AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/austin-coming-together/page/4/)
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.
The donadtion – the largest corporate gift in United Way of Metro Chicago’s history – will be used to help implement Austin’s quality of life plan and to support social service infrastructure and development in the city’s most-populated community area. The investment was announced last week at an event hosted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and attended by several local elected officials.
The Project Stamp photo project, organized by the local non-profit Alt Space Chicago, documents everyday residents in their community. With help from Austin Coming Together, the group will soon be displaying the images throughout Austin.
The $1 million gift from Rick and Cate Waddell, given to United Way of Metro Chicago, will be used to support economic development over the next five years in Austin through the Neighborhood Network Initiative. Austin Coming Together will play a key role in the initiative.