Dear Neighbor,
As always, Rogers Park offers a wealth of weekend activities. Here are two this weekend I’d like to highlight–the Leone Park Winter Trudge and a “Toast for Gale” Fundraiser.
Leone Park Winter Trudge, Saturday, February 17th, 1:00 p.m.
Enjoy our beautiful lakefront during a truly magical time of year. Contrary to popular belief, Lake Michigan is full of life in the middle of winter, with wildlife, interesting natural processes, and lovely sights. We’ll explore the plants, formations and animals unique to Lake Michigan during the winter months.
We’ll meet at Leone Park (Touhy and the lake) this Saturday, February 17th, at 1:00 p.m., and walk south along the lakefront to Lunt Avenue. After our walk, we’ll warm up at Nibbles and Nosh (at the corner of Lunt and Sheridan) with some coffee and cocoa.
Please RSVP by replying to this email so the folks at Nibbles and Nosh know how many people to expect.
“A Toast for Gale” Fundraiser, Sunday, February 18th, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Join your neighbors for cocktails and conversation, as we raise money to bring a SMART Health and Wellness Clinic to Gale Academy, a Chicago Public School located in Rogers Park’s North of Howard community.
We’re gathering at Rogers Park Social, 6920 N. Glenwood, this Sunday, February 18th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Gale Academy, under the leadership of Principal Augustine “Augie” Emuwa, is launching an ambitious goal to bring a SMART Health and Wellness Clinic to the school in time for the 2018-19 academic year. The SMART model adopts a holistic approach to school-based health care that understands the inextricable link between quality health care and academic performance.
SMART health clinics are located in schools that serve primarily low-income students. They deliver integrative, preventive and primary health care services and solutions-based behavioral health supports directly to the students, their families and the school faculty and staff. The principle underlying these clinics is that better mental and physical health leads to improved academic achievement and higher graduation rates, which are essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Two 49th Ward schools are already home to SMART Student Health and Wellness clinics–Sullivan High School and Kilmer Elementary School. As a direct result of these health clinics, not only do the students and their families needed health services, but both schools have seen dramatic and immediate increases in attendance rates and academic achievement, as well as reductions in disciplinary referrals.
I am working closely with local school and community leaders and my fellow elected officials at the state and federal level to bring a SMART clinic to Gale Academy, a school in which nearly every student is from a family that lives at or below the poverty line.
The total start-up cost for the SMART clinic is $350,000. Working closely with Principal Emuwa, we already have raised nearly $200,000 toward our goal. CVS Health generously pledged $150,000 and we’ve raised another $50,000 from our community, including a generous $30,000 pledge from State Senator Heather Steans and the Steans Family Foundation. We need to raise another $100,000 by April 1st.
Once the $350,000 is raised, the clinic will be up and running and will sustain itself going forward.
Please consider making a donation, even if you can’t attend Sunday’s event.
To donate, click here.
Thanks so much for your support of Gale Academy!
Sincerely,
Joe Moore