CCIL Foodservice Trainees Receive Awards and Accolades

CCIL, the non-profit organization dedicated to teaching self-reliance, continued on its path of transforming lives by honoring nine foodservice training program graduates. On Tuesday, November 11, 2008, Tanya Strong, Trina Rogers, Katrina Chapman, Douglas Flannigan, Fontaine Black, Darren Oliphant, Maurice Shelton, Morris Johnson Jr, and Michael Hughs Jr., received diplomas and sanitation certificates at an inspiring graduation ceremony in CCIL’s assembly hall.

Foodservice graduate Maurice Shelton comments, “I want to give special thanks to a friend who told me about CCIL, otherwise I wouldn’t have known about the program. It has been one heck of an experience.”

CCIL, Aramark and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (MOWD) have found the recipe for successfully helping individuals turn their lives around – a foodservice training program targeting non-violent ex-felons. In partnership with Aramark, CCIL created a nine week foodservice training class. Since its inception in February 2006, the foodservice training program has been stirring up excellent results by helping people secure jobs in the foodservice industry.

“Congratulations! This is just the beginning. Doors will open and opportunities will come to you. Aramark is proud of all the graduates,” said Ginger Knowles, Aramark General Manager.

After the graduation ceremony, family, friends, volunteers and staff all gathered in the cafeteria to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by Darren Love, Assistant Foodservice Director at CCIL and former Foodservice Training Program alum.

Operation Warm Visits CCIL

City Provides Winter Coats for 1,000 Homeless Youth

As the winter chill descends upon Chicago, 1,000 homeless children will receive brand new winter coats courtesy of the Chicago Department of Human Services and Operation Warm. The polyester parkas will be distributed to youth currently residing in 36 homeless shelters for families.

“Winter coats are a necessity that few homeless families can afford,” said Eileen Donnersberger, Acting Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Human Services. “The provision of free jackets allows children to travel to school warm and safe. And, the attractive, popular styles help boost the self-esteem of kids who face multiple challenges.”

This year, the City of Chicago has partnered with Operation Warm to ensure homeless and
low-income children have proper outerwear to survive the cold winter months. Through private donations and relationships with manufacturers, Operation Warm makes new coats available at reduced costs. In addition to the 1,000 committed for homeless youth, the CHA has joined with Operation Warm to provide jackets to 4,000 young residents.

“Through this program we ARE able to provide jackets to every child currently residing in a City-funded family shelter,” said Donnersberger.

CCIL was one of the shelters whose families benefited from coats. “We run an intensive program to get our clients into permanent housing within four months of arriving at our shelter. The dollars families save on purchasing winter wear can be put toward a security deposit and first month’s rent,” says Mary Shaver, Interim Executive Director.

There are approximately 100 homeless shelters in the City of Chicago. With 5,000 shelter beds available this winter, no one needs to spend the night on the street. Citizens who see people that appear to be in need of shelter are urged to call 311. The Department of Human Services will send an outreach team to offer assistance.

CCIL participates in TREEcago

Chicago Gateway Green has been a pioneer in urban-greening solutions for the past 25 years and the TREEcago initiative is another example of that leadership. Trees provide a variety of benefits to urban areas by removing carbon dioxide and harmful particulates from the air and producing oxygen. They provide shade, reducing cooling costs and storm water run-off and also add to the quality of daily life in the neighborhoods. Originally established to beautify and "green" gateways into Chicago along expressways, TREEcago will allow Gateway Green to expand its efforts into Chicago's neighborhoods.

TREEcago is an effort to address the problem of urban-heat islands along transportation corridors and will serve as an opportunity for people from all over the Chicagoland region to directly invest in their communities and engage in the fight to combat climate change. These improvements are greening our economy for the future and are creating the jobs of tomorrow. For instance, CCIL's Landscape Services will be filling many of TREEcago's staffing needs going forward.

"CCIL is dedicated to providing structure, support and a sense of purpose in the lives of the homeless men and women who come to us. Green jobs, like the ones required to make TREEcago a success, are the backbone of the new economy and we're excited to be helping workers transition into that new workforce," said Eric Hage, Director of Landscape Services at CCIL.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

The CCIL Sluggers, an all-staff squad, competed in Haymarket Center's Charity Challenge 16" Softball Tournament Saturday, October 18, 2008 at Garfield Park. Initially, eight teams comprised of all non-profit organizations filled the brackets in hopes of capturing the tournament title and bragging rights. However, due to poor weather conditions, schedule conflicts and field permit discrepancies, many teams had no other alternative but to forfeit. Luckily, the CCIL Sluggers, under the direction of their fearless captains Mary Shaver and Patrick Taylor, were able to rally and play in the final championship game against a strong Haymarket Center team. After a hard fought batting and fielding battle, the CCIL Sluggers came up short despite Mary Shaver's triple and RBI. Haymarket Center clinched the title with an impressive 11-9 victory as the CCIL Sluggers took 2nd place. A special thank you to Haymarket Center for organizing this fun, worthwhile event and thank you to ALL the CCIL Sluggers who participated in the game(s)!

*NOTE: The image above is from the Sunday, September 21, 2008 game

CCIL Hosts Presbyterian Outreach Day

100 Years Rich in Presbyterian Heritage…

Representatives from Oak Lawn Community Church, Berkeley-Hillside Presbyterian Church, Northminster Presbyterian and 1st Presbyterian Church in Waukegan congregated at CCIL earlier this week for a special Presbyterian Outreach Day. CCIL, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Chicago’s homeless, was founded in the Presbyterian faith by Reverend George Kilbey in 1909. CCIL’s focus was on helping men who were down and out – the mission has since evolved.

“There’s been a strong relationship between Chicago area Presbyterian churches and CCIL throughout the last 100 years. We very much want to continue strengthening our bond with the Presbyterian communities and hope this special Presbyterian Outreach Day was a true testament of the great work being done at CCIL,” said Patti Blagojevich, CCIL Development Director.

Distinguished Presbyterian Outreach Day guests, consisting of reverends, clergy and CCIL board members, experienced today’s CCIL while touring the new eco-friendly, $25,000,000 facility, hearing compelling resident success stories and enjoying a delicious lunch prepared by CCIL’s Foodservice Training program trainees.

Housing Information Fair

How do I know if my landlord is in foreclosure? How can I purchase a new home? Get answers to these questions and many more at the Housing Information Fair hosted by the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation and Lawndale Christian Residential Services, LLC. The Housing Information Fair will be held at CCIL's main campus located at 2750 W. Roosevelt Road on Saturday, November 1, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Participants can receive help from trusted sources on:
Available Affordable Rental Units
Foreclosure Prevention
Creating and Protecting your financial future
Lease to Purchase
HUD Tenants - Preserving your home
Legal Rights of Tenants and Owners
Home Ownership Preservation Initiative (HOPI)
Resource Vendors
Lender Options

For more information or to confirm your attendance, contact Atneada at 773-762-8889 x10.

Lawndale Fitness Center hosts 5K

Misprint in “Mission Not Impossible…” Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The 1st Annual Lawndale 5k Walk/Run was planned, organized and hosted by Lawndale Fitness Center. Mission Year, a partner of both CCIL and Lawndale Fitness Center, supplied volunteers and helped register runners for the race. Participants were allowed to make pledges to Mission Year as part of the event and CCIL’s Volunteer Coordinator, Chris Wiens, received more than $250 in pledges, all to be donated to Mission Year.