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West Side policy expert named game-changer

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Photo credit: Norvell Tolbert. Left to Right: Angelique Orr, Mark Ferguson, Valerie F. Leonard, Rodney Brown, Dr. Dennis Deer.

Valerie Leonard was honored by the New Covenant Community Development Corporation

We thank the Austin Weekly News for their coverage of the New Covenant CDC Game Changers Award Dinner. The following article appeared in the November 2nd issue of the newspaper.

 

 

By Igor Studenkov
Contributing Reporter

Long-time North Lawndale community activist and community development consultant Valerie Leonard received the first-ever Game Changer in Community Service Award on the evening of Oct. 27.

This was one of the several awards that were given out by the Homan Square-based New Covenant Community Development Corporation at its third annual Game Changers for Economic Impact gala.

The event was held in Austin’s Columbus Park Rectory, 5701 W Jackson.

The awards usually go to innovative North Lawndale businesses, but this year, the NCCDC decided to add an award to recognize those who work hard to improve the community. As the NCCDC officials readily admitted, there was never any real question as to who this year’s recipient would be.

Leonard has been working to help North Lawndale for the past few decades. According to the bio on her official website, she founded the Lawndale Alliance, which has advocated for school improvements, fairer Tax Increment Financing fund usage and aid to homeowners affected by the 2008 mortgage crisis, among other initiatives.

Most recently, Leonard became one of the three co-founders of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, which is working to create a comprehensive development plan for the North Lawndale community.

Dennis Deer, a fellow NLCCC co-founder, serves as a NCCDC’s president. As he explained in the opening remarks during the gala, the organization has been around since 2012. The money raised from the gala, Deer said, will allow NCCDC to offer classed provided by its Small Business Development Center for free.

“[The center] provides small business consulting services, business advisory,” Deer said. “We teach people who desire their own businesses how to have them. [The program includes] entrepreneurship classes, one-on-one advising [and] consulting services.”

NCCDC also launched the North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce. Deer said it wasn’t the first time someone tried to create one, but this one has survived the challenges so far, and he was optimistic about its future.

“We have 15 to 20 members already who are having a unified voice in the development of the community,” he said.

As NCCDC director Angelique Orr explained during the gala, the Game Changers awards are meant to do more than recognize local businesses.

“Every year, we have an opportunity to celebrate exceptional entrepreneurs,” she said. “They’re there to change game and they’re game-changers. You stepped out of nothing and made something happened – you changed the game.”

Deer said that NCCDC wanted to give Leonard an award to recognize how she changed the community, even though she isn’t a business owner.

“[We gave her the award] because of all the work she’s done in community organizing and community advancement,  all of the work she did in order to [create] a better community,” he said. “She is very, very deserving of those accolades, even though she doesn’t like them very much.”

NCCDC Vice-President Rodney Brown offered his own praise.

“She has the hart and passion for making sure things get done for the people who need it,” he said of Leonard. Deer said that Leonard wasn’t told she was getting the award until she arrived at the gala. When she came up to the podium, she found herself at a loss of words.

“I’m having an Oprah moment,” she said. “I’m speechless.”

The procession of honors for Leonard, however, won’t end with NCCDC. On Nov. 2, she’ll be recognized by the Chicago Chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance for her work in social enterprise during a session held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Sankofa House, 4041 W. Roosevelt Rd.

Entrepreneurs who won the awards this year included Katros Consulting firm founder and CEO Lynn Sutton; Landon Williams and Jason Diggs, co-owners of Against the Grain Designs accessories maker; Elliot Porter, owner of the Grade A Car Spa car wash; and Michelle Sharp, owner of the It’s-Sooo [sic], an all-natural clearing products company.

Contact:
Email: igorst3@hotmail.com

 game-changers-montage

Business of Filmmaking in Chicago at Cinespace Chicago Studios

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Regional Transportation Authority Joins Transit and Transportation Partners to Host 19th Annual Transportation Vendor Symposium and Business Exchange

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

We thank Hurley Green, III, Publisher of The Bulletin, for sharing the following information.

For Immediate Release

 

Date:        November 1, 2016

Contact:   Susan Massel, Director, Communications and Public Affairs

312-913-3256 ­ massels@RTAchicago.org

 

Regional Transportation Authority Joins Transit and Transportation Partners to Host 19th Annual Transportation Vendor Symposium and Business Exchange

Provides information to those seeking transit agency contracts

CHICAGO – The RTA, in collaboration with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, Pace, Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Tollway, is proud to host the 19th Annual Transportation Symposium and Business Exchange.  The event will be held on Tuesday, November 15th at the Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 78 East Washington Street, Chicago from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for businesses interested in working with local transportation agencies.  There is no cost to attend the event.

“Transit agencies in this region spend billions of dollars annually on goods and services needed to help keep our transportation system moving,” says RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. “We are fortunate to work with a variety of businesses every year and see this symposium and business exchange as an opportunity to grow our network of vendors.”

The event is specifically aimed at transit-related businesses including construction companies, professional service firms, manufacturers, architects/engineers and suppliers. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), Minority Owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) and Small Business Enterprises (SBEs)  are strongly encouraged to attend to obtain valuable information regarding the best way to seek transit agency contracts.

“I know firsthand how helpful this event is,” says George Kinnison, president and founder of  Trinity Technology Services and scheduled event speaker. “I first attended the event 17 years ago and learned a great deal about the processes in place for MBE and DBE certified companies to become vendors in the transit and transportation sectors. Since then, I founded Trinity and, as a DBE, we now provide low voltage bus systems, such as GPS and communications systems, to CTA buses.  Information I gained at this event help make this work possible.”

Advance registration for the event is strongly encouraged. For more information, visit the RTA website at rtachicago.org or visit the symposium and business exchange website at http://illinoistransportationsymposium.com.  Event agenda is attached.

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About the RTA

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is the only transit agency charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace bus and paratransit.    The RTA region serves two million riders each weekday in six counties with 7,200 transit route miles throughout Northeastern Illinois.  The Agency also provides customer services including on-line and telephone travel planning assistance and travel training for seniors and people with disabilities.  For more information, visit www.RTAChicago.org.

 

2016 Press Release TSBE by valeriefleonard on Scribd

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/329684484/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-YO3pt5wCF6dpi7H1UcEj&show_recommendations=true

Impact 100 Chicago is Accepting Letters of Inquiry through November 18, 2016

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

We thank Claude Robinson for sharing the following information.

Hi all,

The Impact 100 Chicago cycle is open and accepting Letters of Inquiry through November 18, 2016. Impact 100 Chicago recognizes that there are many organizations doing important work improving the lives of underserved individuals and communities in the Chicagoland area. To support this work and allow organizations to “dream big,” Impact 100 Chicago annually awards $100,000 grants to local nonprofit organizations. Their focus areas are culture, education, family, health and sustainability. (They should have operating budgets of at least $500,000)

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting https://impact100chicago.org/apply-for-a-grant/about-our-grant/.

Best,
Jalisa

Jalisa Hinkle
Manager, Advocate Bethany Community Health Fund
Advocate Charitable Foundation/Advocate Health Care
3075 Highland Parkway, Suite 600
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
Office: 630-929-6914 (internal: 55-6914)
www.advocatehealth.com/bethanyfundhttps://impact100chicago.org/apply-for-a-grant/about-our-grant/

NLCCC Capacity Building Subcommittee Hosts 2-Part Parliamentary Procedure Workshop

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

The North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council’s Capacity Building Subcommittee today held the second of a two-part workshop on parliamentary procedure at the Sankofa House, located at 4041 West Roosevelt Road.  The first session was held a week earlier.

“It is very important that we develop our leadership within the organization and the community”, said Annetta Wilson, the chairperson of the NLCCC Capacity Building Subcommittee. “One of the greatest areas of impact is in running meetings, and establishing order.  You can get so much more accomplished when you understand how to run a meeting, and there’s a whole lot more to that than getting a b bunch of people in a room together”, Wilson said.

The workshop was facilitated by Elaine L. Johnson, the Vice President of the Illinois Association of Parliamentarians, and President of the Mattie Lampkins Parliamentary Unit here in Chicago. The curriculum for the first week covered the governing documents, Robert’s Rules of Order, and the various types of business meetings an organization could have. The curriculum for the second meeting went into more detail concerning the composition of the bylaws, the types of motions one makes to keep meetings on track and the importance of meeting minutes.

“I have been in a position in which I have had to use parliamentary procedure for a significant portion of my life, and I still learned something”, said Charlie Wilson, the President of Men Making a Difference, and a member of IBEW.

Learning parliamentary procedure could be useful in a number of settings, including block club meetings, church auxiliaries, corporate and nonprofit boards, elementary and high school clubs, et cetera.

To learn more about the National Association of Parliamentarians, the Illinois Association of Parliamentarians, the Mattie Lampkins Parliamentary Unit, or their upcoming meetings or events, contact Elaine Johns at eljohnson8@juno.com or 708-336.0058.

Include the West Side in the Community Catalyst Fund

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

We thank the Austin Weekly News for publishing the following letter to the editor.  Photo credit: Second City Cop Blog.

The Mayor has proposed the new $100 million Community Catalyst Fund designed to invest in businesses in communities that are most in need.  A governing board consisting of the City of Chicago CFO, City Treasurer, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and four mayoral appointees will establish investment criteria and policies with input from an advisory council consisting of two aldermen and three community representatives. The targeted communities and manner in which investment decisions will be made are yet to be determined.

We, the members of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC), support the overall concept of the Community Catalyst Fund, and would encourage the team responsible for the implementation to solicit further input from local communities as the program is finalized. This will only strengthen the program.

NLCCC is a group of North Lawndale stakeholders, including nearly 300 community-based organizations, business owners, elected officials and individuals that have come together to guide our community’s first comprehensive planning and implementation process since 1958.  We believe that there should be representation from Chicago’s West Side on the Community Catalyst Fund (“the Fund”) governing board as well as the advisory council. In times past, the West Side has been excluded from a number of the City’s innovative economic development programs, and we are under-represented on the governing boards for various City commissions. It is important that communities that are in most need also have a voice at the policy level to ensure that programs are responsive and deliver the maximum impact.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to small business development, and every establishment is different. The Fund should take a comprehensive approach that will tap into a variety of public and private resources to provide a broad array of financial products and services to small businesses that are at varying stages of development, from start-up to mature.  Examples include low interest micro-loans, New Markets Tax Credits, mezzanine debt and equity investments with longer investment horizons. At the same time, the Fund should provide funding for community-based CDFI’s (community development financial institutions), SBA-certified Small Business Development Centers and other intermediaries to provide technical assistance to small businesses seeking funding in order to minimize investment risk.

The Fund’s board should develop investment criteria that are more flexible than conventional financing while safeguarding investor capital, and prioritize projects that will create jobs and provide incentives for hiring residents of the communities in which the projects are located. There should also be accountability to ensure that jobs that are promised materialize. Finally, the Fund should consider clustering public works projects to enhance its investments and spur additional private investment in high need areas.

We look forward to an investment fund that will catalyze investment on the West Side, and high-need communities around the City of Chicago.

— North Lawndale Coordinating Committee Exec. Subcommittee

Valerie F. Leonard, Rodney Brown and Dr. Dennis Deer, Members