AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/quality-of-life-plan/)
A project to revitalize Central Avenue from Madison Street to Chicago Avenue is starting its first steps in the planning process. Austin Coming Together is leading the charge to revitalize one of Austin’s major thoroughfares.
All residents are invited to Austin Forward Together’s community summit, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at By The Hand Club For Kids, 415 N. Laramie.
Take part in the monthly community hub meeting of Austin Coming Together on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. The virtual meeting will be held on Facebook Live.
A short documentary about Austin will be released Aug. 18 on Facebook. The “year in review” film documents the work more than 40 West Side leaders and dozens of partner groups have done on Austin’s quality-of-life plan throughout the pandemic.
A group of about a dozen youth created their own quality-of-life plan for Austin this summer, modeled after a similar plan being implemented by Austin Coming Together. The youth’s plan focuses on public safety, mental health and youth empowerment, and will be unveiled later this fall by the group Territory.
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.
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.
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.