My family has always stressed the importance of giving back to those that have been less fortunate and may be in need. When I moved to Chicago 18 months ago, I wanted to find a way to make an immediate impact in the community where I lived and worked. One of my family members had served on his local United Way board and encouraged me to reach out to the organization here. In doing so, I stumbled upon the Young Leaders Society, signed up for a volunteer event, and the rest is history.

I continue to stay involved because I know our impact on the community is real, and the knowledge that I’ve been a part of that difference is truly rewarding. I’ve met some incredible people along the way and continue to learn from their stories. I’m currently a member of the Volunteer Committee and hope to expand my reach in the future. I think the thing I enjoy most about YLS involvement is the opportunity to work with other young professionals that share my values and want to make a difference in the community. The energy and enthusiasm for each YLS cause is infectious.

One of the most interesting experiences I have had with the United Way was the Give 5 Flash Mob event. The event was designed as a “public theater” event to help raise awareness about families in crisis in Chicago and draw attention to the United Way’s Give 5 campaign. Dozens of United Way volunteers simultaneously dropped their coats to reveal LIVE UNITED t-shirts and froze into living statues scattered throughout Daley Plaza. Flash Mob members struck a pose they found relevant to the cause and some grabbed signage with facts about families in crisis. It was one of my first experiences with the United Way and one that opened my eyes to the power of taking action.

A more recent YLS event that I enjoyed was when the Volunteer Committee partnered with the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to host a Fresh Produce Day for families in the West Humboldt Park area. We worked closely with the Kelly Hall YMCA staff and a number of other volunteer groups to package and distribute fresh produce to local families who wouldn’t otherwise have access to these types of foods. The opportunity to interact with those community directly impacted by our efforts was incredibly rewarding. The knowledge that I was able to help those families was truly empowering for me.

I LIVE UNITED by challenging others to find a cause for which they’re passionate and encouraging them to be a part of the change.

Jason Mueller
JP Morgan Chase
& YLS Volunteer Committee Member

By: Liz deAvila

On Thursday, Feb., 18, 11 Young Leaders Society (YLS) members took time out of their busy schedules to help high school students at the Bronzeville Chicago Youth Center prepare for the college scholarship application process. YLS members were joined by the Chicago Youth Center (CYC) College and Career Readiness staff. The mission of the Chicago Youth Center is to “invest in youth in underserved communities in Chicago to help them discover and realize their full potential.” By mentoring these young students, YLS members were able to help them maximize their chances of receiving a scholarship and a higher education.

The evening began by breaking into small groups with the students to review a sample scholarship application. YLS members shared insights with the students on their own college preparation and application process, and worked with the youth on developing ideas for their personal statements.

The groups also participated in brainstorming activities and discussed essay formatting. After assisting with the scholarship application, YLS members held one-on-one mock college scholarship interviews with each student. CYC staff videotaped some of the interviews to use in future college and career readiness counseling.

Toward the end of the event YLS members shared their observations from the mock interviews and encouraged the students to keep reaching for their goals.

“I have a loss of words with describing my feelings towards the mentoring event,” said Maceo Thompson, YLS member. “Twenty years ago, I was sitting at the other side of the table. My role at that time was to listen and absorb the wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experience from those who wanted to expose me to something more than my immediate surroundings. And, thanks to them, I learned that the city wasn’t limited to my community.”

The event at CYC was a wonderful opportunity for YLS members to spend quality time with students preparing for college, and it provided the students with an opportunity to ask our YLS members about their college experiences and career paths. To learn more about the event, check out a blog by Jasmine Shaw, YLS Communications Committee Vice Chair.

YLS will host the Community Rock Star Celebration on March 16th, 2010 at the House of Blues Chicago. This event is the culmination of community members submitting nominations for and descriptions of actions/individuals who other’s feel truely exemplify the “Live United” mantra. Nominees will be recognized throughout the event as Community Rock Stars.

When I first heard about the nomination process and upcoming event, I was compelled to ask the question, “What is a Community Rock Star?” The conclusion that I reached was simply that to me a Community Rock Star is someone who demonstrates through their consistent and persistent actions that volunteerism and philanthropy are at the forefront of their list of priorities rather than an afterthought or an “if I have time” or an “if I need a resume booster” affair. A Community Rock Star enthusiastically engages with communities in need – regardless of their personal differences or the varying degrees between their stages in life. Furthermore, a Community Rock Star vehemently and shamelessly recruits anyone who will listen to get on board – if not for their particular cause than for another where the need is also great. Individuals meeting these criteria are who I expect to see recognized on March 16th.

Given that a Community Rock Star may be something different for all of us, I am making this post one for YOU to take the reigns and share your definition and/or expectations of a Community Rock Star. Please post your definition as a comment to this post.

I received an email recently in lieu of a comment post to my recent blog on the YLS volunteer mentoring activity at an inner city youth center. Although there was overwhelming support for the center and the activity itself, this email cited the following:

“…what troubled me…was [the] lack of fundamental education or preparedness. I felt as though we were playing catch up on years of missed education. It is truly a shame how the public school system failed my guys.”

I think that we all like to be positive when faced with the reality that success stories out of hardship are more the exception than the rule. We don’t want to discourage students from continuously striving for the best that they can attain by emphasizing lack: lack of funding, lack of resources (text books, computers, basic building maintenance, and access to teachers and advisors who aren’t bogged-down by schools at/above maximum capacity, etc.), lack of exposure to aspects of different cultures and environments outside of their own – so we (myself included) post/highlight the niceties: “Wow, that event was really well coordinated”, “The youth really got into the activity”, etcetera and so forth. I am guilty of observing and noting the same concern as the commenter. I admit now that I initially chose to air on the side of positives alone. Thank you goes to a recent commenter who stated “Silence is the epidemic and our voices are the antidote” as well as to the anonymous commenter for helping to keep me honest with myself and with you.

There is certainly value in noting the positives, but my question is to whom do we raise the issue that lack in so many critical areas feed into the lack of what our society has deemed the baseline fundamentals of education that would position students in currently underserved communities for a real shot at being awarded more academic scholarships than hardship scholarships and an equally if not more important shot at actually being accepted into a university?

There is no sugarcoating it: It is extremely difficult to honestly tell a Senior in high school who has difficulty spelling even very basic words or forming a complete, coherent sentence and does not understand the requisite education to achieve their professional goals that they are at the expected level of education or maturity to be successful in a college/university setting. There is a point at which it takes more than hard work to catch-up, and as many parents can attest, the competition for greatness starts in pre-pre-kindergarten…not grade 12. That being said…what next? There doesn’t seem to be lack of talking about this issue in the political sphere. It’s a part of every campaign on all sides of the isle, but the action and any resulting progress or benefits have yet to be seen.

I open the floor to you for discussion, and am happy to contribute some thoughts of my own. I am not proposing that we simply throw up our hands for students further down their academic path. I do, however, feel very strongly that we as young leaders should be driving forward with a mission to develop future young leaders. I challenge all of us to make a commitment to become a lifelong mentor by volunteering with programs through organizations like Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, inner city youth centers with a range of ages starting at the pre-k and kindergarten levels. We can all be a positive influence, but I firmly believe that it takes more than a one-time drop in late in a student’s academic career, what I deem the “too little, too late approach”, to overcome the aforementioned challenges.

Please post your thoughts and suggestions as comments to this post. I look forward to reading from you and continuing this dialogue.

On Thursday, 2/18/2010, Chicago Youth Center welcomed 11 YLS members to their facility at 3947 S. Michigan Ave. for what turned out to be an exceptional volunteer event.

First, the site coordinators indulged us in a tour of the center, which boasts a host of activity hubs (e.g. swimming pool, basketball court, library, teen lounge, computer lab, cafeteria, etc.) all situated off of a narrow maze of hallways in a building more than 100 years old that, from the street, looks too small to contain more than a convenient store selection of magazine racks and snacks.

The Director of the facility took time to educate volunteers on the breadth of services and activities they provide at CYC. She then instilled the fear of (insert religious deity here) in us – or at least in me – by elaborating on our role for the evening.

We were going to be broken up with groups of teenagers and would have to walk them through the CYC scholarship application – complete with providing guidance on essay responses and the do’s and don’ts of completing this and similar applications. That wasn’t all… We would also have to engage participants in mock interviews and provide feedback on their strengths and weaknesses at the conclusion.

Though a daunting task within a 2 hour window, it was one of the most incredible volunteer experiences of my life.

My group consisted of 7 girls ranging from grades 8 to 12. They also ranged vastly in their exposure to a process such as this as well in their writing skills and experiences from which they could draw for essay responses.

…and so it began…Initially, some group members could not have been less interested in the task at hand while others were fully engaged in every word that I uttered. I pushed on, nudging and encouraging along the way, highlighting the importance of “getting it right”, “taking it seriously” and differentiating themselves because in the real world, that application is the first step towards funding for their continued education, but could also be the last step if it lands them in the “No” pile. I drew from my own experiences, and little-by-little got everyone on board.

As fearful as I initially was about their receptiveness of my constructive criticisms and “red pen” approach, it seemed that the more I guided them, corrected them, and praised what they did well, the more they craved. Those who wouldn’t be bothered with putting pen to paper at the outset soon had page-long responses and were anxious to get my input on their latest edits.

The most rewarding parts…

My group was so immersed in their work that when 2 new teens entered the room and 1 was being distracting, everyone discouraged it stating that they were trying to focus. The young man apologized and kept to himself from then forward. At that point, I knew I had them hooked.

When it was time to pack-up for the evening, the group verbalized their disappointment that we couldn’t continue. One young woman asked if it would be okay to take my email address and connect with me for guidance as she continued to prepare her application(s). From there, the ripple effect resulted in me offering to return to CYC to meet with the group and continue to work with them through the application and interview process – an offer that was gladly accepted by the CYC coordinator. I plan to return next week. I can’t say enough about how rewarding it was to see a slight transformation even in only 2 hours with the group, and I’m anxious to see what can be achieved over more time.

A mentor changed my path in life when I was a teen by putting in extra time with me after she had already put in a full day’s work. I would not be who I am now if not for her. This experience, even as a small dose of what she did for me, has taught me that my growth as a result of her guidance probably means as much to her as it does to me, and for a debt that I thought I could never repay, it now feels like I can.

I encourage other participants to share their experiences by posting comments here. Likewise, if you’ve had a mentoring/volunteer experience that you would like to share, please post your comments

A little about me explains why I LIVE UNITED. After ten years of military service, I followed my passion and sought employment in a nonprofit setting where I could make a positive impact on youth within my community. This led to a position working at a local United Way funded community center in Rockford, which provided educational and recreational programming for seniors and youth. This position was great because it afforded me an opportunity to see firsthand how United Way makes a difference, and instilled in me the desire to become a more committed member within my community. As a result, I become a mentor to a teenager whose mother was incarcerated, and saw his growth and understanding of making positive choices in his life.

After moving to Chicago, I knew it was my obligation to continue helping those in need. This desire led to my current employer, where our mission is providing a safe space, for youth to express themselves through the visual arts, and where we empower them to become positive leaders in their community. Seeing the impact we had, I realized I should be doing more. As a result, I jumped on United Way’s website and just happened to come across YLS. In that moment, I sent an email requesting information, and before the end of the week, I was a member of the Issue Awareness Committee, and I haven’t looked back since. During the past year, I have been part of a great team, helping bring programming on important social issues affecting YLS members and other residents of Chicago.

Being a member of YLS gives me the opportunity to LIVE UNITED through a range of volunteer activities. Since joining, my most memorable experience would be Healthy Kids Day at the Rauner YMCA. After participating on a tour of the facility, YLS members spent the day volunteering at different stations. It was a great time – engaging the children in relay races, distributing healthy snacks to families and assisting them in identifying healthy food options. Experiences like these and being able to see how I make a difference is what keeps me involved in YLS.

It’s great being part of such a dynamic group of individuals, committed to doing more than just watching from the sidelines!

Michael J. Harris
Little Black Pearl & YLS Issue Awareness Vice Chair

By: Brian Johns

In support of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Fresh Produce Day, over 20 YLS members braved the cold temperatures on Saturday, February 6 outside the Kelly Hall YMCA to help distribute food and clothing to approximately 250 families in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood. Fresh Produce Day, which partners with The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Mobile Food Pantry, is hosted at three YMCA locations throughout Chicago each month to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables, and sometimes clothing, to local families in need.

The morning began with volunteers sorting and organizing food from the Mobile Food Pantry truck. Volunteers also helped sort and organize a large amount of winter clothing, which was donated by patrons of Mission of Our Lady of the Angels and YLS members.

After the items were organized, volunteers assisted the recipient families as they made their way through the makeshift assembly line to gather their food and clothing.”The best part about volunteering for The Fresh Produce Day was the opportunity to meet the families and hear how grateful they were for the help I was providing,” Tim Petersen, Analyst Northern Trust and YLS Volunteer Committee member.

Kelly Hall YMCA opened in January of 2009 in the recreation center formerly used by Our Lady of Angels Catholic School with the goal of providing key services to the severely underserved community of West Humboldt Park.The Mobile Food Pantry is one of those key services and is the result of a successful partnership between Kelly Hall YMCA and the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels.

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By: Mattie Wilson

On January 23, YLS members came out to the K.L.E.O Community Family Life Center in Washington Park to learn about an issue affecting the health and wellness of residents in many Chicago neighborhoods. The highlighted issue was Food Deserts, or rather how lack of access to healthy food- geographically and financially- affects the health of many Chicago residents. Over 30 YLS members heard from a panel of experts and then broke out into smaller, issue centered discussion groups.

The panel consisted of James M. Galloway, Regional Health Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; Dr. Hsin-Yi Chang, bariatric surgeon at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital; Willie B. Cochran, Alderman of the 20th Ward; Emile Pendarvis, Director of Corporate and External Affairs for Centers for New Horizons, Inc.; and Pastor Torrey Barrett, Founder and Executive Director of the K.L.E.O. Center.

If you haven’t heard the topic of Food Deserts, or thought it was supposed to read ‘desserts’, you’re not alone. The topic of Food Deserts recently came into the public eye in July 2009 through a study by research and consultant group Mari Gallagher. The Chicago and Detroit based study pointed out geographic areas with less access to healthy food options and more access to junk food- basically an imbalance of choices. Areas with easier access to unhealthy food- many west and south side community areas in Chicago- were classified as Food Deserts.

“In our country, you need to pay a premium to eat healthy and stay healthy,” said YLS Member Leah Marshall. “This means that families who are most vulnerable and who could most stand to benefit the most from walkable neighborhoods, backyard gardens, and access to healthy food, are often the least likely to have them.”

Unless you live in a Food Desert, you may not fully understand the challenges some face when it comes to buying healthy food. If you can easily walk to a full service grocery store and have multiple options you most likely do not live in a Food Desert. Many YLS members live in areas full of healthy choices, so we explored the issue further through small breakout groups. The breakout groups focused on food costs, transportation issues, educating the public, health concerns and innovations to create change. It was inspiring to see the thought provoking questions and discussions that ensued.

“It was so energizing, therefore, to come together with like-minded community members and hear the ways in which individuals and organizations are turning challenges into opportunities,” said Marshall. “For example, the Center for New Horizons, under the leadership of Emile Pendarvis, has helped bring a “pizza garden” to Bronzeville elementary schools. Rather than getting their pizzas from the frozen food aisle, students are planting veggies and tomatoes and learning how to make pizzas with their own two hands – one small step in the direction of a healthier world.”

The YLS Issue Awareness Committee hopes you’ll join us at our future events, highlighting another area that affects health and wellness in Chicago. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed to such a successful event!

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As a backdrop leading to my involvement with United Way, I have always been philanthropic, and in choosing an employer, it was important to me to work for and with people who shared that value. My interest specifically in the United Way grew out of my employer’s focus on community involvement and our relationship with United Way in a number of our markets.

I started my involvement with United Way upon starting my career in Kansas City, and enjoyed each opportunity I had to make professional and personal connections that I would not have otherwise made while also making a difference. When I relocated to Chicago, I immediately sought to continue building those positive memories and contributing to the community in which I live and work through involvement with United Way and the Young Leaders Society of Metropolitan Chicago.

Now nearly 3 years out from my introduction to United Way, I continue to stay involved because of a genuine desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I also find that engaging in the non-profit Human Services industry allows me to develop my skillset in areas where I do not currently get hands-on professional experience, so it’s ultimately a win-win for me and the organizations and people I serve. In addition to spearheading a number of community service initiatives in my office, I LIVE UNITED by donating to United Way. I donate through modest withdrawals deducted from my paycheck each pay period and also give my time by serving as the Vice Chair of the YLS Communications Committee, serving as a YLS Executive Committee Member, serving on the sub-committee that planned and executed the 2009 YLS Holiday Party and volunteering at events hosted by UW/YLS.

My favorite United Way of Metropolitan Chicago experience thus far has been participating in the St. Leonards volunteer event. Although I enjoy the social and educational activities, this event allowed me to contribute and directly interact with the other UW contributors and the people who our efforts were going to positively impact. It was an eye-opening day during which barriers that we are all inclined to maintain were broken down as I prepared and enjoyed lunch alongside other young professionals and men who had been released from prison and who were in transition working towards improving their lives with the support of St. Leonards, which offers programs that United Way supports. This experience illustrates what I value most about UW/YLS: It offers a single source” option for philanthropic and social engagement. With the plethora of options in the marketplace to satisfy my need to develop my personal and professional networks and to give back to my community, it is incredibly satisfying to center a great deal of my activities around my UW/YLS activities.

With UW/YLS, I always know that the interests of the programs that they support as well as my interests as a donor and young leader are at the forefront of consideration when service initiatives and other events are coordinated. I appreciate not having to second guess the intent and the beneficiaries.Looking ahead to my continued community involvement, I will continue to LIVE UNITED not only by continuing to donate my time and money to improve the lives of others, but really by encouraging others to do the same and sharing the great message of UW /YLS and the many fulfilling experiences I have had through my involvement.

Jasmine Shaw
MarketSphere Consulting, LLC
& YLS Communications Vice Chair