Blocks Together Chicago | Action Bettering Communities

Community Controlled DevelopmentApril 22, 2014

This year BT has kicked in high gear around local campaigns that will support community controlled development. If you live in the West Humboldt Park community please join us in the upcoming meetings and learning sessions around proposed community projects and have your say and hard work contribute to the economic and community development of the WHP community:

Thursday, April 24th at 12 pm meet BT members at the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago to see the organization’s small business incubator. This site visit was inspired by the community meetings around the re-purposing of the vacant Laura Ward Elementary School. As a community we are working to explore potential options for the reuse in order to ensure direct community benefit of the building.

Tuesday, April 29th at 5:30pm at the Daley Library, 733 N. Kedzie will be our next Tax Increment Financing strategy meeting around using participatory budgeting with TIF funds!

Saturday, May 3rd is a learning session on Community Benefit Agreements being held at the Daley Library, 733 N. Kedzie from 10-1pm.

The next community meeting on the Re-Purposing of the vacant Laura Ward Tuesday, May 6th 5:30-7:30pm at the Daley Library, 733 N. Kedzie.

Please RSVP to any or all of the events at blockstogether@gmail.com.

SUMMER JOBS FOR PARENTS AT BLOCKS TOGETHERApril 10, 2014

Parents,

Blocks Together is offering 12 weeks of part-time employment for parents through the Illinois Community Violence Prevention Program. For more information, join us at our Orientation Meeting on Tuesday, April 22 from 6-8 pm at Blocks Together, 3455 W. North Avenue.

And to Apply, you may visit www.ilcvpp.org and select ‘Humboldt Park as your community of choice.

NRI ENGLISH PDF NRI SPANISH (1)

BT Members Win Local School Council Elections at Laura Ward Elementary SchoolApril 9, 2014

Congratulations to the Blocks Together members that won the LSC elections at Laura Ward Elementary School; Torrence Frank Shorter, Rosalind Jackson, Lois Crawford, Gertrude Shorter, and Cicely Shorter. The whole slate won at Laura Ward Elementary School and will be building toward a great future for the students of this school that has gone through so much the last year. VICTORY!

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4.25.14 Fundraiser

This Friday, April 25th at 7pm come join BT members and friends as we fund raise through the creative arts. Please join us at our Poetry Set and After party at 3154 W. Chicago Ave. Come hear renown Poets bless the mic, and local artists from the West Humboldt Park Community and BT members. It is a sure to be a great night! You can purchase your $10 tickets on line by clicking on the donation button for or meet us at the door for $15.00. Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

Community Meeting on Re-purposing of vacant Laura Ward Elementary School

Please join Blocks Together and Alderman Walter Burnett on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at the Nia Center, 744 n. Monticello for community dialogue on the re-purposing of the vacant Laura Ward Elementary School. To learn more from BT’s first sponsored meeting you can follow this link to better understand the current proposed process for potential disposition of vacant schools. Also you can learn more about the process and BT’s recommendations at our Co-Director Cecile Carroll’s blog.

Community Meeting April, 2 2014

Community Meeting on the Re-Purposing of Laura Ward Elementary School

The Mayor’s Advisory Committee on School Repurposing recently released a report on the recommended process for the disposition of the schools closed last year. This process has a short time frame and bidders would have to fund the maintenance of these buildings. Please come to this public meeting around the process and brainstorm potential uses of the building and its impact on the community. The meeting will be held Tuesday March 11th 6-8pm at the Nia Center, 744 N. Monticello.

Download this fact sheet School Repurposing Blocks Together Fact Sheet on School Re-Purposing

laura ward repurposing

Blocks Together - Action Bettering Communities