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Greg Washington |
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GBF funded to raise HIV/AIDS awareness
by Daschell M. Phillips
The Grand Boulevard Federation, or GBF,
will receive a $50,000 grant from the Illinois
Department of Public Health, or IDPH, to implement an
HIV outreach and education program.
HIV and AIDS is an epidemic that continues to grow
rapidly — especially in the African American community.
According to the Center for Disease Control and IDPH
data, 50 percent of HIV/AIDS cases nationally and in
Illinois are among African Americans. Between 2000 and
2008, the number of African Americans between the ages
of 20 and 29 diagnosed with HIV/AIDS rose from 18
percent to 31 percent, the number of African American
men who have sex with males diagnosed with HIV/AIDS rose
from 43 percent to 81 percent and the number of African
American females diagnosed with HIV/AIDS rose from 56
percent to 72 percent.
Sylvia Jo Oglesby, HIV outreach coordinator at GBF,
started her work at the organization on Feb. 5 but she
said she has been working with churches and faith based
organizations since 1996 to educate the African American
community about HIV/AIDS.
“The church has a captive audience and has always been a
place of influence,” Oglesby said. “People look to the
church for leadership in every situation. Even
politicians visit churches during elections. If a kid
gets shot in the community, groups go to the pastor to
lead the march, and Rev. Martin Luther King [Jr.] led
marches during the civil rights movement.”
Oglesby organized Englewood Advocates of Grace for Lives
Education and Service, or EAGLES, which is a group of
pastors in the Englewood community that provide
information sessions, events, workshops and discussions
for teenagers. She is also the founder of Clergy Summit
of Leadership on HIV/AIDS, which was hosted by a
theological seminary that served as a meeting place for
clergy to discuss how to stem the tide of new infections
and to give care to members of congregations who mostly
go underserved.
Although she credits pastors such as Patrick Shaffer,
City of Faith Chicago in Hyde Park; Darrell L. Jackson,
Liberty Baptist Church in Chicago; and Charles Jenkins,
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church for their efforts
in educating the community about HIV/AIDS, she said more
leaders of the faith community need to lend their voices
and influence to the cause.
“More churches are speaking out but not enough and not
often enough,” Oglesby said. “ There are nationally
known faith leaders that need to speak out and lend
their TV, radio and other resources to reach out.”
Since she began at GBF, Oglesby said she has hit the
ground running. She and her three-member team have a
mobile HIV/AIDS testing center that circles the
neighborhood at night. She is also contacting churches,
community organizations and schools to create
partnerships. She launched her community outreach effort
with a prayer breakfast on March 1 at Progressive
Community Church where Mildred Williamson, HIV/AIDS
section chief of the IDPH, was in attendance.
At the breakfast Williamson congratulated GBF on
accepting the, “challenge of addressing HIV/AIDS within
the Bronzeville Community.”
“As someone who grew up in Bronzeville, I know the
problems are complex and that strong coalitions and
partnerships are necessary to solve them,” Williamson
said to the group of about 40 pastors and other visitors
in attendance. “Addressing HIV/AIDS in African American
communities remains urgent. Faith-based community
leaders are a viable force for making a strong impact to
bring about change.”
The breakfast was also held to bring awareness to the
National Week of Prayer for the Healing of Aids, which
is a call to prayer for the eradication of HIV/AIDS that
take place March 7 to 13 and is led by Richmond,
Va.-based organization The Balm In Gilead, an education,
advocacy and service group.
Oglesby is encouraging church leaders to participate in
the week of prayer by hosting events, discussions or
workshops on HIV/AIDS education. She is also talking to
church leaders about hosting health fairs that would
include HIV/AIDS testing stations in April for Minority
Health Month.
d.phillips@hpherald.com |
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Shoreline revetment repair coming
by Sam Cholke
The Chicago Park District will begin replacing
the revetment along the shoreline from 43rd to 45th
streets beginning this fall.
Joseph Bornstein, project manager for the Chicago Park
District on the project, said at a March 4 meeting of
the North Kenwood-Oakland Community Conservation Council
that the new revetment will be a considerable
improvement over concrete revetments done elsewhere
along the shoreline.
“Maybe it doesn’t look 100 percent like stone, but I
think it looks a lot better,” Bornstein said.
The new revetment will be made of a textured concrete
that is meant to mimic the look of the old limestone
revetment and has passed muster with the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency, according to Bornstein.
“What we’re looking to do is something maybe a little
more modern,” he said of the 1,600 feet of new
revetment.
The shoreline improvements just south of the new 43rd
street beach will also include a fish habitat made of
recycled materials that will extend 130 feet out from
the shore. Bornstein said it is meant to appeal to the
native fish species prized by fishermen.
The bike path will also be expanded, adding a new route
that follows closer to the shoreline. About 30 new trees
will also be planted, according to Bornstein.
The project is expected to be completed by 2012.
A new concession and restroom facility at the nearby
43rd Street beach will be completed by Memorial Day, May
31.
Also at the meeting, Tanara Green of the Chicago
Department of Transportation said construction of the
first of three new pedestrian bridges over Lake Shore
Drive would begin this fall.
Construction of the 35th Street bridge will begin in
fall and be complete in fall 2011, according to Green.
Funding is still being sought for pedestrian bridges at
41st and 43rd streets.
s.cholke@hpherald.com |
Mercy doc starts teen health event
by Daschell M. Phillips
Karen Scott, obstetrician and gynecologist at Mercy
Hospital, will launch her first teen health retreat in
Chicago this summer. The program is aimed at helping
teen girls deal with issues that affect the decisions
they make in their daily lives.
Scott, who completed her residency at Mercy Hospital,
2600 S. Michigan Ave., three years ago and spent a short
time practicing in Joliet before returning to Chicago,
said she has been reaching out to female police
officers, choreographers, fitness trainers, school
administrators and other female groups to share her
ideas for the teen health retreat.
The retreat will consist of workshops, discussions and
field trips. The team she plans to form for the retreat,
which includes social workers, nutritionists,
obstetricians and gynecologists, will educate girls
about sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy
prevention. There will also be instruction on other ways
girls can preserve their well being such as emotional
health, how to negotiate, esteem building and mental
health, proper etiquette and how to dress and apply make
up appropriately.
Scott said her meetings with community groups have been
positive.
“Everyone here is all for it,” said Scott, who is also
looking for grants and corporate sponsors. “There is a
gap in the area that needs to be filled by this female
young adult program.”
Last Wednesday, Scott met with the 11th grade class at
Young Women’s Leadership Charter, or YWLC, High School,
2641 South Calumet Ave., to discuss the concept of
values, assessing friendship relationships and goal
setting and to inform girls about acquaintance and date
rape and ways to prevent it.
She is currently in talks with the school’s director of
development about the possibility of creating a
healthcare curriculum.
“Dr. Scott is a great role model for our school,” said
Martha Elder-Khanna, director of development for YWLC.
“She is young, African American, smart, successful,
energetic and wants to give back to the community.”
d.phillips@hpherald.com
According to the Illinois Department of Public
Health:
* Nearly half of U.S. high school students have had
sexual intercourse; the average age of first intercourse
for boys and girls is 15.
* Although teenagers tend to have sexual relationships
with only one partner during any given time, their
number of sexual partners adds up
over time; almost 25 percent report having sex with four or more partners
by 12th grade.
* A 1991 national survey of adolescent males found
condom use to be highest at the beginning of a
relationship, declining once the partner is
perceived as “safe.”
* Only 35 percent of males and females ages 15 to 17 use
a condom during every act of sexual intercourse.
* One out of 50 high school students report having
injected an illegal drug; many students report using
alcohol or drugs when they have had
sex.
* Illinois ranks 18th out of all states for teen birth
rates; the Illinois birth rate of 60 per 1,000 teens is
significantly higher than the national rate of
56.8. |
Weekly Outlook - the week
starting March 10, 2010
ONGOING
Open
houses at Dawson Tech. The Dawson
Technical Institute is currently conducting informational
sessions about its Construction Technology Center and its
programs for bank tellers and cable TV installers. 3901 S.
State St. To register, call 773-451-2049
Mercy Hospital
and Medical Center offering free varicose vein screenings,
by appointment. About 25 million people in the United States
have varicose veins, including half of those over age 50.
Relief is available using up-to-date, minimally invasive
procedures that offer less pain and shorter recoveries than
traditional vein stripping surgery. The free screenings are
available through May at Mercy Hospital, 2525 S. Michigan
Ave., 12th .foor. Appointment is required. Space is limited;
call 312-567-6178 to schedule your appointment.
Wednesday, March
10
Masters series.
Black Earth Ensemble featuring Nicole Mitchell
(flutes/vocals). 9:30 p.m. / Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Rd.
/ 312-791-9050 / velvetlounge.net
Thursday, March
11
Chess. King
Branch Chess Players. Informal chess games in the library
for youth. 4-5:30 p.m. / King Branch Public Library, 3436 S.
King Dr. / for more information, contact Nate Parker
312-747-7543 / NParker@chipublib.org
Live jazz. Set I
- Larry Brown Group; Set II - Willerm Delisfort Project
(keyboards), with Milton Suggs, Sarah Marie Young, Saalik
Ziyad. 8:30 p.m. / Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Rd. /
312-791-9050 / velvetlounge.net
Friday, March 12
Live jazz. Jeff
Chan (woodwinds), Ed Wilkerson (woodwinds), Tatsu Aoki
(bass), and Avreeayl Ra (drums). 9:30 p.m. / Velvet Lounge,
67 E. Cermak Rd. / 312-791-9050 / velvetlounge.net
Saturday, March
13
Women’s History
Month. Great Women of History: Jacqueline Kennedy. It is
January 1964, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy has a dilemma.
Besieged by crowds of sightseers and tourists buses come to
gawk at the former First Lady and widow, she must decide how
to live a new life on her own. With experience as an actor,
historian and teacher, Leslie Goddard brings a unique
perspective to Jacqueline Kennedy’s life events. 3 p.m. /
King Branch Public Library, 3436 S. King Dr., / 312-747-7543
Ella’s
Daughters. Barbara Ransby, professor of history at the
University of Illinois Chicago, will discuss and celebrate
the legacy of activist and organizer, Ella Baker. Ms. Baker
is one of the featured profiles of the “Freedom’s Sisters”
exhibit and is the subject of Dr. Ransby’s book, “Ella Baker
and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic
Vision.” Cost $5. 3-5 p.m. / DuSable Museum of African
American History, 740 E. 56th Pl., / 773-947-0600 /
dusablemuseum.org
Tech
presentation. Rock It to a Whole New World: Your Future in
Animation and Apps” featuring guest speaker Ephren Taylor
who went from 12-year-old video game creator to
multimillionaire. There will also be an animation workshop
for students grade 3-12. Seats are limited must register.
Admission $7, under 5 years old free 1 p.m. / Illinois
Institute of Technology, 10 W. 31st St. / 773-324-7772
Live jazz.
International Contemporary Ensemble featuring special guest
Corey Dargel (vocals), with David Bowlin (violin), Kivie
Cahn-Lipman (cello), Eric Lamb (flute), Joshua Rubin
(clarinet/bass clarinet), Jacob Greenberg (piano), David T.
Little (percussion). 9:30 p.m. / Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak
Rd. / 312-791-9050 / velvetlounge.net
Sunday, March 14
Live jazz. AACM
Great Black Music Ensemble 7-9 p.m. Jazz jam hosted by
Isaiah Spencer (drums/percussion), with Kevin Nabors
(saxes/percussion), Norman Palm (trombone), Adrian Ruiz
(keyboards), Junius Paul (bass/percussion); 9:30 p.m. /
Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Rd. / 312-791-9050 /
velvetlounge.net
SankofaSpirit:
Movies with a Mission - “The Principal Story.” Free. 2-4
p.m. / DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E.
56th Pl., / 773-947-0600 / dusablemuseum.org
Monday, March 15
Neighborhood
Writing Alliance. The Journal of Ordinary Thought presents a
free writing workshop for adults. 4 p.m. / Hall Branch
Public Library, 4801 S. Michigan Ave. / 312-747-2541
Tuesday, March
16
Neighborhood
Writing Alliance. The Journal of Ordinary Thought presents a
free writing workshop for adults. 6 p.m. / King Branch
Public Library, 3436 S. King Dr., / 312-747-7543
Wednesday, March
17
Afterschool
Craft Time. 3:30-4 p.m. / King Branch Public Library, 3436
S. King Dr., / 312-747-7543 / 312-747-7519
Masters series.
James Sanders (violin), with Harrison Bankhead (bass/cello),
Avreeayl Ra (drums). 9:30 p.m. / Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak
Rd. / 312-791-9050 / velvetlounge.net
Toddler time.
45-minute lap-sit program designed for children ages 6
months to 3 years. Each emergent literacy program for
toddlers will feature books, movement, songs and finger
plays. Adults are encouraged to attend and participate
during Toddler time. Adults must remain in the library with
their children. Free. 11-11:45 a.m. / Hall Public Library
Branch, 4801 S. Michigan Ave. / call Jason Driver at
312-747-2541 for registration and availability
MEETINGS
Wednesday
CAPS Beats
214/221. 6:30-7:30 p.m. / St. Elizabeth Catholic Church,
4058 S. Michigan Ave., / 312-747-5109
Thursday
CAPS Beat
232/233. 6:30 p.m. / Coppin AME Church 5627 S. Michigan
Ave./ 312-747-5109
Pershing East
LSC. 5 p.m. / 3113 S. Rhodes Ave. / 773-534-9272
Jackie Robinson
LSC. 6 p.m. / 4225 S. Lake Park Ave., in the gym, / 535-1777
Saturday
RainbowPUSH
weekly forum. Rev. Jesse Jackson’s live broadcast is on
CAN-TV Ch. 36 and WGRB-AM radio 1390. 10 a.m. / RainbowPUSH
headquarters, 930 E. 50th St.
Monday
CAPS Beat 223.
6:30 p.m. / Hales Franciscan High School, 4930 S. Cottage
Grove Ave., / 312-747-5109
CAPS Beat 2113.
6:30 -7:30 p.m. / Trinity Church 125 E. 26th St., in the
community room / 312-747-2930
Tuesday
CAPS Beat 222.
6:30 p.m. / Martin L. King Center 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
/ 312-747-5109
CAPS Beat 2124
6:30-7:30 p.m. / Cottage View Terrace Apartments, 4829 S.
Cottage Grove Ave., in the community room / 312-747-2930
Dunbar LSC. 5
p.m. / 3000 S. King Dr. / 773-534-9000
Fuller LSC. 8
a.m. / 4214 S. St. Lawrence Ave. / 773-535-1687
Wednesday
Price LSC. 6 p.m. / 4351 S.
Drexel Blvd. /773-535-1300
The Weekly Outlook covers community
events occurring from Wednesday, the date of this issue,
through the following Wednesday. The deadline for event
information is noon, Thursday before Wednesday publication.
Address details of local events to: Calendar editor,
Lakefront Outlook, 1435 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago, IL
60615 |
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