AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/austin-coming-together/)
Walk-up testing is available June 23 and 24 for anyone wanting to be tested for the coronavirus. The testing site will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Austin Health Center, 4814 W. Chicago Ave.
The Austin Garden Collective will be hosting community volunteer days at various gardens throughout Austin this summer. There will be some changes – like social distancing and mask wearing – due to the coronavirus.
Twenty-nine Austin community groups will receive more than $100,000 in grants from the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities program. The Austin organizations are among 164 grops throughout the West and South sides selected to receive a total of $1 million in grants.
West Side residents can pick up free food on Thursdays starting May 14 at By The Hand Club For Kids, 415 S. Laramie. The pop-up pantry will be available on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through June 18. It’s one of several being held throughout the city.
Austin Coming Together was honored for its five-year quality-of-life plan by LISC Chicago, which each year recognizes top community development projects and architectural achievements.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Austin Coming Together invite all Austin residents to participate in a COVID-19 virtual town hall at 1 p.m. April 25. It will be streamed live through Facebook, or participants can call in.
Austin is the only West Side neighborhood city officials are targeting in the campaign, which aims to address the disproportionate impact the global pandemic has had on African American communities. The city will host a tele-town hall for Austin residents this Saturday, April 25 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Austin Coming Together (@act.chicago) will live stream the town hall through its social media platforms.
In its first year, the campaign to improve Austin garnered $13 million in investments. That includes a record $10 million gift from BMO Bank. “It’s been a really momentous year. There’s been a lot of success,” said Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together. The nonprofit, launched in 2010, is the driving force behind the quality-of-life plan.
All Austin residents are invited to the community summit, where updates will be given on Austin’s quality-of-life plan. Celebrate the victories and investments, and discover how you can get involved. The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 14 at Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd.
One of the experts featured in “FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence” is Jermaine Harris, a community policing sergeant in the Chicago Department’s 15th District, who talks about using social justice as a means of supporting the Austin community. The series launches Nov. 12 on WTTW.