AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/author/suzanne/page/36/)
Walk-in and same-day appointments are available June 25 and 28 for free HIV testing at The Loretto Hospital. Free screenings for sexually transmitted infections are taking place throughout the month of June. Schedule a screening by calling 833-TLH-LOVE.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford will be hosting the Dr. Charles Drew annual blood drive June 24 from 12 to 5 p.m. at the American Red Cross Rauner Center, 2200 W. Harrison St. For an appointment, call 800-RED-CROSS. All donations will be tested for sickle cell trait and COVID-19 antibodies.
Anyone 12 or over can get vaccinated June 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Michele Clark High School, 5101 W. Harrison St. The Pfizer (ages 12+) and Johnson & Johnson (ages 18+) vaccines will be available. For 12- to 17-year-olds, a parent or legal guardian must be one site to sign the consent form.
Celebrate the new gathering place in Austin Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the corner of Chicago and Lockwood. There will be music, art, food vendors and more.
The Austin United Alliance will hold a wealth-building webinar – “A Blueprint for Accessing the Capital We’ve Been Waiting For” – at 10 a.m. June 16. The focus will be on how to narrow the racial wealth gap that impacts Austin and other West Side communities.
The first Austin Town Hall farmers market of the season will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. June 10. It will continue on Thursdays through Sept. 30.
Austin residents ages 13-19 are invited to use the YOUmedia space at the Austin branch, 5615 W. Race Ave., Mondays through Thursdays. Teens can play video games, create files for 3D printing and vinyl cutting, or just hang out.
All are welcome to play Saturday, June 5 at Columbus Park. Mutli-aged and mixed gender teams are welcome at the event, which is sponsored by Michele Clark High School, Parent University-Austin and the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District.
“Sunburst” is a painted aluminum sculpture created specifically for the recently refurbished CTA bus turnaround at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard. The artist, Shinique Smith, was one of nearly 350 artists who responded to CTA’s Call for Artists issued in 2015 for the bus turnaround.
The one dose Johnson & Johnson and the two-dose Pfizer will be administered from 2 to 4 p.m. May 22 at #2 New Mt. Sinai MB Church, 310 N. Laramie.