Give Some Back
| 23 December 2008
This holiday season may bring limp stockings, but it doesn’t mean that you have to feel less fulfilled. One precious thing that can be given and fully appreciated without digging into your wallet is time.
Jim Lewis, senior program officer of basic human needs at the Chicago Community Trust, a foundation that provides grants to non-profit organizations, says that the holiday season is “a time when people try to reaffirm values of community and family and, to some degree, try to reach out beyond those in their immediate circle and think about the wider community. There’s really a lot of ways to do it.”
With thousands of non-profit organizations across Illinois, volunteer opportunities are abundant. A good example is the East Village Youth Program, an organization with more than 100 students at all grade levels specializing in preparing youth for college.
From the outside, the EVYP looks just like another apartment building, but inside you’ll find the after-school spot for many Latino students from across the Northwest Side of Chicago. On a fall afternoon, the first floor buzzed with the sound of teens chatting over textbooks and reaching out to adults for help. Conversations encompassed prime numbers, Latin and complex theories in physics.
“The youth we serve learn a lot from our volunteers,” says Jane Napoli, executive director of EVYP. “Having extra volunteers around the holidays becomes an opportunity for our students to hear from guest speakers and learn about the educational and career paths volunteers take.”
George Hernandez and his tutor, Robert Rodemeyer, sat at a round wooden table and peered over a geometry book. They were reviewing Hernandez’s homework problems.
Hernandez, 15, is one of about 65 high school students enrolled with the EVYP. Hernandez, a sophomore at Amundsen High School, is interested in engineering. He would be the first in his immediate family to pursue higher education. “What I hope to get out of this program is to become prepared for college,” Hernandez says.
“Students sometimes don’t understand the importance of their futures, and that their performance in elementary school will help get them into a better high school that will then get them into a better college,” says Jennifer Sontag, director of high school and college programs at EVYP.
High school students can even receive a $10,000 college scholarship by meeting all program requirements.
Napoli says the organization seeks volunteers with a college education available to tutor at least once a week, or become a mentor or guest speaker for outreach programs.
“Just as the number of students is growing in this community, the number of volunteers, unfortunately, is not,” Sontag adds. “Ideally we’d love to be able to pair one tutor or mentor per student and we’re struggling to do that right now.”
NEED FOR ASSISTANCE
The Spanish Community Center in Joliet is another agency that offers volunteer opportunities.
The center has been a part of Marge Franchini’s life since the early ‘70s. Her parents were members of the SCC’s board of directors at the time and encouraged her to lend a hand at an early age.
“The Spanish Community Center has always helped the community and there is always someone coming in for assistance,” Franchini, of Mexican descent, says. “The only change is that the need for assistance has increased.”
Josefina Angel, who works in the center’s social service department, says she has seen an increase in the amount of families visiting their food pantry program. The food pantry is open Tuesday mornings and serves about 50 families each week.
“A lot of them are unemployed,” Angel says of those who visit. “The economy has really affected everyone one way or another.”
Community members and local businesses donate the food that stocks the shelves, which were pretty bare until 2007.
“It was very sad for me to see that the shelves were empty,” Franchini says. “There were a couple of gallons of barbecue sauce on the shelf, but nothing worth providing to a hungry family.”
Now the pantry carries everything from soup to canned vegetables, but still could use donations.
Lewis, of the Chicago Community Trust, says food pantry service is probably the top service sought out by those in need. It is the most popular service that the SCC provides to community members who come in from Joliet and nearby suburbs like Plainfield and Bolingbrook. Lewis says the SCC relies on funding from individuals to make their budgets each year and deliver their services.
“People across the community need to understand that we all have a responsibility for one another,” Lewis says. “Our society is only as strong as the people who need the most help.”.
To become a volunteer at East Village Youth Program call (312) 275-0440 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. A volunteer application form and interview is required for all potential volunteers. The application is available for download at www.evyp.org
To volunteer at events, assist with translation or donate to the food pantry at the Spanish Community Center, call (815) 727-3683. Anyone interested in giving the center a hand is welcome, and the ability to speak Spanish is a plus. To make a monetary donation, write a check or money order payable to the Spanish Community Center and send it to 309 N. Eastern Ave., Joliet IL 60432.
ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Youth Outreach Services
2411 W. Congress Pkwy., Chicago (773) 777-7112
Youth Outreach Services is a non-profit agency dedicated to inspiring positive development in the lives of youth in Chicago, families and communities. Volunteers are invited this holiday season to mentor at-risk youth and inspire them to make positive life choices in the new year. Contact the agency for more information.
Omni Youth Services
1111 W. Lake Cook Rd.; Buffalo Grove (847) 353-1500
Omni Youth Services offers programs in both English and Spanish for low-income families including homework help, parenting workshops, job search assistance, counseling and more. Volunteers have the chance to work directly with families to provide assistance in these services throughout the holidays and year round. For more information contact Meghan Wudtke, (847) 353-1574
Centro de Información
28 N. Grove Ave., Ste. 200; Elgin (847) 695-9050
Centro de Información helps Spanish-Speaking communities in the northwest suburbs integrate into the larger community through education, counseling and advocacy programs. The organization needs volunteers for public outreach and fundraisers to help fund programs for the new year. Contact Jaime Garcia or Cheryl Wilkins for more information.
Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County
1107 S. Mannheim Rd.; Westchester (708) 345-4035
The Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County is a non-profit organization responsible for planning and coordination of homeless services and housing options for all of Cook County outside of Chicago and Evanston. The organization accepts tax-deductible donations at www.suburbancook.org/donate that can help keep community members of the streets during the winter months.
ASPIRA Inc. of Illinois
2415 N. Milwaukee Ave.; Chicago (773) 252-0970
ASPIRA Inc. of Illinois is committed to assisting underserved youth through education, leadership development and cultural awareness. The organization is dependent on charitable, tax-deductible financial contributions to continue youth development programs and seeks funding to help continue these programs through the new year. Contact Karina Rosado for more information.
Association House of Chicago
1116 N. Kedzie Ave.; Chicago (773) 772-8009
Association House of Chicago offers programs in English and Spanish that promote health and wellness, and creates opportunities for education and economic advancement to community members. To continue serving nearly 20,000 individuals, the agency seeks tax-deductible donations. For more information call Jennifer Martin, (773) 772-8162.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository
4100 W. Ann Lurie Pl.; Chicago (773) 247-3663
The Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 500,000 adults and children every year. For information on how to donate food and help end hunger in Chicago contact Brandi Picou at (773) 843-2657.
The Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry
659 S. River St.; Aurora (630) 897-2156
The Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry provides food three days a week for up to 14,000 people each month. The pantry is in great need of contributions such as canned foods and other groceries. Donations may be brought to the location. Contact the food pantry for more details on how to contribute some of your holiday goodies.
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