Saturday, July 9 Dunning Read Conservation Area Restoration Workday Southeast corner of Oak Park Ave and Irving Park Ave 9:00 am-12:00 pm

Join Friends of the Parks and neighbors from the Dunning area for an exciting stewardship event in this beautiful nature oasis located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest . . . → Read More: Explore the Dunning Read Conservation Area, Saturday, July 9]]>

Photo credit: Chicago Wilderness

Saturday, July 9
Dunning Read Conservation Area Restoration Workday
Southeast corner of Oak Park Ave and Irving Park Ave
9:00 am-12:00 pm

Join Friends of the Parks and neighbors from the Dunning area for an exciting stewardship event in this beautiful nature oasis located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest side. Be prepared to remove invasive plants, build a trail and spruce up the conservation area. A nature hike will be offered at 10:00 AM. Tools and gloves will be provided. Dress appropriately for the weather.

RSVP Required. Email Mary Eileen Sullivan at sullivanme@fotp.org

Download the flyer for your corkboard

Volunteer for a NeighborWorks Day project on Saturday, June 4! Join in the fun during NHS’ 24th Annual NeighborWorks Day on Saturday, June 4. Volunteers are needed to paint, plant, clean vacant lots, landscape and garden.

During National NeighborWorks® Week, tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors and . . . → Read More: Featured Event! NHS Chicago NeighborWorks Day tomorrow. Come out to Humboldt Park for an added bonus- Sustainable Backyard Demos!]]>

Photo courtesy of NHS Chicago

Volunteer for a NeighborWorks Day project on Saturday, June 4!
Join in the fun during NHS’ 24th Annual NeighborWorks Day on Saturday, June 4. Volunteers are needed to paint, plant, clean vacant lots, landscape and garden.

During National NeighborWorks® Week, tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors and friends will be volunteering across the country in a week of neighborhood change and awareness.

Come on out to the NeighborWorks site near you! Breakfast, lunch and a NeighborWorks t-shirt will be provided. RSVP to Lindsey Hammond lhammond@nhschicago.org or (773) 329-4133

Dreaming for Drake- West Humboldt Park
8:15 AM: 500 and 600 blocks of North Drake Ave. – Volunteers needed to paint porches, perform small repairs, plant vegetable, flowers and bushes, spread mulch and grass seed.

12:30 PM: Attend a Free Sustainable Backyard Workshopat the NHS Chicago WHP Neighborhood Center 3601 W. Chicago Ave. This program offered in partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Environment and Chicago Conservation Corps volunteers provides instruction and demonstration on the use of Rain Barrels, Compost Bins, Planting a Rain Garden and more. Prizes & Rebates for up to 50% on Rain Barrels, Compost Bins, Trees and Native Plants will be available.
RSVP for workshop: cstewart@nhschicago.org or 773-329-4127

Living History – North Lawndale- Village West between 3400 & 3500 block W 13th Street near Homan- Beautification and Community Garden Enhancement – North Lawndale is home to more than 20 community gardens. Work will be done in one of the most famous, the African Gardens. Murals and plaques commemorating moments in North Lawndale’s history will be created and installed. Volunteers and residents will paint fencing around Village West Homes and plant flowers and plants around the walkways. There will be a cookout in the African Garden for all the residents and volunteers to celebrate the finished project.

Community Canvas – Back of the Yards/Garfield Boulevards- 2200 to 1700 W. 49th Street- Community Mural – Volunteers from local community organizations and residents will prepare this area for a new community mural. We will prime the surfaces with white primer, clean the debris in front of the wall and replace it with mulch. Murals will be painted during the course of the summer.

Roseland: A Neighborhood in Bloom – Roseland- 0-40 W. 108th street block- Beautification Project -We will work side-by-side with residents to beautify this block. Join us for painting fences and porches, cleaning a vacant lot and planting flowers. Stop by the Open Houses for our newly rehabbed NSP properties on the block.

Block by Block – West Englewood- Resource Fair and Beautification -NHS will host a resource fair and flower planting at a local church within the growing Block Club Network. Join us for planting flowers and small shrubs in the triangles at the corners of each participating block club network and for seniors who need assistance. Help us celebrate two newly formed Block Clubs!

Neighborhoods of Promise: A Showcase of Homes – Chicago Lawn/Gage Park- St. Rita Church 6243 S. Fairfield & St. Mary Star of the Sea Church 6435 S. Kilbourn-These community institutions will hold a “Showcase of Homes” for sale in the neighborhood. There will be opportunities for interested people to visit high quality and affordable homes in a designated area in the parish. Volunteers will help with registration and helping to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Empowering Our Community – Auburn Gresham/Englewood- 449 West 79th Street- Housing Resource Sidewalk Fair -Volunteers are needed to help canvass the neighborhood with information about NeighborWorks Day 2012 and NHS. Everyone is invited to meet the “new” Neighborhood Director! Mini workshops will be offered as well as one-on-one counseling with NHS staff.

Photo Credit: Naomi Davis

Download the flier so you don’t forget

Through his words and examples, Dr. King inspired a new generation to better their communities. At the Celebration of Service, Chicago Cares challenges you to move from words to deeds through service to your community. When 3,000 of us gather to honor Dr. King on Saturday, January 15, we will be an active part . . . → Read More: In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chicago Cares Celebration of Service, January 15th.]]>

Through his words and examples, Dr. King inspired a new generation to better their communities. At the Celebration of Service, Chicago Cares challenges you to move from words to deeds through service to your community. When 3,000 of us gather to honor Dr. King on Saturday, January 15, we will be an active part of building and strengthening our city while keeping Dr. King’s dream alive.

Chicago Cares Celebration of Service volunteers make a difference by:

-Serving as role models for children while acting as their “tour guides” through interactive, educational World’s Fair activities.
-Joining older students to reflect on peace and diversity as we address the issue of youth violence.
-Creating a more welcoming environment at our city’s schools and agencies by painting murals, designing mosaics and building benches or banner stands.
-Making reading more fun and accessible by organizing, sorting books and revitalizing a school library.
-Throwing a festive and energetic Dr. King birthday party for adults living with disabilities.
-Brightening a senior’s day by serving a homemade meal, sharing stories and working together on a craft.

The volunteer registration deadline is Monday, January 10 or whenever capacity is reached (whichever comes first). Capacity is limited and registration is expected to fill quickly, so register today.

sunshine0711@gmail.com

Fall in an important time in Chicago’s parks, forest preserves and natural . . . → Read More: Explore Community Conservation at the Washington Park Seed Collection Workday 10/16 @ 9 am]]> Join Washington Park Conservancy and the Chicago Park District for a seed collection and restoration workday
Saturday October 16
9 am-12 pm
Meet at the Fountain of Time (near Cottage Grove and Midway Plaisance).
Please register in advance by contacting

sunshine0711@gmail.com

Fall in an important time in Chicago’s parks, forest preserves and natural areas. As the season draws to a close, autumn is a time of thinking ahead to the next growing season and reflecting back on the successes and challenges.

A big part of thinking and planning ahead is seed collection. After a bountiful season of flowers, fruits, and foliage, natural areas keep on giving, even as they enter into dormancy. Seed production is a plant’s built-in safe guard to ensure reproduction in the next growing season.

We invite you to get acquainted with Chicago’s natural areas this fall! Volunteers can play an important role in natural area restoration work, especially in the fall when there are so many seeds to collect! Collecting seeds is a great way to get acquainted with the plants in your area and increase appreciate of nature’s powerful evolutionary protections. After autumn seed collection, stewards and natural area managers spend the winter months planning for spring, which is very much informed by the available seeds produced during the previous growing season.

October is nearly here. To us that means one special thing: Friends of the Chicago River Flatwater Classic.

Not familiar with the Flatwater Classic? It is a celebration of our fine river as a place of recreation and habitat for over 70 birds species and 60 fish species. The Chicago River Flatwater Classic . . . → Read More: Explore the Chicago River with the Flatwater Classic]]>

October is nearly here. To us that means one special thing: Friends of the Chicago River Flatwater Classic.

Not familiar with the Flatwater Classic? It is a celebration of our fine river as a place of recreation and habitat for over 70 birds species and 60 fish species. The Chicago River Flatwater Classic is the only canoe and kayak race on the Chicago River where 10 – 12 teams compete for the Voyageur trophy. The race then opens up to hundreds of individual racers and non-competitive participants.

Teams can register with Friends of the Chicago River today

If you are little squeamish about the competition, be sure to register as an event volunteer and spend a great day in the fall sun.

Need more reasons to get out there?

Friends of the Chicago River founded the Flatwater Classic in 2000 to give people a chance to see the Chicago River and learn for themselves why it needs their help. The goal is a clean, accessible river that can be shared by the people, plants, and animals that call our watershed home.