This week brought us National Coming Out Day on Tuesday the 11th, and October is traditionally recognized as LGBTQ History month. So much of our community’s accomplishments come through our great city and we are really lucky to have amazing groups working to advance our rights, celebrating our history, making art, and providing supports for our siblings in need. A couple of the more unique efforts to highlight our history are the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame and The Legacy Project.

Established in 1991, Chicago’s LGBTQ Hall of Fame was among the first city-sponsored efforts to honor the contributions of our community in the country. Since 1991, the Hall of Fame has inducted individual community members, friends of the community, and organizations who have made significant contributions to our community through activism, the arts, business, education, or historic contributions. I was inducted in 2014 alongside an amazing array of friends and colleagues.

The Legacy Project may be familiar to those who have visited the Legacy Walk in Lakeview where historic plaques on the neighborhood’s iconic rainbow pillars celebrate history-making members of the LGBTQ community worldwide. A lesser-known accomplishment is the central role this organization played in the passage of our state law requiring an inclusive curriculum recognizing the ways members of our community have contributed to history. I am proud that Illinois has taken steps to ensure that our school curricula gives students the whole story when sharing history, whether that means sharing the full story of Alan Turing’s heroic work to break the ENIGMA code, giving an unvarnished explanation of our country’s shameful use of internment camps to confine Japanese Americans in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, including voices of underrepresented groups in all lessons, not shying away from giving students the truth about the myriad ways our laws have been used to disenfranchise Black communities, and including the full story of the impact of the Holocaust including the many ways countries including our own failed to act early enough to prevent tragedy. Our state has been a leader in ensuring inclusive curriculum across multiple communities. While some suggest these are unfounded mandates, it’s important to understand that what is meant by these laws is to ensure that when schools are covering any historic events, they need to make sure that they’re not erasing history and include the full story and that organizations like the Legacy Project and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and others make materials available at no cost to schools.

With fall in full swing, I’m loving seeing everyone’s Halloween Decorations popping up around the neighborhood. My setup is a little reflection of the state of the attacks on our rights - here are a couple of tireless organizers for reproductive justice and marriage equality from my yard! If you see something cool, snap a pic and share it with us and we’ll highlight some of the best displays in a future newsletter!

SAFE-T Act Info Video

The Illinois House Democrats in partnership with the Lake County State's Attorney have created a short video explaining one of the key aspects of the SAFE-T Act, ending cash bail, and its implications for racial and socioeconomic justice. Check it out above. 

Annual Coat Drive

Our annual office coat drive is underway! We will be collecting until December 12th. We kindly ask that all items are laundered, and are new or lightly used. We are collecting coats, gloves, mittens, scarves, and hats to help keep are neighbors warm and safe this winter. We are not collecting light or fall items. Please make sure that all items are laundered.

For a more detailed list of items, please visit our Target wish list linked below:

https://bit.ly/winter-coat-drive22 

All items can be dropped off at our district office at 5533 N. Broadway, Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

Cook County's Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program is closing applications next Friday, October 21st.

About the Program:

• 3,250 eligible Cook County families will be chosen at random to receive $500 a month for 24 months 
• The application deadline is October 21st, 2022

Eligibility requirements:

• Be a Cook County Resident
• At least 18 years old
• Not participating in any other guaranteed income program (Chicago or Evanston)
• Household income that falls at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level
• Immigration status does not matter nor will it be asked

You can learn more about the program and sign up for updates at https://www.engagecookcounty.com/promise.

After 15 years of serving our community, Uncommon Ground's Devon location will close after their final brunch service on October 23rd. Uncommon Ground was named the Greenest Restaurant in the country by the Green Restaurant Association in 2011, cooking with products grown from their 2500 square foot rooftop farm.

My family, staff, and I have enjoyed many great times here and are thankful for a great 15 years!

Uncommon Ground's Lakeview location will remain open. Go support them in their last few weeks on Devon! 

Read more in Block Club Chicago's article. 

Falafel & Kebob Ribbon Cutting

I was excited to join the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce for the ribbon cutting for Falafel & Kebab Restaurant. I love Mediterranean food and was excited to take home falafel for my family and to share with my team. We are excited to have you in the neighborhood!

Visit them at 1133 W. Granville. View their menu and more information online at their website falafelkebab.com.

Alderwoman Maria Hadden's office is collecting items for the newly arriving migrants coming to the City. See the flyer above for items being collected and office hour information. Please make sure to drop off items directly to a staff member. Please don't leave items outside of Ald. Hadden's office. We will also be collecting supplies at our District office at 5533 N Broadway Ave. Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. 

3rd Annual Pumpkin Smash

Don’t trash it, smash it! On Saturday, November 5th from 12pm to 4pm, green your Halloween at the third annual Edgewater Pumpkin Smash presented by the Edgewater Environmental Coalition and the Andersonville & Edgewater Chambers of Commerce. Join us in the parking lot at 6040 N. Clark Street, north of the Fire Station, to have some free, Halloween-related fun while reducing waste and educating residents about advantages of composting food waste! 

All are welcome to drop pumpkins off without getting out of your cars or to join in the smashing fun by tossing their pumpkins in the giant compost container. We request that all pumpkins dropped off are free of non-biodegradable materials such as candles, plastic or metal decorations.

In the last two years, the Edgewater Pumpkin Smash has diverted 8.1 tons of pumpkins from area landfills dropped off by hundreds of area residents. Join our efforts by composting your festive pumpkins, and contact Nina Newhouser at nnewhouser@gmail.com if interested in volunteering!

Halloween Parade 

The 48th Ward Office will be hosting a Halloween Parade on October 29th at 10am starting at Peirce School, 1423 W Bryn Mawr. The parade will end at the Catalpa Plaza on Catalpa and Clark so neighbors can enjoy the Halloween on Catalpa celebration, happening from 10am-4pm the same day. I hope you are able to join us! Additionally, if you would like to volunteer with my office during trick-or-treating on the 31st, please email harry@48thward.org. 

3rd Annual Boo to the Flu Event

On Saturday, October 15th, Hamdard Health invites you to join them for a day of fall festivities. Between 10:00am and 1:00pm, they will be administering free flu shots to all guests that attend. They will also be providing snacks, pumpkins, and scares all free of charge! 

The seasonal flu vaccine is important protection for anyone older than six months of age. The Illinois Department of Health urges everyone to get their vaccine before Halloween and this event is your chance to get it done.

Colvin Concerts Courtyard Series

In these outdoor concerts, Chicagoland talent performs in the beautiful courtyard of the historic Colvin House, located at 5940 N Sheridan Rd.

Tues, Oct 18: The Chris Greene Quartet

Tues, Oct 25: Yoko Noge

While registration is free, there is a suggested donation in place of a ticket price at the door so that Colvin House can pay artists and continue supporting the performing arts. They ask that you contribute $20, $10 or even $5 toward paying the musicians and staff for their efforts.

More information can be found here.

Centro Romero is holding a COVID vaccination event this Saturday, October 15th. Please see the flyer below for more information regarding eligibility and what services are available.

COVID-19 Updates

Friday, October 14th Update:

• Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 IL residents: 10.4
• Daily new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 IL residents: 82
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by IL COVID-19 patients: 4%
• Statewide Totals: 3,784,083 confirmed cases and 35,125 deaths

For more details regarding the status of COVID in Illinois click here.

Please click here to see the status of COVID in our zip codes.

Being vaccinated and boosted is critical to limit the major impacts of future pandemic waves we are to face as new variants come along. Please be up to date with your vaccines and continue to test when needed.

To find a vaccine clinic within the City of Chicago click here.

For questions or info regarding COVID-19 testing click here.

If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the

Illinois Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 800-889-3931

Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 312-746-4835

Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov

MWRD Commissioner Kim du Buclet, in partnership with the Chicago Bungalow Association, is hosting a webinar about basement flooding and how to reduce the risk of flooding on your property.  

Date: Tuesday, October 18th, 2022

Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm

Register here.

Attendees of this webinar will explore the causes of flooding on one’s property with helpful tips about how to identify areas inside and outside of the home to help reduce flooding and sewer backups. 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Buckets Over Bullying is a non-profit initiative whose mission is to stop cyberbullying of kids and teens through education, lawmaking, and legal action, inspired by the death of 15-year-old Nate Bronstein who after cyberbullying over social media.

Buckets Over Bullying is hosting a free Social Media Safety Rally on November 5th for teens and parents. The objective is to educate the City's community about the importance of not using online devices as weapons. Buckets Over Bullying Social Media Safety Rally, in partnership with The Organization for Social Media Safety and the Jesse White Foundation, will be held at the Jesse White Community Center located at 412 W Chicago Ave. on Saturday, November 5, 2022.  

For more information, visit here. To register for the event, visit here. Registration is required to attend as space is limited. 

Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center, a Rogers Park non-profit offering classes for youth and adults in industrial arts: Metal Casting, Welding & Forging, CNC Technology, and Woodworking, is offering FREE afterschool classes to all CPS students grades 6-12 this Fall!

For more information, please reference the flyer above or click here. 

Guardianship 101 Webinar

Register here.

NorthShore is Hiring

NorthShore is seeking Staff Support Technicians (SST’s) to assist in their patient care environments. In this entry level role, the SST’s will have an opportunity to work alongside nurses and other health care team members who are critical in the delivery of patient care. This is a great opportunity for those who may be considering a career in healthcare, make a career change, or just want to explore the healthcare industry. The SST position pays $17 per hour and provides highly flexible scheduling options with work days and hours.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is hiring for a couple different positions. See the following links for more information.

• Animal & Animal Products Investigator
• Meat & Poultry Inspector Trainee

Pace Bus Openings

Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy

State Representative, 14th District



Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640