AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/category/community/page/30/)
Join Austin residents, businesses, neighborhood groups and the faith-based community tonight at 6 p.m. – and every Wednesday throughout the summer – to unite against violence. Meet at any one of six Austin corners as part of the 100 Blocks/100 Churches initiative.
Over $22,000 was raised for Austin eateries and the nonprofit New Moms at last month’s event. More than 200 tickets were sold for the event that was organized by The Takeout 25 initiative, which was started during the pandemic to help local restaurants in Oak Park and has spread to Chicago’s West Side.
Volunteer Saturdays last two hours and are held most weekends throughout Austin. Find a gardem near you where you can weed, plant and harvest produce with a local gardener.
Next month’s institute will be held virtually and be available to students in 5th through 12th grade. Chicago Debates hopes to add at least 1,000 students in the next five years, with many of them coming from the West and South sides.
The summer celebration will be held on Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m. at 5500 W. Madison St. There will be free games, food, drinks and more. Sponsored by the Westside Health Authority’s Good Neighbor Campaign.
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.
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.