TM

Volume 7 April 2008 Issue 4

Happy April All~

I hope that spring is treating you OK in other cities because Chicago is doing its own thing. Do you know that it snowed on the first day of spring? Heck, it snowed today (March 27th). I am almost certain that we are going to have one more big snow in April before we can store away our winter gear.

Many Thanks Thanks to everyone who shared information about programs for young people. Please pass it along!

Again, I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to my website. You are truly appreciated.

Shorty’s Soapbox I am a little pissed about the attacks against babies, young people and elderly people. Do you realize that a young person gets killed at least once a week in Chicago (it may be more but I don’t really watch the news)? And what’s with people preying on seniors? What can we do to protect youngsters and the elderly, y’all? All suggestions and tips are appreciated.

One more thing, can I just say that Sprint sucks??? With that said, if you are a Sprint customer, dial *2 and press talk to get credit for your dropped calls every time a call drops. Even if they are free!

Happy Birthday I would like to send an extra special birthday shout out to my mother, Verlene Phillips. And to all of the April celebrants – have a wonderfully blessed birthday.

GREAT NEWS

Congratulations! Barbara J. Baker, M. Ed, DTM, a Retired Delegate in the Chicago Teachers Union, who is very active in reparations and a health advocate for human rights, for women's history & women's rights was the recipient of the 2008 Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs Award on March 6, 2008. This award is named in honor of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, a former Chicago public school teacher, union member and the co-founder of the DuSable Museum.

Welcome to the World Carter Douglas Nemcic! MJM Toastmaster Members are Da Bomb!

Born March 17, 2008 at 11:00 Janice Hooker and Keith Fortman, two of my am - 7 lbs. 2 oz 20 1/2" long Toastmaster members, won the area Table Topics and International Speech contests, respectively. They will advance to the area contest on April 5th.

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 1

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Male Mentor Needed There is a bright young man in my library group in the Gresham Community that will do well with guidance. I do not want to see him become a statistic. Please call Marcie at 877-570-5228 if you can do it.

Networking Sites Used for College Admissions A recent study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that 25 percent of college admissions offices admit to using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN to research potential students and that 20 percent look for the same information on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Click for full story. http://www.collegerecruiter.com/weblog/2007/11/college_admissi.php

Calling All Future Managers and Engineers!!! Kettering University is sponsoring its Academically Interested Minorities (AIM) summer program in Flint, Michigan. AIM is a five-week residential summer program designed to help students of color make a successful transition from high school to college. Students from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean will attend freshman level courses and speak with professional engineers and managers during company tours.

Qualifications: African American, Hispanic and Native American students must have completed their junior year with a minimum 3.0 GPA in English, math and chemistry courses (two years of high school algebra or the equivalent preparation; one year of geometry; one year of high school chemistry with lab; and two years of high school English). Applications are due by April 21, 2008. For any questions or to obtain an application, please contact Ricky D. Brown, Director of Pre-College Programs at (810) 762-9845 or (8000 955-4464 ext. 9845.

Do You Know Any Young People Interested in a Career in Law? The National Bar Association Crump Law Camp will be held July 6 - 19 in Washington, DC. Applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2008. Applicants must be14 -17 when camp begins and entering the 9th-11th grade in the fall of 2008. For more information, visit http://www.nationalbar.org/lawcamp/index.shtml or call (301) 249- 8355 with any questions.

CPFTA Recruitment Drive for Class of 2010 Do you know of any sophomore students living in Chicago interested in becoming police officers, fire fighters or paramedics? The Chicago Police and Fire Fighter Training Academy (CPFTA) is conducting recruitment meetings every Thursday in April. Go to www.cpfta.com for the schedule and call Officer Paul Chester at (312) 745-5960 with questions.

Celebrating Teen Talent More than 300 youth ages 13-18 from Chicago Park District programs will show off their skills at the annual Teen Arts Expo Friday, April 11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive. The Teen Arts Expo showcases the creative work that the Chicago Park District’s cultural instructors and partnering arts organizations are creating with high school teens in Chicago’s parks. The arts programs offer both a recreational and creative outlet for teens to explore after school. Visit the Chicago Park District at chicagoparkdistrict.com or call 312-747-PLAY for more information.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is waiting for your child Our Lady of Guadalupe School, serving children in grades K – 8, is a great school for your child. The faculty cares about each child’s success as a person. We offer tuition assistance, bus service and before/after school care. Our athletics programs include Cross Country, Basketball, Track and Volleyball. A Science Club and Folkloric Dance are additional extracurricular programs. Because we are Catholic, your child will receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Communion, and Confirmation. Children will participate in liturgies, Stations of the Cross and

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 2

attend Mass regularly. Catholic school standardized test scores are above the national average, and our students are accepted at the best Catholic high schools. Register now while space is still available. You can contact us at: Our Lady of Guadalupe School / 9050 S. Burley, Chicago IL 60617 / (773) 768-0999 / olgschicago.org.

Mentors Needed for Young Adults ages 19 - 21 The Y Alliance is looking for adults who will participate in an activity with a mentee once per month and have regular contact with them to help them stay on track. The activity could be coordinated by the Y or the mentor based on their individual goals and interests.

Typically, the youth in this program have one or more of the following barriers to completing their formal education, going to work and becoming self-sufficient:

• high school drop-outs • homelessness • deficient in basic skills - read below 8.9 grade level • pregnant and/or parenting • gang-affiliated • involved with the criminal justice system (on probation or parole)

This may sound like a very high risk group of young adults (and it is), but they only enroll those who are motivated for success. They need to know that there is someone who really cares whether or not they make it, and will hold them accountable for the goals they have set for themselves. If you are interested in volunteering, or want to learn more about the program and expectations, call (773) 368-8305 or send me an email.

Bless a Teen that Wants to Go to College College Summit is an organization dedicated to increasing the college enrollment rate of low-income students in America. Volunteer to be a writing coach (you don’t have to be a writer or have teaching experience) to help young people write their personal essays for college. This is a very rewarding experience, and I assure you that you will be blessed. The workshops take place from Thursday through Sunday. You do have to pay for your own transportation, but you can get up to $200 back after your workshop. Visit http://www.collegesummit.org/volunteer/

CLASSIFIEDS

Position Wanted Seeking a paid public relations/marketing internship on the South side or in the Loop. Call Marcie at (877) 570- 5228 if you learn of such opportunities.

Positions Available

Teaching Positions Civitas Schools Applications are now being accepted for 2008-2009 school year for Civitas Schools. NCLB/ISBE compliance is required for all teaching positions. Potential Educational Opportunities will be at the High School and Elementary School level for: Administrators, Clerical, Security, Maintenance and Teachers in all subject areas. If you would like immediate consideration for current and future employment opportunities, please apply on-line to our “Applitrack” electronic application. Our on-line application system can be accessed by hiring managers/principals at anytime. You may also upload any relevant certifications. Get your resume in front of the hiring manager today. Apply on-line at Civitasschools.org.

CTA is Hiring Do you know anyone who is looking for a part-time job? CTA is hiring 400 Part-time bus drivers. The salary is $17.46/hr with increases up to $26.86/hr. Get the application at www.transitchicago.com. With their current troubles not totally resolved, can they really afford these people??

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 3

Entrepreneur Exhibit, Job Fair & Fashion Show Creative Choices (A Unique Choice) is holding their 5th Annual Job Fair & Entrepreneur Exhibit Event from Friday, April 18 – Saturday, April 19, 2008 at the Best Western Hotel at 4400 Frontage Road, Hillside, Illinois. For more information, contact [email protected].

Attention Journalists The Unity Journalism Conference will be held in Chicago from July 23 – 27th at McCormick Place West. This is your opportunity to meet Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American journalists. Check out http://www.unityjournalists.org/ for prices and schedules.

SMALL BUSINESSES

Custom Cards & Scrapbooks by The Write Design Company The Write Design Company is expanding services to include custom greeting cards and traditional scrapbooking. If you have photos of yourself, your children, family or friends, and would like to get creative with pretty paper, call Marcie at (877) 570-5228. Don’t forget Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June!!!

From the Desk of Sharenda Hill, Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant “I am here to meet your skin care, body care, color cosmetics, and fragrance needs. Please contact me to find out about my fabulous products and career opportunities. Visit my website - www.marykay.com/hills or e-mail me - [email protected]”

Website Design C.O.M.P.'s Webmasters treats website designing like creating works of art. Please check out some of our latest creations - www.dlonozo-artistry.com, www.myoutriggers.com, and www.mosense.com. Our rates are affordable, and we customize websites to suit your needs. Email [email protected] or call 800.883.8713 ext.5.

Custom Pillow Designs - From the Desk of Carole Piller "Pillows with an image of your grandparent, parent, child or loved one make a nice sentimental keepsake. From a color or black and white photograph, I can reproduce an image on a pillow. Even if the picture is torn or faded, I can restore it to reproduce it. I also make note cards and can personalize them for you. Check out my website at www.pillowsnthing.etsy.com. If you have any inquiries, please contact Carole Piller at [email protected]."

Jewelry Designs and Hand-Painted Clothing Ms. Alicia, the daughter of Ms. Carole Piller (custom pillows above), is a full-time jewelry designer. Alicia also paints, makes suede jewelry by forming it into unique geometric designs and has a line of hand painted clothing. Check out her designs at www.designsbyaliciap.com.

Natural Hair Designs My hair stylist, MeMe, specializes in natural and relaxed hair care. However, she is da’ bomb with natural hair, and she keeps mine stylish and healthy. Call MeMe at (773) 383-4272.

COMMUNITY NEWS & OTHER GOOD STUFF

MJM Speakers’ Circle MJM Speakers’ Circle is now online at http://mjmspeakers.freetoasthost.info/. Check us out online and then stop in to visit us at Thurgood Marshall Library located at 7506 S. Racine in Chicago. Meetings are held 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. every 1st and 3rd Saturday. Come and check us out!

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 4

Housing Fair The Financial Ministry of Vernon Park Church of God in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services and Harris Bank is sponsoring a housing fair on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The fair will be held at 7:00 p.m. at 9011 S. Stony Island. Come out and gain tips on how to purchase a home; how to keep your home; how to prevent foreclosure; and to learn about home improvement funds.

Reward for Information about Hit & Run Accident There is a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading up to the driver that struck two women attempting to cross the 7500 block of South State Street on March 9, 2008. They were hit by a white Dodge Magnum station wagon. Contact Area Two Detective Division at 312-747-8272 reference RD # HP-215-299 if you have any info concerning this incident. (source: flyer from Beat 2222 CAPS meeting)

Need Help with Rent or Utilities? If you know someone on the Chicagoland area who is at least 1 month behind on their rent or utility bills, there is a Catholic Charity at 1120 W. 79th St. that offers people financial assistance in paying their past due rent and utilities. To qualify, you have to be able to 1) prove that you are at least 1 month behind in the bill 2) provide proof of employment and income. I believe that you must be employed in order to take advantage of this service, but they also offer very helpful programs like job placement, and food distribution for unemployed and homeless persons. They ask mandatory questions, and will contact your landlord/utility company directly to acquire all the proof of debt that they need. I think most landlords/companies will be willing to work with the organization. From what I understand, they send all financial assistance via check directly to the landlord/utility company, so no, you will not be seeing a dime of the money. This is probably just to protect against fraud. I think the charity is at least partially federally funded, so most of the money is there just waiting for the community to utilize. Note: This information was received from various sources which is why it is included here.

Creative Chicago Expo – Free Event The Expo will be held on Saturday, April 12th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center located at 77 East Randolph. Meet thousands of Chicago "creatives" -- individual artists and creators, nonprofit arts and culture organizations, for-profit creative industries in all disciplines -- music, dance, theater, visual art, literary arts, film, fashion, design -- at this free day-long event at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Free Tax Preparation The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corp (GADC), the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center (ERC) and the Center for Economic Progress Center (CEP) will offer free tax preparation at the St. Sabina ERC located at 1153 W. 79th Street in Chicago on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays through Monday, April 14, 2008. Families earning under $40k and individuals earning $15k are eligible for this service. For more information, call the GADC offices at (773) 483-3696 or CEP at (312) 630-0273.

Savings Goals Assistance www.idanetwork.org - savings plan that matches $3 for every $1 you save. The catch? You have to save for a minimum of 1 year and let them know what you are saving for: house, car, etc.

What is Your Financial Health? Go to www.myfico.com to find out. myFICO® offers informative credit-information products that help people understand actions they can take to achieve and protect their overall financial health.

Seniors Ride Free Illinois lawmakers approved and Governor Rod Blagojevich has signed into law, through an amendatory veto process, free rides on fixed routes for seniors aged 65 and older living in the RTA’s service region. For more details, go to http://www.rtachicago.com/CMS400Min/index.asp?id=630.

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 5

Family-Friendly Fitness! (From fitness specialist Denise Austin) Have trouble balancing workouts and family time? Why not combine them? It's easy! When you're walking, bring tiny tots along in a backpack carrier or stroller. You'll burn more calories packing or pushing the extra weight, and they'll enjoy the fresh air, too! Have older kids? Why not get involved in sports together? Swimming, tennis, soccer, basketball, and baseball all provide a great workout! Do your kids like to bike or skate? Take advantage of your own neighborhood, or pack up the car and head for a nearby park or school track every afternoon!

You'll accomplish your goal of exercising each day — and you'll also be spending quality time with your kids, showing them that fitness can be fun, too!

Neighborhood Safety Find the names and addresses of convicted felons living in your neighborhood at http://www.felonspy.com/

Settlements

Airborne If you purchased the product Airborne between 2001 and 2007, you are entitled to a refund. Apparently it DOES NOT cure the common cold; it is just a supplement that is full of vitamins. Because of this misleading claim, the class action lawsuit has been filed and settled. You do not need proof of receipt to receive a refund. Go to http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com/index.htm or call (888) 952-9080 for more information.

TJ Maxx or Marshall’s If you made a purchase or return at a TJX store – TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx N’ More, Marshall’s MegaStore, The Maxx, HomeGoods, AJ Wright, Winners or HomeSense – you could get benefits from a class action settlement. For more information, go to www.TJXsettlement.com or call (866) 523-6770.

View Video to Support Autism Research The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks for *each time* their video is viewed http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214. The funds will go toward research studies to help find a cure. Visit to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal.

AT&T’s Best Kept Secret - $10 High Speed Internet According to the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a merger agreement has forced AT&T to offer a good $10 per month high-speed Internet deal, but the company has kept it largely hidden from the public. The company has not promoted this product and keeps the information in hiding on the website. The $10 per month price for AT&T’s basic Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service is the lowest CUB has ever seen on the high-speed market. The deal has a one-year contract obligation. Customers can get more information about this deal at www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org or (800) 669-5556.

NEW AUTHOR ON THE SCENE

In her first self-published book, “The Power to Choose – A Victim No More,” author Barbie Jones uses her personal experiences as her guide and the Bible as her road map to lead readers from their paths of victimization and/or oppression and takes them on a journey which leads to victory. She teaches practical godly principles to help each reader make good choices so they can live an abundant life through Jesus Christ. Her testimony reveals the love, compassion, and patience our Heavenly Father has for all of His children. The book costs $13.89 and can be purchased from Lulu.com. Perform a search by name.

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 6

EVENTS

Eat & Run Breakfast King David Chapter #90 OES-PHA is having an Eat and Run Breakfast from 8:00 am -11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at MWPHGLIL 809 E 42nd Place in Chicago. Donation $10. Contact Aisha Ato at [email protected] for more information.

The Underground Railroad in Illinois: A Talk and South Side Bus Tour Saturday, April 5, 9:30 am - 5 pm

Speaker and tour leader: Glennette Tilley Turner At 9:30 am, join Mrs. Turner, author of The Underground Railroad in Illinois, for an illustrated talk followed by a bus tour of centers of anti-slavery activity on Chicago's South Side. Quinn Chapel, Oakwood Cemetery, and the Jon Ton Farm will be among the sites visited.

To register, send a check payable to the Newberry Library to Newberry Library Public Programs, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60610, Attention:

Glennette Tilley Turner Underground Railroad Bus Tour, or telephone (312) 255-3700.

UNTIL NEXT TIME….

As I close, I’m sorry to report that there is no poem from Tony B. this month, but I will see what I can do for Mother’s Day. I want to wish you a happy April and hopefully a blooming spring.

I’d like to leave you with a few words that were shared by Susan Taylor, the soon-to-be ex Senior Editor of Essence Magazine, during her visit to St. Sabina Church on March 7, 2008.

¾ We have to walk in forgiveness and non-judgment ¾ Hurt people hurt people ¾ Each of us is made in some divine design ¾ Everything that comes your way has your name on it (whether it is good or bad) ¾ You have the ability to create the life that you want ¾ Ask yourself everyday, “How are you doing?” ¾ Whatever you are going through, give yourself quiet time ¾ Walk the line of forgiveness – look at the other person’s pain, not their behavior

Many Blessings

Marcie Hill ~aka~ Shorty

Shorty in Da HouseTM is a publication of The Write Design CompanyTM. Both are creations of Marcie Hill, MS, PHR, 877-570-5228 or [email protected]. Check us out at www.goshorty.net. April 2008 - 7