Staying involved in your community....
let us count just a few ways
More
in the Good
Neighbor page. And find out about our committees in the home page and from
HPKCC About and Membership.
More ways to be involved
From the July 2009 Conference Reporter, Vol. 15, No. 3
Staying Involved
There are many ways to help your neighbors or keep your eyes on the neighborhood
this summer and fall. You can start by looking over our programs and committees
in the description box and seeing if one of them could be a fit for you. The
schools committee especially seeks broader input and involvement. And starting
mid-August the Used Book Sale will need willing hands, backs and minds. Give
us a call, 773 288-8343.
Park Advisory Councils need the involvement of park neighbors near and far. Councils are the community’s first line to plan, think, or seek action for our parks. Councils meet with stakeholders and officials, organize and underwrite projects including scholarships for day camp, events in the park, volunteer workdays in gardens and natural areas, keeping a general eye out, or even do some trash management. We are posting a special page in hydepark.org giving just the meetings and events schedules of neighborhood park councils. Find it from the front page, from Park Councils Schedule, Green Hyde Park, or navigate to the individual parks' pages from Parks Web Home. SOME OF OUR PARKS NEED YOU TO START COUNCILS-- THE PD IS BEGGING FOR THEM ALSO!
Members of the Nichols Park Advisory Council, an affiliate committee of the Conference, are busy each spring and early summer co-coordinating the Fourth on 53rd Street Parade and Picnic and the subsequent Summer Sunday Concert Series, together an enormous event which involves lots of park preparation, business participation and funding solicitation, and event management--all things for which you may have just the skills. The council also works with experts of the Garden Fair committee on planning and workday upkeep of formal gardens and the butterfly meadow. The gardening coordinator is Carol Schneider, 773 684-2619. The council often reviews and welcomes into the park participatory projects and activities. Our biggest ongoing problem seems to be plumbing and other upkeep. NPAC meets 2nd Thursdays at 7 in the field house: If you come, our secretary will put you on the list to be emailed monthly minutes. President is Stephanie Franklin, 773 955-3622.
Local School Councils
are elected, but they and other school support groups offer parents and residents
opportunities for service that can be very rewarding. Schedules and school phone
numbers are in hydepark.org/education/lscs.htm.
Especially in summer and early fall call the schools as schedules change.
CAPS- Community
Alternative Policing beats meet monthly, although in summer it’s
advisable to call the district office, 312 747-2930, as the beats often hold
“picnic-meetings” in parks or elsewhere that season. Five beats
serving various sectors of Hyde Park and Kenwood, and their normal meeting dates
(Find others in adjoining neigbhborhoods in the "Ongoing" section
of Community Meetings
page):
• 2123- 2nd Tuesday 7 pm, Kennicott Park, 4434 S. Lake Park
• 2124- 4th Tuesday 6 pm, 4829 S. Cottage Grove
• 2131- 3rd Thursday 7 pm, Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood
• 2132- 2nd Thursday 7 pm,Treasure Island lower level, 1526 E. 55th St.
• 2133- 4th Thursday, 7 pm, Hyde Park Union Church parlor, 5600 S. Woodlawn
(56th side)
57th Street Children's Book Fair-September 13- http://www.57cbf.org
Hyde Park Alliance for Arts and Culture- Irene Sherr at irene@hydeparkculturalalliance.org
Hyde Park Community Players- Paul Baker at plsbkr@netscape.net
Hyde Park Garden Fair- http://www.hydeparkgardenfair.org
Hyde Park Jazz Festival -September 26- http://www.hydeparkjazzfestival.org
Hyde Park Kiwanis- Rosemary Snow at roses92@sbcglobal.net, Wally Jonas (pres.) at 773 955-5035
Hyde Park Neighborhood Club- http://www.hpnclub.org
Hyde Park Used Book Sale- October 10-12- http://www.hydepark.org/bookfair/BookFair.htm, kjc2@uchicago.edu, hpkcc@aol.com
Older Women's League Hyde Park Chapter- http://www.owlill.org/ch_hydepark.htm