Auxiliary Board, Onward House End Summer with Picnic

Onward House parents, children and employees had a blast at the End of Summer Picnic hosted by the Onward House Auxiliary Board. Over one hundred people from the Onward House community gathered at Smith Park on August 27, 2008 to socialize, eat and participate in crafts and games.

The picnic kicked off at 5:00 p.m. and lasted until dusk. Many Auxiliary Board members arrived early to help with set up and food preparations. As the teachers, children and parents gathered, there was no shortage of activities to choose from. Many children and their parents participated in face painting, bead jewelry, Wiffle ball, sack races, soccer and parachute games while others chose to just relax and enjoy the late summer afternoon.

Food was in abundance as well. Picnic-goers had their choices of hamburgers, hot dogs, summer salads and a smorgasbord of snacks.

Onward House would like to give special thanks to Meghan Regan for acquiring the donated food items and the Auxiliary Board for having the enthusiasm and desire to host the gathering. Like summer, we didn't want it to end.

Belmont Cragin Facility Gets New Sign

Traveling on west Diversey Avenue, one might notice something new about the front of Onward Neighborhood House's Belmont Cragin building. A bold and bright new sign identifies Onward House, completing the last phase of planning for the renovations of this former tile store.

To make Onward House better known in Belmont Cragin, a strong and visually appealing design was needed to truly catch the eyes of passersby. Erin McConnell, an architect from Whitney Design, composed the winning design for the front sign. The sign's wide, white lettering against a burnt-orange backdrop reflects the ambitions of both the agency as well as the families and individuals Onward House serves through the Early Childhood and School Age programs, the Family Support Services and the Community Computer Resource Center (CCRC).

Onward House Executive Director Mario Garcia commissioned Chicago artist Andrew Paczos to paint the new sign. Mr. Paczos first came into communication with Onward House two and a half years ago when he purchased the Onward House annex across the street and converted it into a studio and living space. A self-described "documentary painter" of Chicago's unoccupied industrial landscapes, Mr. Paczos has also created various commercial works that can be seen on water towers and inside institutions throughout the city.

Onward House would like to thank Ms. McConnell and Mr. Paczos for their time and efforts in visually communicating Onward House to the public. An exhibition of Andrew Paczos' urban industrial landscapes will be on display starting January 18, 2009 at the Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago). For more information on the event, call (773) 324-5520 or visit their website.

Onward House Summer Volunteers Head Off to College

Cheerios and fresh strawberries were the breakfast offerings. It was five minutes to nine o'clock and the last remaining parents who had not yet dropped their children off were trickling in. After the customary goodbye hugs and kisses from the mothers and fathers, the five year old children began to take their seats around the semi-circle table to help themselves to breakfast. Abruptly and somehow inevitably, a girl knocked over her Styrofoam bowl filled with Cheerios-not yet filled with milk-that sent hundreds of dry cereal bits onto the floor.

Reuben Delgado, an Onward House summer volunteer who within a week's time will have traded classroom sing-a-longs and nap time for lecture halls and cram sessions, patiently walks over to the broom and dustpan located just feet from where the mess occurred. His body language suggests that a meal mess clean up was to be expected. "We have very energetic kids in the class," he admits. "They can be a handful."

For the past seven and a half weeks, AmeriCorps volunteers have been seen throughout the classrooms and hallways of Onward Neighborhood House. Most of the volunteers spent their time with the preschool and school age children playing games, reading stories or participating in arts and crafts projects, though some helped with other work like preparing foods and washing dishes in the kitchen and providing clerical assistance for the coordinators and administrators. "We're a jack of all trades here" says Sara Biaza, a student in her second year at DePaul University.

The experience of working with a non profit organization also brings incentive. Under the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, volunteers who complete 300 service hours receive a one-time education award of $1,000 and a summer stipend to help cover living and traveling expenses. Despite this allure of college financial assistance, the volunteers' true desire was born out of a call to service rather than economics.

Volunteer Elizabeth Burba, an incoming freshman at DePaul University and recent graduate of Noble Street College Prep school, sees being a positive influence on the children as the best part of the experience. "We're not just disciplinarians," she says, "we're young enough where they can relate and hopefully we're someone that they can look up to and be a model for."

"I feel that I did something good this summer, something useful," says Lizbeth Meraz, a student going into her senior year at Noble Street College Prep high school.

With the summer now coming to a close, nearly all the volunteers were surprised at how much they learned about themselves, the children and the families they work with over the course of the past seven weeks.

"[Before volunteering at Onward House], I did not know how much need there is for help at community organizations or the real need for quality educators," says Biaza.

"I'm surprised how I was able to handle the kids," says Areli Delgado, an incoming freshman at Lewis University who plans to major in criminal justice. "I can see how hard it can be for a parent [to raise children and work], and I'm glad to assist."

Other volunteers like Ruben Delgado, a freshman at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and recent graduate of Holy Trinity High School, were amazed at how sophisticated and individualistic Onward House's children are. "The diversity is a plus," he explains when discussing his encounters with preschool children whose first languages range from English to Spanish and Ukrainian, "it's amazing to see the ways kids learn."

"Every day you're here [at Onward House], you learn [something new]," says Sergio Rocha, who will be starting his first year at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor this fall. "I think I learn a lot more than the kids; they teach me."

Belmont Cragin Computer Center Hosts First Graduating Class

The Onward Neighborhood House Community Computer Resource Center (CCRC) hosted its first graduating class at its Belmont Cragin location on August 1, 2008. A record 24 graduates were in attendance, up from a 10 students average at the West Town facility.

In order to receive a certificate of completion, students were required to successfully pass the Computer Introduction and Touch Typing course and the Microsoft Office Suite course. By the end of the two sessions, students gained hands-on knowledge of computer components, keyboard typing competence, the ability to navigate the internet and e-mail accounts, and effectively use Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel.

Among those who received a certificate were an eclectic mix of men and women of Honduran, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican origins. Nearly all students lived within walking distance of Onward House's Belmont Cragin center, though one student had traveled seven miles each way from the northwest suburb of Schiller Park to attend classes.

The Onward House CCRC is the only technology center open in Belmont Cragin to offer free computer classes and computer access to the community. Daily computer classes run in the morning from 9:30 a.m. to 12: 35 p.m. and open access is available from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. For more information regarding Onward House's Community Computer Resource Center and upcoming classes, contact Mauricio Blanco at (773) 622-3215 or mblanco@onwardhouse.org

Inaugural Onward House Golf Outing

Transparent Container teams with Neutral Tandem to cosponsor a charity golf outing at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club!

This charitable golf outing is in support of Onward House's current capital campaign to raise money for the new, additional location focus in the Belmont-Cragin area of Chicago. Golf, food, prizes, silent and live auctions, raffle drawings and much more!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ruffled Feathers Golf Club
1 Pete Dye Drive, Lemont, IL 60439

11:30 a.m. Registration and Lunch
1:30 p.m. Shotgun Start
6:00 p.m. Dinner and Silent Auction

$250 per person, includes lunch, golf, dinner and silent auction. $50 per person, dinner and silent auction only.

To register for the event, or if you would like to be a sponsor, please contact Irene Rodriguez at 708.236.1331 or via email at irodriguez@transparentcontainer.com

For more information, please visit the Transparent Container website.