Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) 1159 W. 79th Street, Chicago, IL 60620 773.483.3696 Fax: 773.483.3692 On the Web : www.gagdc.org

Spring 2009

IN THIS ISSUE Governor Quinn Signs Foreclo- sure Moratorium Bill pg. 2 Columbia College Students Visit Auburn Gresham pg. 2 Hosei University of Japan Tours Auburn Gresham pg. 2 Building Blocks Celebrates Afri- can American Heritage pg. 3 Jeanne Kenney YMCA Day Care Center Opens pg. 3 SSA-32 Brings a New Look to 79th Street pg. 3 Auburn Gresham Native Wins 20th Annual Studs Terkel Award pg. 3 City Offers Free Minor Home Repairs for Seniors pg. 4

UPCOMING EVENTS Every Thursday: FREE Foreclo- sure Prevention Workshops at Neighborhood Housing Services Seniors’ Blues and Breakfast (NHS) : 449 W. 79th Street 6pm- 8pm Jam Fest: A Huge Success 6/6/09: NeighborWorks FREE Workshops & Resource Fair at Several GADC team members and volunteers helped to feed over 100 seniors a hot breakfast as they listened to the soulful sounds of Johnny Drummers and the Starliters. Photos: Linda Johnson Faith United Methodist Church: 335 W. 75th Street 10am-11pm ungry appe- reserved front and center sausage, fresh fruit, pastries, tites, a hot, seats to hear the melodious, coffee and juice, lovingly 6/11/09: Perspectives Charter hearty sweet sounds of Johnny prepared by Romelle West of Schools-Calumet Campus: Mid- breakfast Drummer and the Starliters. Ah La Romelle Catering. dle School Arts Gallery Walk andH live, toe-tapping blues From the very first strum Seniors received a free 8131 S. May Street 10am-4pm was the order of the day at of Johnny Drummer’s guitar, portrait sketching and the the Senior Winter Blues Fes- seniors rocked in their seats, Citibank Auburn Gresham 6/12/09: Fitness Jam Session at St. tival at Auburn Gresham’s nodded heads, clapped hands, Branch offered banking prod- Sabina Church: 1210 W. 78th Place Advanced Admission $12.00 Thurgood Marshall Library. and snapped fingers to famil- ucts and services benefiting or $15.00 at the Door 6pm-11pm The Greater Auburn- iar songs like, “Don’t You seniors. GADC also partnered Gresham Development Cor- Make Your Move Too Soon.” with a local service provider 7/16/09: FREE Health Fair on poration (GADC) organized As the temperatures fell to provide free health screen- the Block: The intersection of another well-attended event outdoors, the room heated up ing. 79th & Racine 11am-2pm to honor seniors who came as with live blues and the aroma Thanks to all the volun- far as Markham, IL—a Chi- of a full hot breakfast of teers who helped to serve. We 9/12/09: 4th Annual 79th Street cago suburb. scrambled eggs, hash brown could not have done it without Renaissance Festival: 79th Seniors arrived shortly potatoes, buttery grits and your support. Racine-Loomis St. 10:am –6pm after 9 a.m., to ensure they biscuits, bacon and turkey Page 2 Spring 2009 Governor Quinn Signs Columbia College Landmark Foreclosure Students Visit Moratorium into Law Auburn Gresham

Carlos Nelson discusses Auburn Gresham’s current and potential retail trade area along West 79th Street with 12 students from Columbia College. Photo: Ernest Sanders

Pictured in front row [L-R] James Capraro of GSDC, Ald. Toni Foulkes (15th Ward), Gov. ecently, the Greater Auburn- Pat Quinn, State Sen Jacqueline Collins (D-16), and State Rep Flowers (D-31). Back row Gresham Development (GADC) [L-R] Michael McRaith and Brent Adams of IL Dept of Financial and Professional Regula- partnered with LISC MetroEdge to tions, Jeff Bartow of SWOP, State Rep. Andre Thapedi (D-32), House Speaker Michael Madigan, State Sen Terry Link, and Deborah Moore of NHS. Photo: Ernest Sanders conduct an assessment of the poten- tial Rfor retail development in the Auburn Gresham enate Bill 2513 reached ceedings. After this period, the lender trade area including the 79th Street Corridor. an unprecedented mile- is required to notify the homeowner GADC and its partners have already invested in the stone when Illinois that they have 30 days to seek ap- commercial revitalization and other ancillary ef- Governor Pat Quinn proved credit counseling before legal forts. signedS it into law. This bill (which action may begin. Homeowners who Carlos Nelson, Executive Director for GADC took affect immediately) provides up enter into counseling will have an discussed some of the goals of this current and po- to a 90-day grace period for home- additional 30 days to develop a loan tential retail development with students from Co- owners in the foreclosure process workout plan with their lenders. lumbia College. Some of the objectives shared in- who agree to seek housing counsel- The chief sponsors of this bill cluded educating Auburn Gresham constituents ing. In the first 30 days a homeowner were Illinois State Senators, Terry about the potential for commercial development in is in delinquency, lenders are prohib- Link (D – Waukegan) and Jacqueline th defined trade areas, and continue to support future ited from initiating foreclosure pro- Y. Collins (D - 16 District). discussions with developers and retailers. Hosei University of Japan Tours Auburn Gresham obuko Nishina, a Gresham’s Quality of Life Plan and graduate student Foreclosure Prevention initiatives in from Hosei Uni- partnership with Local Initiatives Sup- versity Graduate port Corporation of Chicago (LISC/ SchoolN in Japan, and her professor, Chicago) and MacArthur Foundation. Miki Yasui, Ph.D visited Auburn Sanders gave a tour of Perspectives Gresham’s Carlos Nelson and Calumet Middle School and their new Ernest Sanders to discuss and re- school-based health center and spoke search community development of their Elev8 partnership with Atlan- corporations and their work with tic Philanthropies. Carlos Nelson [R] reviews Auburn Gresham’s Quality of Life Plan and its comprehensive strategies with Nobuko Nishina housing development and preserva- Nelson and Sanders both learned [L] and her professor Miki Yasui, Ph.D of Japan’s Hosei tion and other programming at large. of Japan’s efforts to integrate commu- University Graduate School of Social Policy and Administra- tion. Photo: Ernest Sanders Nelson discussed Auburn nity growth with housing initiatives. The Vision Page 3

dramatizations, recited poetry Building Blocks and historic speeches, and Auburn sang heartfelt songs that brought tears to every adult. Celebrates African These performances in- Gresham cluded: The Pledge of Alle- American Heritage giance, Life Every Voice & Native Sing, The Inventors, Freedom Train, Col- Wins ors, Did You Know?, Poetry in Motion, From Then to Now, Prestigious and The Black Child. ememberingR the There was a spe- Studs Past, Celebrating the cial video presenta- Present and Building tion honoring African the Future, was the American history and Terkel theme of Building the leaders of this Blocks Learning country, narrated to Award Academy’s annual then President-elect African American Building Blocks Learning Academy educators lead pre- Barack Obama’s ac- celebration held in schoolers in a dramatization. Photo: Ernest Sanders ceptance speech at the main theater of Grant Park in Chi- ers performed for an audience of Kennedy King College. cago and musical artist Seal’s Full of energy and excite- more than 400 adults and youth. The preschoolers performed remake of the hit song, “A ment, nearly 400 preschool- Change is Gonna Come.” Jeanne Kenney’s YMCA Day uburn Gresham na- Care Opens at SOS Village tive and national award winning re- he new incorporate support porter, Alden Loury, Jeanne services as nutrition, wasA recently acknowledged for Kenney health, mental health, his for social justice, media and YMCA and early interven- print journalism experience and DayT Care Center tion to enable fami- work as editor and publisher at opened its doors at the lies to achieve and the Chicago Reporter. He ac- SOS Children’s Vil- maintain self suffi- cepted the 20th Annual Studs lage in Auburn ciency. Terkel Award, sponsored by the Gresham. Enroll your child Community Media Workshop. The center offers today and receive a Loury credits his success to programming for ages FREE YMCA mem- his family members, especially 6 weeks to 5 years Arlene Lewis [R] YMCA Day Care Center Site Director bership. Welcome his mother. She helped to de- old. Programs also poses with members of her staff and youth receiving day YMCA Day Care. care services at the new center. Photo: Ernest Sanders velop his skill sets by teaching east, and Marshfield Street on him lessons of integrity, truth, SSA-32 Brings a New the west. and honor. The goals for the second He believes the Studs Terkel year (2009) Façade Enhance- Award is a noteworthy honor to Look to 79th Street ment Program include contin- his other accolades because of ued support for the six busi- who Terkel personified. he Greater Au- LISC/Chicago to coordinate a “This award is really signifi- burn-Gresham Façade Enhancement Pro- ness recipients of GADC’s Façade Enhancement Pro- cant because it represents the Development gram “Façade” for businesses countless stories of real people Corporation located within SSA#32 busi- gram and the 4 recipients of the City of Chicago’s Façade who may have been forgotten or (GADC)T has partnered with ness district. looked over if we didn’t tell their the City of Chicago’s Special The general boundaries of Rebate Program. For more information, story. Studs was always con- Service Area #32, “SSA #32” the business district include cerned about serving the people and Local Initiatives Support both sides of 79th Street, please contact Cheryl Johnson at (773) 382-0089. first and I really appreciate his Corporation of Chicago between the Dan Ryan on the motivation.”

Auburn Gresham: Chicago's Best Kept Secret ! We Dare You to Tell Someone.

Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation 1159 W. 79th Street Chicago, IL 60620

Deliver To or Current Resident:

Byam Alexander The mission of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) is to foster and Synergy force promote revitalization of the greater Auburn Gresham community, which includes Alberta brooks Auburn Gresham, Englewood, and West Chatham. resident

Kham beard Wahlomak property management City of Chicago Offers FREE Minor Ron Martin The johnson Group Home Repairs for Senior Citizens Michael pfleger Faith community of The Greater Auburn-Gresham must certify that there will be no agent for the Department of st. Sabina Church Development Corporation rent increase as a direct result of Community Development’s Willard Payton (GADC) is a delegate agent for HRAIL improvements. GADC HRAIL Program since 2003, New birth church of god the City of Chicago’s Department assists seniors through the appli- repairing nearly 100 homes in in Christ of Community Development cation process, making on-site the Auburn Gresham, Engle- Betty Swanson (formerly known as the Depart- assessments to determine service wood, and West Chatham 79th carpenter block club ment of Housing), which pro- needs, and provide limited home communities. vides free minor home repairs improvements at no cost to the To access the HRAIL pro- through the HRAIL program. applicant. gram and find the nearest HRAIL (Home Repairs for The HRAIL program pro- agency in your ward, call 311, Accessible and Independent Liv- vides safety, security and accessi- the city of Chicago’s non- ing) is a program for senior citi- bility improvements that better emergency hotline. Clients are zens who earn no more than 80% assist seniors to move freely and assisted on a first-come, first- of the medium income—adjusted remain safely in their homes. serve basis. for family size—and who are at Repair types are limited to Residents will need to pro- least 60 years of age. Qualified minor repairs that may include, vide proof of age, income and recipients may be homeowners or but are not limited to: grab bars, ownership. renters living in a 1- 4 unit build- handrails, fire extinguishers, car- For more information, ing. bon monoxide and smoke detec- please call the GADC offices Renters must have permission tors, or window and door repair. at (773) 483-3696. from their landlord and landlords GADC has been a delegate

GREATER AUBURN GRESHAM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 1159 W. 79TH STREET * CHICAGO, IL 60620 PHONE: (773) 483-3696 * FAX: (773) 483-3692 www.gagdc.org