Category: volunteering

ODS

As I already said multiple times, things have not been working with ODS recently, and I had so many last-minute cancellations that I almost lost hope that something would ever happen. In October, the volunteer coordinator and I made another attempt to schedule things, and I sent to her a list of dates when I could come. Then there were no communications for three weeks, so the day before I was supposed to come I emailed her again asking to confirm that we were still on.

There was no response to my email. I had the cell number of the previous coordinator, but I couldn’t find the new coordinator’s phone. At some point, I had a crazy thought that I should just go there, but having what I have in my life these days, I thought I would be devastated to lose another two hours for nothing, and after some hesitations, I left home.

I was already walking home from the train station when I saw a text on my phone with a contact “maybe <her name>” (which meant that she mentioned her number in one of her emails). The message read: When are you planning to arrive?

We had a rather dramatic exchange of texts, and I frantically checked spam and trash, but there was no email found. We immediately agreed to communicate through texts in the future and agreed for me to come a week later. I felt horrible because I thought that it was all my fault, and if I was really committed to coming to the ODS, I should have either tried to find her cell number or gone to the ODS without confirmation. I felt that I was so sure (subconsciously) that it wouldn’t work again, that I was expecting this arrangement to fail. I am not sure whether I’ve explained it thoroughly, but I tried :).

Nevertheless, we agreed on November 14. I had an event I wanted to attend on that day (the Beat meeting), but I decided I had to break the curse of ODS events not happening. I confirmed on Wednesday evening by text, and then on Thursday there was another text: “There are going to be 2-4 people, how about we switch to dessert or just hanging out?”

I replied that it was OK and that I would pick desserts from Vanille. So, finally, I made it to ODS. The staff was amazing, everybody loved Vanille pastries (and it ended up being way more than four people in!). Usually, I do not like to hang out just for the sake of hanging out, but as it turned out, the youth wanted just to hang out and talk, and we all had a great time.

Now, I am very cautious, and I am not saying that it’s a success, because the last several months were very unpredictable. But one thing for sure – I do not want to give up on the Night Ministry.

The Night Ministry

On Thursday, I attended the Night Ministry Annual fundraiser. With almost everybody I knew gone, I was unsure whether I would see any familiar faces. However, I wanted to make another attempt to resume volunteering, which has been challenging to schedule for the past several months. Surprisingly, I met many people, and even those who barely knew me recognized me.

I ended up having three long and in-depth conversations about my future at the Night Ministry. Everyone mentioned that I am/has been a person who could bring young people together, and “I was the best” and it would be a shame if the Night Ministry won’t have anything for me to do. One of the opportunities was a Crib, which is a completely different volunteering pattern but might actually work for me. I guess we’ll have to see in November.

Overall, I feel hopeful. For the past several months, there have been many times when I thought that I just needed to give up that part of my life, but then I felt a huge void and could not be a whole person without the Night Ministry, so I kept trying.

Things Are Working When People Are

Today, after a very long break, I went to the Art Institute with the youth from the shelter. C. tried very hard to make things happen that time, but in the end, the only reason everything worked was the staff, who suddenly became available and ready to drive the youth to the museum. I just started to describe what was going wrong and how there was no way it could work, but then I deleted two paragraphs because, in the end, the important part was that there were three really engaged residents and the amazing staff, and everything worked perfectly!

For all of the youth, it was their first visit to the Art Institute, and they were overwhelmed with the options. They wanted to stop by each object on their way and read everything about it. As always, there were remarkable observations and unexpected questions. As always, there was a stop at Amorino after the museum was closed. As (almost) always, the youth thanked me for the outing. One of the youth was especially thankful and said: Sorry, I am not really cultural, I do not know anything about art and I didn’t know what I would like, but I liked everything!

And here is very tired and very happy I.

Noise Ordinance

The City Council voted for the Noise Ordinance on June 12. When I was escorting on June 15, we were not sure how soon the sign would appear. It turned out that it was up just a week later! And as other escorts shared, it somewhat helped. They were quiet, even though the number of antis is gianormous.

I went escorting this morning even though I had another million things to do, but after I examined my schedule for the rest of summer, I realized I wouldn’t be able to escort until August 17. One of the fellow escorts took this picture of us under the new sign:

It is, indeed, a win, but we’ll see what will follow. Today, we talked a lot about the case that a Jewish Orthodox woman brought up this week. According to the Old Testament, life begins at birth, not at conception, so the court ruling goes against their believes.

Once again, we’ll see!

P.S. Noise ordinance is indeed against noise, not against anties, and it passed the City Council almost unanimously. The protected area is the whole perimeter of the clinic.

Volunteering Activities

On Thursday, we had our first meeting of the Howard and Evanston Community Center (HECC) Community Board. This is my newest volunteering activity, and I had many thoughts on whether I should engage before I said yes.

The most significant decisive factor was the idea that I would be able to make a big impact with a relatively low time commitment by joining the Strategic Planning Group. Now, I am trying very hard to stay with this task and not jump into my usual mode “let me do things myself because otherwise, nobody would do it.”

Overall, I have a good feeling about this meeting in terms of knowing how to ask the right questions and having a good idea about the areas of potential improvement. The worst part is that it looks like the budget figures remain a mystery, although I am determined to resolve it.

We’ll see how it will turn out!

***

Today, I went to the clinic for escorting for the first time in a while. I went for the morning shift, and it was very quiet. The first group of protesters appeared ten minutes before the end of my shift, although they were very loud and annoying right away. At least, it was not like two weeks ago – I was not there, but others told me that there were over a hundred protesters. The noise-controlling city ordinance is still hanging up in the air, and our team leader says that she doesn’t foresee it being approved in the observable future.

I guess I will keep escorting when I retire, which was always my plan.

Th Night Ministry Founder Passed Away

I learned about the passing of Father Behrens two days ago, and today, the official email notification arrived in my inbox.

April 20, 2024

Dear Henrietta,

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Rev. Tom Behrens, the Founding President & Former CEO of The Night Ministry. Tom’s vision, dedication, and unwavering commitment to serving our community’s most vulnerable members left an indelible mark on our organization and the city of Chicago.As we mourn the loss of Tom and keep his family and loved ones in our thoughts, we also celebrate his remarkable legacy. Tom’s passion for helping others, particularly our unhoused and marginalized neighbors, inspired all who knew him. As the organization’s first employee, he laid the foundation of compassionate service that still anchors The Night Ministry today. And as our Founding President & Former CEO, Tom provided visionary leadership for decades that deepened and widened our impact in Chicago.In 1976, a coalition of diverse congregations hired Tom to perform outreach to individuals on the streets of Chicago at night in response to loneliness, poverty, and homelessness in the community. As Tom told the Chicago Sun-Times the following year, it was his job “to be present to them, to be available, to listen.”As Tom pioneered street outreach in Chicago by holding office hours from the trunk of his car and visiting bars and all-night diners, the encounters he had raised his awareness of gaps in the availability of services to Chicago’s unhoused population, specifically in the areas of shelter for youth and health care. And as his awareness grew, he took action.In the late 1980s, Tom played a key role in successfully advocating for the passage of new state legislation allowing nonprofits to operate group shelters for unhoused youth, which had been prohibited in Illinois. As a result, the landscape of youth services in the state changed dramatically as opportunities became available for unhoused, runaway, and at-risk youth to access safe shelter. The Night Ministry launched its first youth shelter, with 16 beds, a few years after the legislation was enacted. Today, across several Youth Programs, we provide shelter, supportive services, and critical resources to hundreds of young people and their children each year.Tom also oversaw the launch of The Night Ministry’s Outreach & Health Ministry Program in the early 1990s, when the organization outfitted a recreational vehicle to offer mobile healthcare services to individuals who struggled to access more traditional means of care, such as clinics or physicians’ offices. Initially focused on Chicago’s North Side, today our Health Outreach Program brings free medical care, case management, and resources like food and clothing to neighborhoods across the city and even to public transit, serving thousands of people each year.Tom’s tireless efforts transformed countless lives and set the standard for compassion and advocacy in The Night Ministry’s work. His spirit will continue to guide us as we carry forward his mission of providing human connection, housing support, and health care to those who are unhoused or experiencing poverty.

In gratitude,

Carol J. Sharp, MPA
President & CEOMichael V. Borromeo
Chair, Board of Directors

I was extremely privileged to know Father Behrens in person. Moreover, when many years ago, my friend from Russia, who worked for a similar organization in Sain-Petersburg, “The Night Bus,” asked for guidance and emotional support; Father Behrence wrote a long letter to her. I just found it!

Continue reading “Th Night Ministry Founder Passed Away” →

I Know, I Know…

Please, do not roll your eyes on me! I thought for the whole month back in December before I said – maybe, and another two months before I said yes, and I chose the committee where my ideas will be needed and the time commitment won’t be huge.

And honestly, isn’t it the best way I can help my own community to become better?!

ODS

A brief summary of my most recent ODS activity.

  • First time after a long period of absence, everything went great; everybody participated in making pizza, I had great conversations, I clicked with several young people in the shelter, and everything was great.
  • The second time, two weeks later: way less engagement; only two girls came to help me cook. The girl who was the most enthusiastic about my presence and promised to connect to me on LinkedIn and tell me everything about her progress sat in the corner with her back facing me, and when I approached her, she replied: yes, I am coming in a minute, but she kept staring at her phone screen.
  • Third time: we tried to go to the Art Institute. We talked about it when I cooked dinner, and there was a lot of interest. However, on “day X” nobody wanted to come
  • Forth time, today: almost no participation. The staff came to help me cook. One girl reluctantly approached but then walked away. I asked her later whether she liked the food -she did and she thanked me.

I talked to the staff. They agreed with my assessment that it’s hard to predict, and only the time can tell and only the time can improve. I will keep coming, and I need to find a way to do it ore frequently.

Good Friday

We have Good Friday off (since we are a trading firm), so I went to Milwaukee and did an escorting shift before that. I rarely can do weekday shifts, so I am always happy when I can.

It was had to tell whether it would be quiet or crazy having it was a Good Friday. It ended up being quiet; however, one episode struck me.

There were two women, presumably mother and daughter, whom I escorted to a different entrance of the building. They had their luggage with them, and when I asked where they were from, they said: from Louisiana. I was speechless. I asked how long the had to drive, and the mother said: we were ready to drive, but fortunately, we got a grant and could fly. But we had to be up at 4 AM today. They were both tired and slightly disoriented, but visibly happy they made it.

… Just one question: why?! Why did they have to travel so far to get an abortion, and when will this craziness stop?!

ODS – Starting A New One More Time

When I met with my friend N. on Sunday, we talked about ODS, and I shared that I am unsure about how to continue, when everybody is new and we do not have a volunteer coordinator. I told her that I was going to go there on March 5 for the first time after a long break and that I hoped that something positive would come out of it. I scheduled my volunteering for that day although Boris as going to be in town, but he said he completely understood it, and as long as something positive can come out of it, it will be all good.

It ended up being a really great and meaningful event. I came in, and approached a group of residents asking who would’ve like to make pizza with me, and two young women immediately volunteered (I later learned that they were close friends and roommates). We immediately clicked and started chatting, and later, one young man joined us, and then one of the staff, and when I already turned the oven off, yet another young man. I stayed there until past 8 PM (and I had to take Uber home). These first two young women told me they are going to start a community college to become nurses, and how they are going to do it together and support each other. One of the residents asked me why did I come to the US, and since it was the next day after the Elpha post went up, I just showed it to her. This opened yet another conversation. It is not always easy to let the residents know that I feel for them, because there were times when I had very little money, and that for the longest time, I didn’t have a home of my own.

It all went so well, that I examined my upcoming schedule one more time and found one more day when I would be able to come. Next day, we messaged back and forth with the new volunteer coordinator, and agreed that we could try other days od the week, and we could even try to go to the Art Institute in April. Fingers crossed 🙂