids, sores, shared bedding or clothing, or respiratory droplets (kissing, coughing, sneezing, etc.). This week, there were 43 documented cases in Chicago. 

Vaccinations for MPV are currently available in Chicago for adults 18 and up. Because of the limited availability of vaccines, you must meet the eligibility requirements outlined by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

COVID-19 Resources

1. You are now eligible for 8 MORE free at-home COVID rapid tests!

Residential households in the U.S. are now eligible for 8 free at-home tests on USPS.com.  

2. At-Home Vaccinations: Get your whole family vaccinated at home! CDPH is offering vaccination appointments at home for up to 10 family members. Click here to set up your appointment!

3. Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

4. At-Home Vaccinations Incentive

Through August 30, any Chicagoan age 5 and up is now eligible to receive a $50 gift card for booster COVID vaccine doses (regardless of zip code) via the City’s At-Home vaccination program. 

Per CDC rules, this bonus is only being offered to individuals that have not received more than $100 in COVID vaccine incentives from the City. Incentives will be provided while supplies last.

Click here to schedule your appointment

5. Vaccinations

CPS Students: 

– Permanent sites
– Mobile Events
– School-Based Health Centers
–  Sign up for weekly COVID testing at CPS

33rd Ward Vaccination Events

1. Theodore Roosevelt High School

2. Swedish Hospital: Walk-In’s Welcome

* More information on City testing sites here!

Community Safety Updates

1. 17th District CAPS Meetings

The 17th District has resumed beat meetings in-person. 

Information about Beat Meetings here.

Please contact the 17th District Community Policing Office / CAPS, if there are any questions or concerns.

Email: caps.017district@chicagopolice.org

Telephone: 312-742-4588