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Vol. 34 No. 16
Gov. pledges more COVID-19 testing on West Side,
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April 15, 2020
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
@AustinWeeklyChi
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@AustinWeeklyNews
Greater St. John h mourns Adrew Betts, PAGE 5
Workers blast area bakeries as unsafe
Employees at Hostess and Bimbo bakeries say they’re afraid of contracting COVID-19 due to unsanitary conditions By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Workers at two suburban food production plants — the Hostess Bakery at 2035 N. Narragansett Ave. in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood and the Bimbo Bakeries USA plant at 1540 S. 54th Ave. in Cicero — say they are in fear of contracting COVID-19, because their employers will not implement appropriate safety measures. Employees who work at both plants shared letters drafted by management confirming that the Hostess and Bimbo plants each have at least one confirmed positive case of COVID-19. Workers at both plants, however, said that they believe there are more cases that the companies are not publicizing. “It’s a lot of problems at that plant,” a Hostess employee, who insisted on anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said of the bakery. “They’re not keeping the bathrooms or the break rooms clean, we’re not social distancing, people are allowed to walk around with no uniform. We don’t have enough gloves and masks.” The worker said that managers have told employees that they have ordered masks, but they are currently on back order. A Hostess representative could not be reached for comment. The worker said that they took two weeks’ vacation because of the conditions at the Hostess plant and fear returning to work. The worker also explained that Hostess employees have been told that if they don’t return to work, they will not receive unemployment benefits, and that workers who are still on the job get $100 Walmart See BAKERIES on page 6
Madison Hopkins/Better Government Association
Karen Williams, 57, rides a CTA bus next to a sign instructing riders to “Please Practice Social Distancing.” Williams takes two buses from her home in the Englewood neighborhood each day to care for two elderly clients, work the state has deemed essential during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Aides caring for seniors still working despite lack of PPE
As many as 22 home care clients who are part of an Illinois program have tested positive for COVID-19 By ALEJANDRO CANCINO Better Government Association
As the nation scrambles to keep its doctors and nurses supplied with safety
gear during the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak, an army of low-wage Illinois home care workers on the front lines remain largely on their own. Workers such as 57-year-old Karen Williams, whose resourceful son tracked down a few masks for her to wear each day as she takes two buses from Englewood to Bronzeville to care for elderly clients for whom she prepares meals, dispenses medication and helps with bathing. “What I’ve been doing is reusing them. Maybe every two or three days I
change them,” said Williams, who never considered staying home. “I am always there when she is sick,” she told the Better Government Association while she was visiting one client. “When she gets sick, I get sick, and vice versa… Because the client comes first, I am going to try to come as long as I can.” Williams is among more than 40,000 workers in Illinois’ Community Care Program, which allows more than 100,000 seniors to stay out of nursing facilities See HOME-CARE AIDES on page 11
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
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West Side feeling pressure of COVID-19 racial divide
Loretto leaders, elected officials asking city and state for testing, masks, and supplies to relieve deep health disparities faced by black residents By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
West Side elected officials are calling for more resources from the city and the state to address the jarring disparities in health outcomes experienced by Black people in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. A recent analysis by WBEZ found that black Chicagoans make up 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths despite representing under 30 percent of the city’s population. Health inequalities experienced by Black residents and West Siders are a longstanding issue illustrated by the 16-year “death gap” in life expectancy between the Black, lowerincome community of West Garfield Park versus upscale Streeterville. Though it is clear Black communities struggling with health disparities are most at-risk, as of April 13, there were no testing sites for people to be screened for COVID-19 on the West Side, according to hospitals and elected officials. West Side residents exposed to coronavirus who do not yet need to be hospitalized are being directed to testing locations Downtown. At an April 7 press conference at Loretto Hospital in Austin, State Rep. La Shawn Ford (8th), who represents the West Side, said that while the governor has is rallying supplies from the federal government including nearly 10 million masks, “none of that has come to the West Side of Chicago.” Ford said as state government prepares to dedicate funding and resources to fight the economic and public health crises brought on by COVID-19, hospitals serving Black, low-income communities need to be the top
priority since those communities are the most vulnerable to infection and loss of life. According to Dr. Matthew Davis, Senior Vice President and Chief of Community Health Transformation at Lurie Children’s Hospital, West Side communities face a barrage of social circumstances that cause higher rates of underlying health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that cause the mortality of COVID-19 spike. That makes the lack of access to screening on the West Side a major issue, Davis said. “What we need to get to quickly in Chicago is broad testing of population groups at the highest risk in order to help them get the health care they need as early in the illness as possible and also to help them protect others,” Davis said. Much of the West Side is a food desert where people lack access to nourishing foods, and combined with the poor walkability and fewer opportunities for exercise, residents disproportionately suffer from cardiovascular disease. On top of that, high unemployment rates and lower income levels mean that folks in the area have less access to clinical care and medical advice. “COVID-19 is a magnifying glass that is worsening the disparities that were already there,” Davis said. Even complying with the statewide shelter-in-place order is a privilege difficult to afford for many on the West Side, he said. “All the ways we are advised to take care of ourselves, especially social distancing, is much harder for populations that are living with fewer resources,” Davis said. “There’s more individuals within each housing unit. There’s less opportunity to social distance at home and at the workplace.” Black folks on the West Side also make up a bulk of the front-line essential workers that don’t have the luxury of working from home and can’t afford to take time off, said Rodney Brown, executive director of the New Covenant Community Development Corporation and a member of the executive committee of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council. “It’s mostly Black folks who are on the
Provided
PLEADING FOR HELP: Elected officials, including state Rep. Camille Lilly, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford and Danny K. Davis with Loretto Hospital officials at a press conference last week. front line, putting themselves at risk to go to work and provide services to keep the economy going,” Brown said. According to Brown, the community council did a survey to figure out what types of resources people in Lawndale are asking for to get through the crisis. The survey showed a desperate need for basic supplies like food, diapers, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and masks. But in the wake of hoarding and shortages at the few stores in the neighborhood, people have had to travel across town to get these basic necessities, further exposing them to risk since many rely on public transit. Sinai Community Institute President Debra Wesley said the longstanding scarcity of basic assets, like stores or restaurants that deliver, makes distancing and getting supplies tough. “A lot of the hoarding that’s taking place, it makes it difficult for a community that couldn’t get those things anyhow,” she said. Ford said since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned residents to wear masks when they leave the home, the government and nonprofits should be distributing masks since most people can’t get their hands on them without help. “The CDC is telling us that the worst is yet to come, but the supplies are not coming into the West Side of Chicago like they
should,” Ford said. Administrators at Loretto Hospital called on the government to supply more personal protective equipment for treating COVID-19 as the number of cases swells among the vulnerable West Side population served by the hospital. Hospital President George Miller said safety-net hospitals like Loretto, which receives 90 percent of its reimbursements through Medicare and Medicaid, cannot continue to provide quality care without funding and supplies from the government. And since there are no sites for residents on the West Side to get screened, he would like for Loretto to get enough resources from the government to be able to offer critical testing services to fill the gap. “We would love to be a testing site for the West Side to get tested for the entire community. We just don’t have those resources at this time,” he said. “We have enough for today. But we need to be prepared for the future and we need to get more resources, more PPE and testing,” Miller said. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. Read more news at blockclubchicago.org. CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org.
“The” Friendship BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Dr. Reginald E. Bachus, Pastor
5200 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60644 773-378-6600
fbcchicago.org • facebook.com/friendshipbcchicago SUNDAY SCHEDULE 8:30AM 1st Sunday Communion 8:30AM Morning Worship Service 9:30AM Sunday Church School 11:00AM Mid-Morning Worship Service MIDWEEK SERVICES (Wednesday) 12:00PM Noon Bible Study 6:00PM Bible Study 7:00PM Prayer Meeting
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
More COVID-19 testing coming to West Side
Lawndale Christian Health Center among new testing sites By SUZANNE McBRIDE AustinTalks
COMMUNITY
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced last Friday a plan to expand testing on Chicago’s West and South sides as the deadly coronavirus continues to hit African Americans communities the hardest. Four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Chicago – including PCC Community Wellness Center, which operates two sites in Austin – will expand testing on the West and South sides over the next several days to an additional 400 tests per day. Through a partnership with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, swabs collected at the four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) will be sent to the downtown Chicago hospital for testing. The Lawndale Christian Health Center also is among the FQHCs that will be participating. FQHCs are community-based health centers that serve those who are low-
income, uninsured or underinsured. “Generations of systemic disadvantages in health care delivery and health care access in communities of color, and black communities in particular, are now amplified in this crisis all across the state and across the nation,” Pritzker said. “We are making sure that our plans reflect equity in access, testing and treatment, and we are asking the same of health care providers across the state. It’s in moments of crisis that we owe each other even greater expressions of humanity.” Earlier this week, WBEZ reported the far higher rate of death among African Americans in Chicago. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has ordered health care providers to collect total demographic information from patients to help more accurately determine just how wide the racial disparity gap is, the Chicago Tribune reported. State Rep La Shawn Ford, who’s been pushing for more testing on the West Side, applauded the governor’s actions. “The Austin community must have access to coronavirus testing, and, more importantly, that people take the test and find out their status,” he said. “Four hundred tests a day in Austin is just a starting point, and we will continue to fight for more if the demand grows. COVID-19 has been a death sentence for black people, so
let’s test to know and do our part to stop the spread of this virus.” State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford also praised the increased testing targeting African Americans. “It is no secret that government has failed to make the proper investments in our communities,” Lightford said in a statement. “We are now seeing the harsh consequences of centuries of systematic and institutional racism.” Among the many reasons African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic is they are often employed in positions that are deemed File essential during this time, WEST SIDE SITE COMING: Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced last Lightford noted. week a plan to expand COVID-19 testing to the West Side. “I send blessings and well wishes to our first responders actions make the difference between life and and essential workers. We cannot thank death,” she added. “This is real, and it is them enough for their work,” said Lightford, only a matter of time before you or someone who represents Austin in the Illinois Senate you love is infected. If you are not a first and is chair of the Illinois Legislative Black responder or an essential worker, please Caucus. stay home.” “I also insist to those out there who have not been taking this seriously, that your CONTACT: austintalks.org@gmail.com
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
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West Side mourns Adrew Betts
Betts, who died of COVID-19, was chairman of Greater St. John’s deacon board By MATEUSZ JANIK AustinTalks
Longtime Austin resident and beloved member of Greater St. John Bible Church Adrew Betts has died from complications of COVID-19. He was 71. “He was a loving, caring father and just this great person who served his family, his community and his church,” said his daughter, Renee Ruffin. “He cared about a lot of people.” Betts, chairman of Greater St. John Bible Church’s deacon board, died early Sunday morning, April 5 – on Palm Sunday. He was first admitted to Loyola University Medical Center on Thursday, March 26 after being diagnosed with the coronavirus and pneumonia. Betts was discharged four days later, on Monday, March 30, but was readmitted on April 2 as his symptoms worsened. Ruffin said her family was given the option of having two people visit Betts before he died, but after they prayed and talked it
through, they decided not to take the risk of exposing more people to the virus. Instead, health-care workers put a phone up to Betts’ ear so he could hear family members talk to him one last time. “It was a hard decision to make, but it was the best option for our protection and our family’s protection,” Ruffin said. Betts will be r e m e m b e r e d for his constant determination, dapper looks and love of barbecue. He even named his Myron Mixon grill “Big Red.” “He enjoyed barbecue, and that was his passion,” said Valeria Massey, Betts’ caregiver and a certified nursing assistant. “We would have family outings outside, and everybody would come over. He even taught me how to cook quite a few things.”
Massey said she first met Betts over 35 years ago when her sister worked at his West Side restaurant, Betts Barbecue. Massey started working for him seven years ago when both his now deceased mother and late wife needed a caregiver. Betts was a Vietnam veteran who was drafted into the Army and a former UPS driver, who retired in 2001 after 31 years and no accidents, Massey said. Betts was known to be a competitive individual and would always tell people that if one person can achieve success, it proves that anybody can make it. “He just enjoyed life to the fullest,” she said. “He was family for me, not just a client or a patient. So I thank God that I had the opportunity to meet and help someone like Mr. Adrew Betts.”
ADREW BETTS
Rev. Ira Acree said Betts was long involved with Greater St. John, serving on the board of deacons for more than 25 years and encouraged Acree’s activism. “He believed that a pastor should do more than just talking about heaven,” Acree said. “He believed that the pastor should be an advocate, not only for his church but also for the community.” On April 5, the day Betts died, WBEZ reported that 61 of the 86 recorded coronavirus-related deaths in Chicago (or 71 percent of COVID-19 fatalities) were black residents, although African Americans make up just 30 percent of the city’s population. Acree said communities like Austin need more resources and health professionals to test and treat individuals at high risk for coronavirus. “First of all, we don’t need any more speeches about inequities and disparities. We know that already. We need this administration to do something,” Acree said. “They need to transform some of these churches. They’ve already closed, so make use of them.” Betts, who was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Dorothy Betts, is survived by three children, Renee, Kenneth and Jeremy; six grandchildren; and many friends. CONTACT: austintalks.org@gmail.com
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
County commissioner joins push for COVID-19 reforms
Brandon Johnson says moratorium on evictions, 20 days paid emergency leave, other reforms comprise necessary pandemic response By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities increase in Illinois, the state’s entrenched racial divide has been brought into stark relief. In Illinois, Africans-Americans are roughly 14 percent of the population, but they comprise around 28 percent confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and account for around 43 percent of confirmed COVID-19related deaths, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. First District Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, whose district includes Austin and many parts of the West Side, recently joined a group of activists and elected officials who are pressuring local and state officials to support measures that they say are less radical now that the country faces a pandemic and a recession. “It’s very clear that this pandemic has exposed what is wrong with our society,” Johnson said. “Many of the families that are suffering in this pandemic have been living in crisis mode for generations.” Johnson said that the package of reforms, collectively called Right to Recovery legislation, is a series of progressive proposals that have been on the table at various levels of governments for years, but that have not gotten much traction. The pandemic, however, has illustrated their importance. The proposals, according to a memo released by the Right to Recovery coalition in March, include 20 days of paid emergency leave for all workers who need it; a “moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, rent and mortgage collections, housing for homeless and lease extensions for tenants, if needed”; and weekly payments of $750 “to all families with school children
PAUL GOYETTE
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson says moratorium on evictions, 20 days paid emergency leave, other reforms comprise necessary pandemic response. and all workers facing furloughs, layoff and reduction in hours”; among other measures. The proposals also include the release of inmates in Cook County Jail who are locked up on money bonds and the immediate release of individuals who are 50 and older, or who are a high-risk for contracting COVID-19. “It’s interesting that there’s such a harsh critique over finding necessary resources to invest in communities that have been dis-invested in for generations and decades,” Johnson said. “What we see is the idea of government being socially responsible is not as farfetched an idea as people want to make it out to be. “The last depression in this country, outside of 2008, that people can refer to — the Great Depression — had 30 percent unemployment among white men. Our country called that a national crisis. Nobody pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. The government invested in them.” Read a full list of Right to Recovery legislation and watch the coalition’s press conference at: actionnetwork. org/campaigns/right-to-recovery. CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
BAKERIES
Safety lacking from page 1 gift cards each month — the company’s version of hazard pay. Dennean Paul, a sanitation worker at Bimbo, said that the company had promised an additional $2 an hour as hazard pay, but “something went wrong and they didn’t give it to us.” In an email statement, a Bimbo spokesperson said that the company is following all Centers for Disease Control guidelines and “have implemented additional measures to ensure associate safety” at the Cicero plant, including “increasing social distancing practices like staggering breaks, creating one-chair tables in the break rooms and marking the floor in areas where associates often congregate, like time clocks, to remind them to keep a 6-foot distance.” Bimbo said that it is also requiring “all associates in our Cicero bakery to wear face masks which have been provided by the Company” and is increasing the “frequency of our sanitation processes and provided additional tools to our sanitation teams.” Paul, whose job is to sanitize the production line, acknowledged that the company has staggered breaks and marked floors. In addition, she said, social distancing is practices in “public areas, where our front door is, and where HR and vendors and guests come in, but once you get into the plant, there is no social distancing, because we have to work close to each other. Sometimes, we’re working shoulder-to-shoulder.” Paul said that “we have gloves, but no masks,” adding that only supervisors and managers have face masks, and most of their offices are at the front of the building, not in the plant.” She also said that although management “was checking temperature for two days, then stopped.” Bimbo’s spokesperson said that the company checks the temperature “of any person before they begin work” and does not permit to return to work “if they have a temperature of 100 or above.” Paul, who is quoted and named in an article published by a local online media outlet in Cicero, said that she fears that management will retaliate. She said that one worker who spoke to the news outlet has already been terminated. “He said, ‘I’m getting fired for freedom of speech,’” Paul said. Steve Robinson, the president of the Northwest Austin Council, a West Side social service organization, said that he and other employees, including members of Black Workers Matter — a labor advocacy organization started by West Side workers and that includes employees at the Bimbo and Hostess plants — have in recent weeks approached management at the plants to discuss the problems. “We want them to at least enforce social distancing, create a temperature checkpoint and get masks — at least pay people to buy their own,” Robinson said. “We also reached out to say, ‘If you want workers to stay loyal, at least offer them hazard pay.’ These things are kind of getting swept under the rug. What are people going to do with $100 gift cards if they’re sick?” CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
Hello Spring
Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
A Spring Faith & Worship Guide presented by Community of Congregations In this time of distancing, where many are feeling isolated, anxious, fearful and alone, the Community of Congregations offers these resources of faith to all of our neighbors. We hope in these pages, you will find opportunities to find connection, be nourished in spirit, and renewed in hope. We thank the team at the Wednesday Journal for their partnership in providing this piece. Through it all, let us remain “Together for Good.”
Community of Congregations Service of Comfort and Memory Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 7:30 p.m. Multifaith Liturgy and Prayer to honor the memories and hold the grief over all who have died of any cause during this period of distance and isolation. Zoom Meeting ID 863-707-515 or Join URL: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/863707515 To receive our emails and possibly a password for the worship service, please contact us at oprfcoc@gmail.com
ASCENSION CATHOLIC CHURCH
808 S. East Avenue Oak Park, IL 60304 708-848-2703
DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY MISSION AND MINISTRY
7900 W Division River Forest, Il 60305 Events.dom.edu/siena-center
EUCLID AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
405 South Euclid Avenue Oak Park, 60302 708-84- 7360
FAIR OAKS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
744 Fair Oaks Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 708-308-5126
Ascensionoakpark.com
Dom.edu/campus-life/universitiy-ministry
Euclidavenueumc.org
Fairoakspres.org
CLERGY: Rev. James Hurlbert, Pastor
CLERGY: Dr. John DeCostanza, Director of University Ministry, jdecostanza@dom.edu
CLERGY: Dr. Marti Scott, Rev. CJ Hawking, Rev. Lau Torres, & Rebekah Ward, Minister of Children, Family and Youth
CLERGY: Revs. Hailey Braden Lynch and Ben Lynch
ONLINE SERVICES: Weekday Mass on Monday, Wednesday and Friday – posted to YouTube by 9:00 am YOUTUBE: Youtube.com/channel/uc1a71cwe63rs6lyckxpth_g FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/AscensionOakPark CURRENT RESOURCES: Ascensionoakpark.com/apps/pages/coronavirusupdates ONLINE GATHERINGS: We offer Masses, scriptural reflections, and music on our website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and via email communication. We invite you to join us! Ascension Parish in Oak Park is a Catholic community called to proclaim, to reflect on, and to live the Gospel. Our desire to follow Jesus inspires us to continue the rich tradition of our faith by supporting education for children and adults, celebrating the liturgical life of the community, and serving those in need within our Parish and beyond. Following the example of Jesus, we value the diversity of gifts in all people and all are welcome. During this pandemic, we invite you to explore our website and our You Tube channel for Masses, Scriptural reflections, and music as we pray together for healing and hope.
Dr. Rachel Hart Winter, Director of the Siena Center, rhartwinter@dom.edu Dr. Claire Noonan, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, cnoonan@dom.edu ONLINE SERVICES: Preaching and reflections from DU community members will be posted weekly on social media YOUTUBE: Dominican Ministry FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/DUministry/ INSTAGRAM: @DUMinistry Dominican University is a diverse, relationship-centered community, rooted in Sinsinawa Dominican values of caritas (love) and veritas (truth). In these challenging days, we affirm and nurture compassion and concern for the common good. We provide resources for connection, care, spiritual and emotional nourishment, service and advocacy from which our University community might draw and into which all may contribute. We are a community of faith-filled hope who know that we will be together again. In the meantime, we remain in relationship, reach out in compassion, share faith, and even find opportunities for celebration in a spirit of Dominican joy.
ONLINE SERVICES: All services, including the Children’s word, are posted on the Facebook page. Watch at your convenience. FACEBOOK: Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, Facebook.com/Euclid-Avenue-United-Methodist-Church-118984938124234 CURRENT RESOURCES: Euclidavenueumc.org COVID-19 SERVICES: We have counselling and support in English and Spanish and you can apply for help to the Good Samaritan fund by emailing the pastor, at revscott@euclidavenueumc.org. We join in spirit with the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada: In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Though we are socially distant, let’s stay spiritually connected. (adapted from Gov. Cuomo)
ONLINE SERVICES: Sundays at 10:00 a.m. streaming live in the Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church facebook group at Facebook.com/ groups/FairOaksPres/ FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/groups/FairOaksPres/ We have felt surprisingly connected as a community during this time of social distancing. We feel connected through the nightly clap out honoring our healthcare professionals and essential workers, we feel connected through our partnerships with local caring ministries, and we feel connected each week when we gather on Facebook for live worship. Fair Oaks will be posting pictures, videos and live streaming services, and we will be sharing encouragement, hope and information in the facebook group. We invite you to join us.
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK
820 Ontario Street Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-4070 Fbcoakpark.org
Saturday, as well as at-home delivery for the elderly and people with disabilities. For more information: Gobeyondhunger.org/need-help We are so proud of Oak Park for taking social distancing so seriously. We are here to support you and offer spiritual support as you stay home and stay safe. Parents of young children in particular will find resources to help you keep your children engaged, spiritually sustained, and full of joy.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
schools, the loss was more about community connections than a structure. We continue as community in this wilderness, which Covid-19 amplifies. Worship is now virtual via YouTube and Facebook. Members connect remotely; several are making masks. Support for area social service agencies continue. The wilderness ends soon, with the return to our building. Our openness to change and ambiguity has increased. We’ve weathered the journey with open doors, open minds, open hearts, open hands.
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
CLERGY: Dr. David John Hailey, Senior Pastor YOU TUBE: Youtube.com/channel/UCyKY5h6Fco_dh_8jiv4m7kA FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/First-BaptistChurch-140306939343363 ONLINE SERVICES: Sunday morning 10:30 a.m. on YouTube Live, Facebook Live
Firstumcoakpark.org/
ONLINE GATHERINGS: Discussion Groups, Prayer Meetings, Bible Study
CLERGY: Rev. Dr. Katherine Thomas Paisley
FIRST UNITED CHURCH OF OAK PARK
ONLINE SERVICES: Video Worship posted on Facebook and website. FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/FUMCOakPark/ CURRENT RESOURCES: Interested persons can be connected to a circle of caring for support and prayers. We celebrate new life! We are all facing challenges: new ways of doing things, new ways of being with each other and in the world, new ways of thinking about life. The losses are undeniable: previously held assumptions and patterns are gone -- but new opportunities have emerged. We’ve learned how to better connect from a distance. We have learned how to hold important values and people close. And we’re living out love in new ways: caring circles, Zoom coffees, weekly check ins. Resurrection and new life are bursting out – come celebrate new life with us!
GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH 828 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60302 708-386-5215
924 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60301 708-386-8036 GraceOakPark.org CLERGY: The Rev. Dr. John G. Rumple ONLINE SERVICES: Sunday 10:30 a.m. on Zoom, Wednesday 10:00 a.m. on Facebook at Facebook.com/GraceOakPark/ FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/GraceOakPark/ CURRENT RESOURCES: Graceoakpark.org COVID-19 SERVICES: Graceoakpark.org/covid-19-updates.html At this time, the members of Grace Episcopal Church join the wider Oak Park community in solidarity and prayer as we respond to the COVID-19 virus. Realizing that for God every challenge can be an opportunity, we have adapted our services and studies enabling us to gather online (see our webpage for details). If you seek connection and spiritual community, you are welcome to join us for worship on Sunday, or for Bible study or Morning Prayer during the week. For pastoral care, please call Father John at our church office.
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH AND SCHOOL
Firstunitedoakpark.com CLERGY: John Edgerton, Lydia Mulkey, Alicia Reese ONLINE SERVICES: 11:00 am Sundays on YouTube Channel First United Church of Oak Park YOUTUBE: First United Church of Oak Park FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/firstunitedoakpark CURRENT RESOURCES: Firstunitedoakpark. com/#calendar-link ONLINE GATHERINGS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Daily Spiritual resources, including children’s story hour, pastoral office hours via Zoom, online prayer stations, online prayer shawl ministry, Zoom sing alongs COVID-19 SERVICES: We host Beyond Hunger out of our building, which provides groceries to those in need. Please note, distribution is by “drive thru” method in keeping with social distancing. Distributions on Wednesdays and
GREATER ST. JOHN BIBLE CHURCH
324 N Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 708-383-4983
CURRENT RESOURCES: Fbcoakpark.org
Amid this global pandemic, we’re all suffering the tremendous loss of normalcy. First Baptist’s congregation grieves the inability to gather physically during this time. Thankfully, Scripture reminds us the church is not a building. Therefore, First Baptist invites you to visit our church website for worship services, discussion groups, Bible studies, and prayer meetings. Wherever you are in your journey of faith, rest assured you’re a beloved child of God and are special in God’s eyes. With open arms we welcome you because we are a church for someone like you. Take care of yourself, and remember you’re loved.
During these unprecedented days, Grace Lutheran Church and School continues to be Together in Christ, a community of connection and care. This is true even when we are physically separated from one another. As we celebrate the season of Easter, we pray for a spirit of resurrection and rebirth for everyone. Grace stands and prays in solidarity with and for our all of our neighbors, whatever their faith. May the grace of God guide us all throughout this time, bringing us safely to the other side. We will no doubt be wiser and more compassionate when we get there.
611 Randolph Street Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-4741 Goodshepherdlc.org
7300 Division Street River Forest, IL 60305 708-366-6900
CLERGY: The Rev. Kathy Nolte
GraceRiverForest.org
ONLINE SERVICES: Sundays, 9:00 a.m. on YouTube channel
CLERGY: David R. Lyle, Senior Pastor
YOUTUBE: Youtube.com/channel/UCbUMFN7WZIm-XmHOjHGkveA FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/goodshepherdlc/ Walking a Wilderness Journey Together: In September 2018 Good Shepherd left our building when a fire made it unusable. Nestled in a neighborhood, centrally located between
ONLINE SERVICES: Sundays at 8:30am on YouTube YOUTUBE: Youtube.com/channel/UCT4b6YnSqFjpTkxDkePyleg FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/graceriverforest/ COVID-19 RESOURCES: Graceriverforest.org/covid-19-response
1256 N. Waller Ave. Chicago, IL 60651 773-378-3300 Gsjbchurch.org CLERGY: Rev. Ira J. Acree ONLINE SERVICES: Sundays, 10:00 a.m. on Website, Facebook and YouTube YOUTUBE: Greater St. John Bible Church Youtube.com/channel/UC0Tt7038y4r-daPpMVK5oTg FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/Greater-St-JohnBible-Church-98298650921/ CURRENT RESOURCES: greaterstjohn@gsjbchurch.org ONLINE GATHERINGS: Sunday Morning Worship @10:00am, Life Development Bible Study, Wednesdays, @7:15pm, Morning Glory Sunday school, Thurdays @7:00pm COVID-19 SERVICES: Prayerline 773-378-3300 We pray that you are healthy and well. Many of us are concerned about our own health or the health of our loved ones as the Covid-19 virus continues to spread in our country. Please know that, like always, your faith community is here to support your emotional, spiritual, and physical needs to the extent that we are able to. We are prepared to help with delivery of food or groceries as well as connecting with you should you become ill and need support. Should you need anything you can reach out to us by email or phone. Worry and fear are not from the heart of God. 1 John 4 reminds us that perfect love casts out all fear, so we pray God’s perfect love upon the hearts of all those who are burdened with fear of this virus.
Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
A Spring Faith & Worship Guide OAK PARK TEMPLE B’NAI ABRAHAM ZION
PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UCC
RIVER FOREST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND URBAN VILLAGE CHURCH
460 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-5860
1235 N. Harlem Oak Park, IL 60302 708-386-3937 Oakparktemple.org CLERGY: Rabbi Max Weiss, Cantor Julie Yugend-Green, Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, Emeritus Rabbi Gary Gerson ONLINE SERVICES: Daily opportunities on Zoom. Services are password protected but people can email and request access. We also stream services to Facebook. FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/oakparktemple/ Even as we practice “social distancing,” there are many opportunities to remain connected. We use the videoconference program Zoom to host daily opportunities for people of all ages to learn, connect, and relax together. As always, we will do everything we can to make it easy for you to access all our programming. For login instructions, please email admin@ oakparktemple.org for additional help and instructions.
ONLINE SERVICES: 11:00am Sunday at Ppilgrimoakpark.org/sundaysonline YOUTUBE : Youtube.com/channel/UCZP9zIvDSRMQCaCr-S73onw FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/PILGRIMOakParkIL/
545 S East Ave Oak Park, IL 60304 708-386-5613 stchristophersoakpark.org CLERGY: The Reverends Eric Biddy, Abbi Heimach-Snipes, Ann Gaston, and Sue Youngblood
pilgrimoakpark.org CLERGY: Rev. Colin Knapp, Senior Pastor
ST. CHRISTOPHER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
7970 Lake Street River Forest, IL 60305 708-771-3668
ONLINE SERVICES: Sundays at 9:30 (family service) and 10:30 FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/stchristophersoakpark
rfumc.me/ urbanvillagechurch.org/
ONLINE GATHERINGS: send us a FB message for education and outreach opportunities
CLERGY: Rev. Christian Coon
We always try to keep especially the most vulnerable among us prominent in our prayers-the poor, the sick, the lonely. These days have made these prayers more poignant. You are always welcome to join us in prayer. The easiest way to find us is probably through Facebook, though we are also posting recordings of our services on our website. We hope that you’ll join us to be consoled and to be challenged, to be reminded of the still strong beauty of the world and to be encouraged to make the world more beautiful and just.
CURRENT RESOURCES: Pilgrimoakpark.org/prayer-requests
ONLINE SERVICES: 10:30 a.m, Sunday at https://bit.ly/UVCWorship
ONLINE GATHERINGS: Pilgrimoakpark.org/events
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/RiverForestUMC and https://www.facebook.com/uvchurch
At this time of heartrending dislocation, Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC, stands with persons of all faiths-- and with those not part of any faith community. Together we can work to limit the spread of disease and to build a more equitable world. We invite you to join us, now as we gather virtually or, when it’s possible, in person. In whatever way we are together, we welcome you to experience Pilgrim’s caring and supportive spirit and its passion for peace and justice. You can access online worship and other events at pilgrimoakpark.org; you can request prayers at pilgrimoakpark.org/prayer-requests.
COVID-19 RESOURCES: Urbanvillagechurch. org/community/ ONLINE GATHERINGS: Live online prayer reflections throughout the week at Facebook. com/uvchurch Howard Thurman was a civil-rights icon committed to justice and prayer. In a powerful writing entitled “God is Present,” he notes that feeling anxiety is very real, but that in the midst of anxiety he also feels a ground of calm: “This calm is the manifestation in life of the active, dynamic Presence of God.” We at River Forest UMC and Urban Village Church hope and pray that, in the midst of these anxious times, you feel this Presence, this ground of calm. We are here for our communities now and will be when we come together again.
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
ST. EDMUND CATHOLIC PARISH
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/stgilesparishoakpark
THIRD UNITARIAN CHURCH
ONLINE GATHERINGS: posted on Stgilesparish.org Dear Friends,
188 S. Oak Park Avenue Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-4417 stedmund.org CLERGY: Fr. John McGivern, Deacon Tom Dwyer ONLINE SERVICES: Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. on YouTube YOUTUBE: St. Edmund Parish Oak Park Youtube.com/channel/UCX2uzGcd3ep4gt2BGdG0kbw
Easter has come once again with a message of hope: that new life comes to us after every cross we bear! With the circumstances surrounding our Easter season this year, many may feel that we got stuck on Good Friday. Let us carry Easter in our hearts, no matter what the challenges are before us. One in faith in Jesus Christ, may we be together in living this truth: Easter is what ultimately awaits us down the road from every hurt, every cross, every obstacle. All we need to do is follow our Lord where he leads, and all of us walk together. Happy Easter! Fr. Carl Morello, Pastor, St. Giles Parish
TEMPLE HAR ZION
ST.GILES PARISH – OAK PARK
thirdunitarianchurch.org/
1040 N. Harlem Avenue River Forest, IL 60305 708-366-9000 harzion.org CLERGY: Rabbi Adir Glick and Cantor Stewart Figa ONLINE SERVICES: Weekdays, 8:00 am Minyan, Fridays, 6:30 pm - Kabbalat Shabbat; Saturdays, 10:00 am Shabbat Services, Sundays 9:30 am Minyan via Zoom
ONLINE SERVICES: 11:30 a.m. Sundays via Zoom FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/ThirdChurch/ CURRENT RESOURCES: thirdunitarianchurch. org/sundays, select “Response to Pandemic”
unitytemple.org
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” ~ Arundhuti Roy
ONLINE SERVICES: Daily Mindful Reflection Gatherings 8:30am, Daily Stories and Activities for All Ages on our YouTube Page
Join us as we explore what so many learning from this pandemic, and how we are called to help with healing and rebirth. Our hearts and prayers are with all who are experiencing grief and loss. As a community, we commit to helping one another through these challenging times.
YOUTUBE: Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation Youtube.com/channel/UCGOgqUgLq_LnMZq_-z6YtFA
Contact us at: thirdunitarianchurch.org/sundays, “Response to Pandemic”
UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH
stgilesparish.org CLERGY: Fr. Carl Morello, Pastor; Fr. Tom Unz, In Residence; Fr. Ed Salmon, In Residence ONLINE SERVICES: Varies; Regular Weekend Service posted by 4pm on Saturday on YouTube and Facebook YOUTUBE: St Giles Parish Oak Park IL Youtube. com/channel/UCiKKNbTvoFPP5JhKkSDP1PQ
Affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Temple Har Zion is a dynamic congregation committed to a profound spiritual life. We are a welcoming, diverse, and caring community that is inclusive of interfaith families.
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/UTUUC CURRENT RESOURCES: At unitytemple.org link to our weekly e-newsletter, the e-Beacon ONLINE GATHERINGS: Mindful Reflection Community 7-9, Virtual Sunday Coffee Hour, Daily Stories and Activities for All Ages posted on our YouTube Page, Tell Me Something Good at Mondays at noon, Check-in and reflection Tuesdays at 2pm and Thursdays at 3pm COVID-19 SERVICES: Temporary housing for a member of our community that needs to quarantine away from their family and cannot do so at home.
CURRENT RESOURCES: harzion.org COVID-19 SERVICES: All of our programming is now offered virtually, Please call the office if you have any questions.
Unity Temple: 875 Lake St, Oak Park IL 60301 Unity Temple Community Center: 1019 South Blvd, Oak Park IL 60302 708-848-6225
April 12 - Service with Rev. Colleen Vahey A New World is Emerging. . .
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/WSTHZ/
1025 Columbian Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 708-383-3430
UNITY TEMPLE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION
CLERGY: Rev. Colleen Vahey
Join us Sundays, 11:30am at thirdunitarianchurch.org
FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/St-Edmund-Parish-111658415539639 St. Edmund Parish, Oak Park’s downtown Catholic parish, is a welcoming community! Young or old, rich or poor, gay or straight, we welcome you to join us for worship and the opportunities we provide to help those who are vulnerable or otherwise in need. During this challenging and frightening time, be assured of our prayers for everyone in the community. Together, we will weather this storm called COVID-19, and with God’s grace, will be reunited one with another. God bless you all.
301 N. Mayfield Ave. Chicago, IL 60644 (2 blocks east of Austin Blvd.; 2 blocks south of Lake St.) 773-626-9385
and fellowship with each other. Embracing our faith tradition, we believe that we are saved by God’s grace. Our response to that redeeming gift is to share the message of God’s love through our hands and feet and voice in the world. We welcome all people, regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, relationship status, family structure, physical or mental health, legal status, or socioeconomic status.
409 Greenfield Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302 708-386-1576 unitedlutheranchurch.org CLERGY: Pastor Dennis Bushkofsky ONLINE SERVICES: Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m via Zoom or telephone FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/unitedlutheranoakpark United Lutheran Church welcomes you to participate in our worship, service to others,
Community of Congregations Service of Comfort and Memory Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 7:30 p.m. Multifaith Liturgy and Prayer to honor the memories and hold the grief over all who have died of any cause during this period of distance and isolation. Zoom Meeting ID 863-707-515 or Join URL: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/863707515 To receive our emails and possibly a password for the worship service, please contact us at oprfcoc@gmail.com
The ministers and members of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation hold our wider community in our hearts during this time of resisting COVID-19. Our faith encourages engagement across differences of belief, race, class, and other identities that divide us. We learn from one another’s life experience. Through worship, religious education, music, small groups, and faith in action, we cultivate a community where we reflect on how to be faithful to our values as we seek to transform lives and help build the Beloved Community. For more information or to talk to a minister, please contact us at office@unitytemple.org.
Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
HOMECARE AIDES Facing risks from page 1 by providing aides who visit the seniors in their homes. The aides and clients are some of the most susceptible people to the pandemic, yet across Illinois many remain in close quarters, and lack protective equipment, such as masks and gloves. As of Tuesday, the Illinois Department on Aging, which oversees the program, confirmed 5 deaths among 22 cases of Chicago-area seniors in the program who had tested positive for the virus, said the department’s spokesman Michael Dropka. The private companies that employ the workers under a state contract are not required to report COVID-19 cases to the Department on Aging, Dropka said. The department knows some workers have tested positive, but cannot say how many. Dropka, the labor union that represents these front-line caregivers, and the company executives who employ them said they are aware of the dangers inherent in allowing these two high-risk groups –– elderly residents and caregivers –– to mingle without proper protective gear. He said the department has requested masks and other protective gear from state and federal emergency management officials. Company officials said they too are struggling to find enough gear to protect their workers. Although home health-care aides are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis in Illinois, they are not licensed or certified as health care workers. As the state gains access to gloves and masks, such workers do not qualify as “priority health care providers,” a category that is given priority access to protective equipment. “The work that they are doing is extremely risky,” said Beth Menz, home care director for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois Indiana. “They are in the homes of seniors, bathing them, dressing them, preparing food for them. So there is fear in their minds that not only are they at risk, but could potentially put their families and their loved ones, who can also be in vulnerable categories, at risk.” These workers have largely been left to fend for themselves during the crisis, according to interviews with the workers, seniors in the program and the union representing workers. In some cases, they’ve been provided no more than phone calls from employers asking them to check their temperature and reminding them to protect themselves by frequently washing their hands. Reginald Griffin, 76, said he found five masks at his neighborhood hardware store on the city’s North Side. “All I could buy as a customer,” he said. “So I have to be careful to keep them clean until I am able to get more.” Griffin takes the bus each day to care for an 83-year-old man with diabetes, emphysema, and other chronic conditions that make it
difficult for him to care for himself. He too never considered missing a day. “I might think that way just like any other person in the front lines, but I have to do what I have to do,” Griffin said. “I have to think positively and do things so I won’t get it.” Griffin was lucky enough to find protective gear on his own. Many don’t. One 75-year-old woman told the BGA she is letting her home care worker dip into her personal stash of protective gloves. “She’s my lifeline,” said Davetta Brooks, who suffers from several conditions, including an autoimmune disease, and relies on a wheelchair. Nationwide, there are 12 million vulnerable Americans who rely on home-based services and are balancing social distancing with their need for help. Many of the seniors suffer from chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, and low immune systems that experts have warned put them at an increased risk of developing a severe form of pneumonia if infected with COVID-19. The deadly virus has a higher fatality rate for those older than 60, and even higher for those older than 85. Another national concern is the high rate of black Americans testing positive and dying from COVID-19, a trend Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says is prevalent in the city where 72 percent of the virus-related fatalities are black. In the Chicago area, the majority of seniors in the community care program are black, as well as the majority of caregivers, according to records and interviews. Nearly half of the caregivers are also older than 55. Dropka, the spokesman for the aging department, said the state is working to secure additional supplies of personal protective equipment, including requesting supplies from FEMA. He said the department also is in daily communication with provider agencies and has taken guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health “regarding the screening tool and processes we use –– so that both our in-home workers and the older adults they care for are safe when they do their work. The agencies in our network use this as part of any protocol where face-to-face contact with an older and more vulnerable adult occurs.” “We are doing everything we can,” Dropka said. Companies employing the workers also said they are scrambling to secure personal protective equipment due to the nationwide supply shortage and have asked the state for help. Some are providing gloves, which they’ve always offered to their workforce, but also are in need of masks and gowns. A policy memo posted online by Addus HomeCare, one of the state’s largest providers of home care services, shows workers are being directed to use gloves, wash their hands regularly before and after direct contact with a client and encouraged to stay at home if they feel sick. If workers believe they may have been exposed, they are required to report to a supervisor. If workers call in sick, they are asked five questions: Have they traveled
internationally in the past 14 days; have they had signs of a respiratory infection such as fever, cough and/or sore throat; has anyone they live with had those symptoms; have they had contact with anyone who has been diagnosed or screened for COVID-19, and have they traveled to other states with widespread community transmission of the disease. Workers who fail the screening are instructed to cease patient visits. But that’s just one protocol of more than 100 companies that provide home-based and community-based services to seniors. Theresa Collins, president of the Illinois Association of Community Care Program Homecare Providers, said in an email that “each provider agency has developed their own plan of action based on the unique needs of their staff and participants.” Providers, she added, are screening workers and the seniors they serve for coronavirus symptoms. If they fail the screening, they are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Addus HomeCare, for example, asks clients the same five screening questions it asks employees when they call out sick. If the client fails the screening, the worker is required to notify their supervisor. If a client is quarantined or tests positive, the company would suspend services to the client and contact the state. Darby Anderson, chief strategy officer at Addus HomeCare, said he is receptive to clients and workers who are worried and anxious for more protective equipment. “The problem is simply the availability of PPE. We cannot secure enough,” Anderson said. The company is pushing for its workers to be considered “priority health care providers,” in hopes that the designation would ensure their access to gloves, masks and gowns. Anderson said that designation becomes even more necessary if home care workers are asked to care for seniors as hospital beds fill up. Already, he said, the question has come up in at least two states. But before that happens, he said, there needs to be a protocol in place to protect the workers. And that starts with protective equipment. “We don’t want to say no, but we have to have the right PPE,” Anderson said. He said other issues to iron out would include
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whether $13-per-hour workers should receive hazard pay, and whether they should be provided hotel rooms to isolate themselves from their families during the outbreak. Some seniors are already going without services, either because they’ve paused them amid the COVID-19 crisis or because they haven’t been able to secure an aide. Carolyn Crane, 68, said she was in the process of getting a new aide when the pandemic hit and now has been without one for more than six weeks. “It’s really bad right now for me, personally,” said Crane, who has diabetes, high blood pressure and a compromised immune system. Crane said she was paying a neighbor to fetch her groceries and sometimes paying for food to be delivered, but the increased costs cut a hole in her budget. She finally got a respite when the Illinois Institute of Technology moved its classes online, freeing her grandson to help her out. He’s staying with her and helping her with groceries and daily tasks, though she’d prefer to have a professional help her instead. Debra Miller, 68, said the issues for seniors go beyond whether home care aides have proper equipment. In Chicago, there are thousands of seniors living in apartment buildings where they might be exposed to the virus inside elevators, when they pick up their mail or when they throw out their trash. At an online press conference last week, Miller and other seniors who are members of Jane Addams Senior Caucus, a grassroots organization that advocates for seniors living in low-income housing, called on city officials to enact new guidelines to protect seniors. Among them: Requiring better cleaning regimens in communal spaces, providing protective equipment to staff; and stationing trained healthcare professionals to monitor temperatures of workers and guests entering apartment buildings. Miller said she’s frustrated by some elected officials who only talk about protecting seniors, the most vulnerable population. “I know that by now,” she said. “Tell me what you are doing besides.” This story was produced by the Better Government Association, a nonprofit news organization based in Chicago. CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
Public Service Announcement
1 HANDS Wash them often 2 ELBOW Cough into it 3 FACE Don’t touch it 4 FEET Stay more than 3ft apart 5 FEEL Sick? Stay Home
Visit: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public for more information
Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
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deadline: 9:30 am Monday office hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday
CLASSIFIEDS TO PLACE AN AD HELP WANTED FOOD SERVICE WORKER – TEMPORARY FT SUMMER The Hephzibah Children’s Association Summer Day Care program is accepting applications for a Food Service Worker to be a full time seasonal employee in our program that runs from June 8th through August 14th. The days and hours are Monday through Friday, from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Responsibilities include preparing and serving snacks and lunch, maintaining established standards of food safety, keeping kitchen, lunchroom and equipment in good and sanitary condition, and meeting all required reporting requirements. Requirements include: High school diploma or equivalent Quantity cooking experience Food Sanitation Manager Certification (or willingness to obtain by June 8th) Contact: Amy O’Rourke – Director of Day Care at: aorourke@hephzibahhome.org
CALL: 773-626-6332 | FAX: 708-467-9066 | E-MAIL: classifieds@AustinWeeklyNews.com Place your ad online anytime at AUSTINWEEKLYNEWS.COM/CLASSIFIED HELP WANTED SUMMER PART TIME SEASONAL HELP The Hephzibah Children’s Association Summer Day Care Program is accepting applications for the following part time seasonal opportunity in our summer program that runs from June 8th through August 14th. Youth Development Specialist – Greeter: Two hour shifts Monday through Friday from either 7:30-9:30 am or 4:00-6:00 pm. Provide care and supervision of the children. Responsibilities include supervising indoor and outdoor free play, greeting and welcoming parents and children and serving snack. Requirements include H.S. diploma or equivalent and experience working with children.
THERAPY OFFICES FOR RENT Therapy offices for rent in north Oak Park. Rehabbed building. Nicely furnished. Flexible leasing. Free parking. Free wifi; Secure building; Friendly colleagues providing referrals. Shared waiting room; optional Conference. Call or email with questions. Shown on Sundays. Lee 708.383.0729 drlmadden@ameritech.net Selling your home by owner? Advertise here. Call 708-613-3342 to place your ad.
CEMENT
Contact: Amy O’Rourke – Director of Day Care at: aorourke@hephzibahhome.org
Equal Opportunity Employer.
Equal Opportunity Employer.
MAINTENANCE PERSON WANTED American Security in Forest Park is seeking an experienced Maintenance Person to work parttime Mon-Fri, 4-6 hours p/day. $17 - $20 p/h, based on your experience and abilities. You must live within 20 min of 15th & Harlem. Job Req: Vehicle, Cell phone w/texting, no criminal record. Responsibilities: Building repairs and maint, basic electrical & plumbing, light cleaning, & a variety of other tasks. Email your resume to jobs@ americansecurityservices.com or call 708-383-6969 ext. 240 M-F 9a-5.
ROOMS FORÂ RENT AUSTIN CLEAN ROOM With fridge, micro. Nr Oak Park, Super Walmart, Food 4 Less, bus, & Metra. $116/wk and up. 773-637-5957
SUBURBAN RENTALS Apartment listings updated daily at:
Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue. Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment. You have jobs. We have readers! Find the best employees with Austin Classified! Call 773/626-6332 to advertise.
OFFICE SPACE FORÂ RENT
CUSTOM ACRYLIC
ITEMS FOR SALE
Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates
WATERFORD GLASSES Colleen pattern, 2 water goblets, 2 wine glasses, 5 double old fashioned glasses
773-637-0692
IRISH CARDIGAN Men’s size large. 708-386-6160
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PAINTING & DECORATING
WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead or plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400
CLASSIC PAINTING
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708.749.0011
CEMENT Residential Commercial Industrial Licensed Bonded Insured Free Estimates ¡ Veteran Owned
Drives Walks Patios Stamped Concrete Curbs/Gutters Garage Floors Foundations Parking Lots Water Control
devegaconcrete.com ¡ 708-945-9001
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708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 ‡ )281'$7,216 ‡ 3$7,26 67(36 ‡ &85% *877(56 ‡ 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* ‡ 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED
Starting a New Business?
Call the experts before you place your legal ad! Publish your assumed name legal notice in • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark • Austin Weekly News • Village Free Press Call Mary Ellen for details: 708/613-3342
HANDYMAN
HANDYMAN
LENOX CHINA 5 piece place settings Lenox china, Tuxedo pattern
PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.
ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed
ELECTRICAL
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We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.
708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area
HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING
LANDSCAPING
HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT
Mulch & Topsoil
Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience
FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.
708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000
FAST DELIVERY
Premium Shredded Hardwood ���������������$20/yd Dyed Red/Brown �������$28/yd Playmat��������������������$28/yd Triple Brown �������������$28/yd Premium Blend Dark �$34/yd Premium Bark Fines��$42/yd Blonde Cedar ������������$48/yd • Spreading Available! • Topsoil, Garden Mix, Mushroom, Super Mix, Compost, Gravel, Sand
SureGreenLandscape�com
847-888-9999 847-888-9999 •• 630-876-0111 630-876-0111
REAL ESTATE FOR SAL IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004SC1; Plaintiff, vs. LEE WATT; SHIRLEY WATT; CITY OF CHICAGO; Defendants, 16 CH 14732 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-09-227-028-0000. Commonly known as 418 North Lavergne Avenue, Chicago, IL 60644. The mortgaged real estate is im-
Attention! Home improvement pros! Reach the people making decisions– your target demographic. Advertise your business in Austin Classified. Call 773/626-6332
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Austin Weekly News, April 15, 2020
CLASSIFIEDS (773) 626-6332 | FAX: (708) 467-9066 | E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@AUSTINWEEKLYNEWS.COM REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
proved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 16-029325 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3149569
DRAKE AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60624 Property Index No. 16-11-201-0170000 The real estate is improved with a two unit building with a detached two car garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at
the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com
Attorney File No. 256758 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 2019 CH 04670 TJSC#: 39-8104 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 2019 CH 04670 I3149003
bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser
of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 268011 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 18 CH 15348 TJSC#: 39-5394 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is
deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 18 CH 15348 I3149123
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION THE MONEY SOURCE INC Plaintiff, -v.CRYSTAL BOWNS, SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Defendants 2019 CH 04670 725 NORTH DRAKE AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60624 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 18, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 19, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 725 NORTH
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.LENA HARRIS A/K/A LENA TOMLINSON, 400 WEST ONTARIO CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 18 CH 15348 400 WEST ONTARIO STREET, APT. 908 CHICAGO, IL 60654 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on August 22, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 27, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 400 WEST ONTARIO STREET, APT. 908, CHICAGO, IL 60654 Property Index No. 17-09-127-0361058, 17-09-127-036-1228 The real estate is improved with a residential condominium. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest
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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. Austin Weekly News
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