Birthday Part 3 – Marillac Center Field Trip

Location: Pump It Up

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2014; 4:45-8:00 pm

I had been excited because a buddy had said that he would spend the evening with me to celebrate my birthday.  But it turned out to be a false alarm and so I signed up for this project. I had never been to this after-school center and today was their end-of-the-year field trip to someplace called ‘Pump It Up’.  I had no idea what that was, though the instructions we had received from Chicago Cares the previous day was to wear socks!  Well, there’s always a first time for everything.  I took the train west and it was a neighborhood that I do not always visit.  I arrived at the center to see that Martha from Chicago Cares was waiting outside and as I signed the sheet, I was pleased to see Rocky’s name show up.  He was a volunteer I had met during the very first project that I had led last year and he is a class act if there ever was one.  People are always amazed that I remember names; places and moments from a long ago and my response is that if that person made an impression or if that person or moment is important, you would always remember. 

Then everyone debates

I boarded the bus and saw that some of the kids had already assembled. Soon, the other volunteers arrived and I noticed that our Volunteer leader and some others seemed to be regular and knew the kids well.  The leader said to me and another new volunteer Mary, that rather than sit around we should mingle with the kids.  I responded by saying that this was not the first children’s project that I have done and usually a good leader starts a project with an ice breaker to get the kids and volunteers introduced to each other.  I don’t care how long someone has been leading a project, but if you demonstrate incompetence, the other occasions account for nothing. Yes, I do hold people to the standards I set for myself as a leader.  I overheard one little girl say that yesterday had been her birthday.  I asked how old she was and she had just turned 11.  I said that it was my birthday today and now it was her turn to ask how old I was.  I replied that it was much older than 11 and I was definitely eligible to drive!

The true reality

The best birthday party place

We arrived at ‘Pump It Up’, which is essentially a place with giant inflatables and is quite popular as a rental for kid’s birthday parties.  It was unlikely that families of the kids who were with us had the means to organize parties over here and so today was definitely a special occasion for them.  I walked in with a little girl with 3 ponytails and I asked if she was excited, and she replied in the affirmative.  Before we began, the staff announced that there were 2 rules – everyone would come down the slides feet first and that everyone needed to be wearing socks.  Aah, now it made sense.  We went inside the first room and it had 3 giant inflatable things – a bouncy house, a slide and an obstacle course.  All of the kids were screaming with joy and quickly ran off to one of the 3 play areas.  All except the little girl that I had walked in with.   She was sobbing since she did not have any socks on and so could not join the others.  The staff members mentioned that they did have socks for sale and I was about to get her a pair, when one of the other volunteers came in with socks for her.  Her face lit up with joy and she went up the slide.  I said that I would wait at the bottom to receive her and she had better scream as she came down; something which she dutifully did so.

I'd rather see the world

I went inside the bouncy house and it reminded me of being in a boat with choppy water.  But I soon got my footing and just as a room goes from darkness to light with the flip of a switch, a similar thing happened with me – all the worries and anxieties of the day disappeared.  My heart was filled with a joy that I had not experienced for years and I became one of them.  I played with the kids in the bouncy house and then got challenged by a little girl to a race through the obstacle course.  It was difficult getting though all of it, but I had loads of fun doing it.  I kept getting challenged by various girls and so did the race several times, getting smoked on each occasion.  But I could have cared less.  I was exhausted and decided to take a break, when another little girl asked me to go on the slide with her.  Climbing up to the top was a challenge but once we were up there, she took my hand and we came down together.  I was enjoying myself thoroughly and did a couple more turns on each of the play areas in this room.

The way it used to be

The slide

We were then taken to a second room with an even bigger bouncy house with a basketball court, steeper slides, a wall where you had to run up to put a tag, and a rock climbing wall.  The kids went crazy again and I went inside the bouncy house several times for to try my hand at basketball, once in between a competitive game between 2 teams.  One girl asked me to lift her up so that she could make a basket and while she was little, trying to lift someone up on a moving platform is not easy, and we were both lucky to not end up on our backs!  I went and participated in the tag game, which was a wall of colored Velcro tags and you had to run at full speed, jump up, and post your flag as high as possible.  It was impossible to do this without falling down and that was the fun of it.  Rocky was good at this game and was enjoying it with a group of kids, all of whom were trying to better him.  Some of the other kids were climbing up the rock wall and all in all, everyone was participating wholeheartedly and having a blast.

A little bit of freedom's all we lack

All good things must come to an end and our time was soon up.  We took a group picture and now it was the pizza party.  The kid’s teacher had accompanied us for this outing and she made each kid say what they were thankful for this entire school year.  Everyone had something to say and many picked something that they had learned.  The girl with the ponytails was actually the bus drivers daughter and wasn't usually with this group.  It was nice of the teacher to invite her and when her turn came to say something, she ran in the corner shyly and said, “It’s too many people”.  Man, she was precious.  The teacher made the kid’s say grace and then they dug into the pizza.  I chatted with Rocky while this was going on and soon everyone was ready to leave.  I wasn’t taking the bus back with them and so said goodbye to Rocky and my other fellow volunteers.  It had been a spectacular evening. 

So catch me if you can,

I went and got a glass for champagne for myself and it had indeed been a long day.  Later, as I sat in a restaurant I thought about everything that had happened today…or not happened.  I had just a couple of people wish me and other than the two projects with Wilson, had not seen any friends.  Last year had been special since someone had even made cake for me.  But if I really think about it so had today.  I had seen people who were currently down on their luck, but fighting the battle of life with dignity.  I had met a lady who had overcome her disability to create something truly magical.  And a little girl had held my hand as I went down a slide to have one of the most outstanding experiences of my adult life.  I told the server it was my birthday and asked for a small cake. As I blew out the imaginary candle and made a wish it was clear to me that while the day may not have been filled with presents, it still was a gift.

I'm going back

“Going Back”, written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, 1966

Birthday Part 2 – Cook And Serve Lunch To Seniors And Community

Location: American Indian Center

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2014; 10:00 am-2:00 pm

I can recall a time

When I wasn't ashamed to reach out to a friend

Wilson drove me to my next location, which was going to be the same as last year; the ‘American Indian Center’.  As I have said before, I like symmetry and it would be a good thing to go back after a year.  I had some time to spare and so went to a French bakery in the neighborhood and contemplated on all things that one usually contemplates on at birthdays.  Wilson had left for another project, but I got a text from him saying that the leader at 'AIC' was not well and so he was coming back to help out.  Well, looks like I was doing another project with him then.

And, now, I think I've got

A lot more than just my toys to lend

The magnificent murals of 'AIC' 

I walked over to 'AIC' and entered the building exactly a year after my last visit.  I knew where the kitchen was and walked over to see a couple of ladies were already prepping. I introduced myself and one of them said that she would call me “Ray” or “R” instead.  I have never been called either of the before and said that it would be perfectly acceptable.  It was clear to me that the other lady was in charge and she immediately put me to work by asking me to wash two giant pans in which she put huge frozen slabs of mashed potatoes.  Also, there was a giant pot of carrots that needed to be drained and refilled and it took all of my strength and balance to take it to the sink and back.  Wilson had arrived and now we had to cut open the plastic wrap around the mashed potatoes.  It was easier said than done since the packaging was very tight and even though I had scissors; my hands had become numb because of the cold.  Wilson proposed that we soak the bags in hot water and thus making it easier to slit open.  As with his other ideas, this worked out just fine.  We put the slabs in the pans and shoved them in the oven.

Now there's more to do

Than watch my sailboat glide

The menu was hamburger meat with gravy and a side of mashed potatoes.  Wilson told me that usually it was whatever was delivered by the ‘GCFD’ truck, since all the food is donated.  The hamburger meat had been cooking and our task was to transfer it to another pan and remove all the fat which had risen up to the surface.  Wilson asked me to open 25 packs of gravy powder and then mix with 25 cups of water.  While he was encouraging me to hold multiple bags in my hand and empty them in water, I knew that this would end in disaster if I did that, and so preferred to do it in a more controlled way.  It took some adjustment between powder and water to get the right consistency, but we managed to get the gravy done.  We were looking at the mashed potatoes in the oven and they were still frozen and rock solid.  We flipped them over and tried to scrape off some of the loose stuff, but it was clear that it was not going to be ready on time.  Once again Wilson, thinking 2 steps ahead, added additional bags of frozen potatoes to a big pot of boiling water, in which he was already boiling bags of frozen clam chowder.  He also started boiling some milk which he said we would add to the pans in the oven.  Talk about being on an episode of “Dinner Impossible”!  He could totally pull it off. 

And every day can be

It was a hearty plate

We had been joined by another volunteer Joshua, and I was immediately impressed by his warm and friendly nature.  He and I started plating the soup and soon realized that there wasn’t enough for the number of people that were outside.  As expected, Wilson jumped into action by opening some tomato soup and boiling that.  Next, the lady in charge showed us how to make a sample plate, with a slice of bread, on which was a big scoop of mashed potatoes.  Then came the hamburger meat, which had now been mixed with the gravy.  We then put on the plate a scoop of carrots, which had been drizzled with maple syrup.  It was a hearty plate, full of meat and starch.  I commented that hopefully there were no vegetarians and Joshua said that there were no vegetarians amongst the natives!  I was plating food fast and trays of 6 plates were disappearing into the dining room.  Our original Volunteer leader had now arrived and had started opening cans of rice pudding dessert.  Once enough lunch plates had been sent out, I started on the dessert bowls, which contained the pudding and were topped with powdered cinnamon.  It really was a nice looking feast.

My magic carpet ride

What Dreams May Come

All the food had been served meaning that I could take a break, and so went down to the lower level to see the food pantry and the enormous clothing room.  The truck from ‘GCFD’ had just arrived and so there was a lot of activity in progress.  I came back upstairs and looked inside the main dining hall.  All the native elders were still hanging around, with some playing cards, some reading newspaper while some were chatting. One gentleman was even playing music on the stage.  I saw a woman sitting with some beautiful “Dreamcatchers” and I went over to admire them.  They were vibrant in their colors and she said they were made of real feathers from exotic birds.  I asked how long she has been doing this and she said since mid-90s, when she had become disabled.  They were truly lovely and I decided to buy one.  I told her that it was my birthday and so she should choose one for me.  I had picked up a purple one –closest to violet – and she said that I should stick with the same.  She said that it was “speaking to me” and also because it was her favorite color.  Well, that was good enough for me.

And I can play hide and seek with my fears

I came into the kitchen and Wilson was leaving for his ‘FEMA’ training.  Before that he introduced me to an elder who had painted all of the extraordinary murals inside the 'AIC'.  I told him that these were some of the most beautiful ones that I had ever seen and that is the truth.  I helped sweep the floor and then Joshua and I put the remaining food in pans.  Thankfully there was a board meeting in the evening and thus the food would required for that.  Else it would have been thrown away and that’s always something that makes me cringe.  Having finished everything I thanked Joshua for working with me and he had been a wonderful partner.  Before I left I spend some time walking through the center, admiring the murals and taking in the unique ambiance that this place has.  There was one final project to go to and I bid goodbye to 'AIC'.  Who knows, I may be back in a year.

And live my days instead of counting my years 

To be concluded…

Birthday Part 1 – Rise & Shine At The Lincoln Park Community Center

Location: Lincoln Park Community Center

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2014; 6:15-8:00 am

I think I'm going back

To the things I learnt so well in my youth

It was my birthday…again.  And I do say it with the exact apathy as it reads.  Don’t get me wrong.  As I have said in the past, some days hold special significance for me; birthday’s probably being on the top of the list.  But while I can try making them special for others, in the immortal words of Gisele, people cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. So in the absence of what I would really like to happen, I did the next best thing and signed up to do three projects.  Well, at least that would keep me busy.

I think I'm returning to

Those days when I was young enough to know the truth

My first stop was cooking breakfast at the Lincoln Park Community Center, which is a shelter for both, men and women.  It was raining that morning as I took a cab to the location, which was in a good looking neighborhood.   I was dropped outside a building that looked like a church and was trying to figure out the way in when a lady came over and let me through the door.  She was a staff member at this place and as I followed her inside, I entered a pretty community room that was adjacent to a big kitchen.  There was a young man there making coffee and he said that he was the overnight volunteer, with one of his tasks being making coffee for the residents prior to leaving.  I washed my hands and was waiting for other volunteers when Wilson arrived.  As is usual for cooking projects that he does, he was carrying his own cooking pans, and said that our Volunteer leader JD was running a bit late.  Wilson told me that this was one of the city’s best shelters with two bunk-bed styled dorms, one each for men and women.  There was also a “graduation board” of past residents who have now moved on successfully. 

Now there are no games

To only pass the time

My veggies

JD arrived and we went over to get supplies from his car.  There were just three of us in attendance and it would be a challenge to get everything done on time. For an apron I picked a bright violet one, well because it was after all my birthday and I like all things violet.  JD asked if I wanted to cook bacon and eggs or chop and I decided to go with the chopping.  It took 3 tries to find the right knife, upon which I started working on some peppers.  Wilson had the bacon going in the oven while he diced onions.  I then started sautéing the onions and peppers while JD and Wilson made eggs.  Considering a late start and us being understaffed, we were making good progress.  The cooking was done and so I helped JD arrange avocado’s in a dish as well as put out strawberries in a bowl.  I wanted to chop them as well, but Wilson insisted on leaving them whole, saying that this was how ‘Native Americans’ liked them.  I had my doubts if we would see many ‘Native Americans’ here, but hey, it meant less work for me!

No more coloring books

No Christmas bells to chime

We went into the dining area where the residents had already assembled.  As I went about putting salt and pepper shakers on each table, one gentleman asked me where he could get some DVDs for free.  I had never encountered that question before and said that perhaps he could try the library.  He said that he wanted blank discs and I said that those would be difficult to find free of charge and his best bet would be to look on ‘Craigslist’.  I went to the serving station where it was JD on eggs, Wilson on vegetables and me on bacon.  The theme was breakfast tacos and there were tortillas, salsa, avocado, cheese and ‘Cholula’ sauce, which was quite popular.  The residents formed an assembly line as they made their own tacos with a little help from us. Everyone who came over was really friendly and thanked us for doing this taco idea. 

But thinking young and growing older is no sin

Well at least I got a cake

As breakfast wound down, we saw folks getting ready to go out – some for work and others to find work.  As they left, everyone else in the room was wishing them well.  Everyone gets down on luck at some stage of their life and this support from others who recognized that was very endearing to see.  I overheard one gentleman say to another that someone had promised him a life sized birthday cake with a woman “popping out” singing “Happy Birthday”.  He said that he would pay for that and I said that I would chip in as well to see the show!  We went inside the kitchen to wash the dishes and with Wilson’s efficient process were soon done.  He said that this was indeed a good community and many of the residents gave back via volunteer work.  Before we left, Wilson opened a box of cupcakes and said that I should cut one in lieu of a birthday cake. Hey, I had my birthday cake after all and it had certainly been a good start to the day.

And I can't play the game of life to win 

To be continued…

American Cancer Society Making Strides Steering Committee Meeting

Location: American Cancer Society Office

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2014; 6:00-7:00 pm

All of us on the steering committee are usually tasked with some action item to be discussed at the next meeting.  My task was to find out options for the “virtual card” idea that I had brought up and which I thought would be a perfect implementation at the children’s tent.  A quick search revealed that there are several hospitals that have this program and people could send such cards to those patients.  Armed with this knowledge, I arrived to find that everyone was already there. We started with the “Mission Moment” with Katie reminding us that this month was “Men’s cancer awareness month”, especially prostate and skin cancer.  She also mentioned that there was a link between breast and prostate cancer and if someone in your family had one, genetics may dictate that the other could exist.  Next was Le’Loni’s “Advocacy Moment” and she talked about the continuing push from ‘ACS CAN’ on tanning ban for teenagers. 

Jessie then talked about some of the upcoming events like the ‘Chicago Sky’ game on August 3^rd where we would be showcased, and based on some of the promotional pictures; everything was going to be covered in pink.  Then there was the ‘Kick-off Breakfast’ on Monday August 4^th, and a sign-up sheet was passed for volunteers, wherein I put down my name.  There was also going to be a promotional kick-off event at a pub.  This was to attract younger crowd and also people who may not be able to make it to the early breakfast.  I said that since the intention is to get people to sign up at these events, perhaps we should not “oversell” the “happy hour” at breakfast else the same people will show up.  Also, I reiterated that we should get people to sign up on the spot and said that if not laptops, we should have iPads as ways of signing-up.  I said we could ask people to sign up on the spot – especially the young and trendy at the evening event.  Jesse asked if anyone had comments regarding last year’s kickoff, especially since both, Carrie and she weren't there.  Carrie said that she had heard that the speeches ran too long and so was planning to curb that by keeping the ceremony short and to the point.  I said that I was mostly outside on the street, directing people while standing next to a homeless man.  However, once I had come inside I had thought that the ceremony was good. 

"ACS CAN needs you!"

Jesse then asked us to break out into focused subcommittee groups and work on our plans.  I joined the ‘Entertainment’ group and told the ladies there that I could potentially arrange for volunteers.  Le’Loni was by herself and asked how many people did not have any subcommittees and if they could join her for discussions.  That would be me, so I went over as did Katie.  We discussed the ‘Advocacy Tent’ and Le’Loni’s idea of having the entrance decorated like a purse.  She was going to put an ‘Uncle Sam’ poster inside and I suggested having an entire wall of posters inside; calling it “Wall of Education”.  While they liked it, finding enough room would be a challenge.  I said that we could even have it as a part of the ‘Scavenger Hunt’, where the participants would have to come back with some tidbits from these posters.  Le’Loni was trying to get some of our elected officials to come, even though they would not be allowed to speak or canvas.  But being seen there would be promotion in itself during this election year.  Aah politicians.  You gotta love them!

We all got back together and Carrie talked about a database of volunteers from last year and she wanted to cut down the numbers from 500 to 100.  So it looked like I would not be required to provide volunteers after all.  I mentioned that some of the younger one’s had not been of much help last year and she mentioned that not everyone would be invited back.  We discussed some other committee matters, including where we were with respect to our goals. Carrie announced that we were way ahead than where we were at this stage last year.  There was a ‘White Sox’ fundraiser game in August and Carrie said that she could get our tickets in bulk so that all of us could sit together.  I asked if some of the other sports teams do anything and Carrie mentioned that ‘Bears’ have their own organization supporting cancer and so do not want to do cross-promotion.  It never ceases to amuse me that people lose sight of the main goal - which is beating cancer, not who raises the most money. 

It was time to leave and I talked to Jesse about possibly getting ‘One Brick’ involved as volunteers.  We also talked about the ‘ecards’ idea and I said that it was important for little kids to send these cards in order to get them introduced to supporting the community.  It had been a good meeting and we could all sense that the momentum was picking up.  Lot’s had been done since last month.  But there was still plenty to do.

Bingo Fun At Britton Budd

Location: Britton/Budd Apartments

Date: Monday, June 09, 2014; 6:15 -7:30 pm

I was in a good mood.  My friend had been promoted and there’s nothing better than someone’s hard work being rewarded, especially when it’s one of your own.  So with a proverbial skip in my step and the proverbial song in my heart, I arrived at the site and as I checked in with the security, even got my own entry pass sticker.  Another high security senior center!  I went into the activity room and found that one of my favorite residents, Elvina was reviewing the large stack of Bingo cards as if it was the ‘Zapruder Film’.  She was going to get the exact numbers that she wanted and after an extensive search, she sat down at a table satisfied with her selection.  I joined her and another resident, Sylvia.

Prizes for this evening

I asked Elvina if she was enjoying the weather and she said that she had gone out in a skirt for the first time this season yesterday and found the temperature to be freezing.  I said that’s a shame since she definitely would have looked great in a skirt!  Sylvia pulled out a massive smart phone which looked more sophisticated than mine.  Elvina said that they should have that as a prize and maybe someday that’s what Chicago Cares would do to surprise the residents.  Speaking of Chicago Cares, Elvina said that she saw the ‘Serve-a-thon’ rally on TV.  I said that I was there, at which both of them thanked me and others at Chicago Cares for what we do.

I asked what they would typically do after the Bingo game and they said that there was nothing good on the TV tonight.  Elvina said that she may catch ‘Wheel of Fortune’, though she was getting interested in basketball.  I said that there was one week left in the season and so she better watch as much as she can.  Sylvia said that tomorrow was the first episode of a new season of some show that I had never heard of.  She described it as ‘MacGyver’ meeting a medical drama, about a doctor who uses whatever tools are at his disposal to treat patients. They were encouraging me to start watching, but being in its 8^th season means that I have missed a lot.  I told them that starting on a new show is a whole lot of commitment for me and there there is added pressure to stick with it!

In the meanwhile the game was about to start and Elvina was not happy with the quality of her Bingo cards.  They had been replaced just last year but were already falling apart.  I said that I would get her better ones and she said that she wanted the number ‘9’ on it.  Then she wanted the number ‘8’ on the other one.  Aah, the superstitions.  Sylvia had a favorite number as well – ‘4’ – but would take whatever is available.  We made decent progress on the first game and I even told Elvina that I had a good day and we would definitely win.  Well, win I did and asked Elvina to select a prize and she took hand soap.  It’s always tricky to select which of the residents would get my winnings and I mentioned to Sylvia that she would be next.  This is one of those places where everyone wins and they are really nice to give their prizes away the second time around.  So after Sylvia had won and I won my second round, both Elvina and Sylvia wanted me to give away the prize and I selected a lady on the next table.  In fact one of the ladies had come late after everyone had won and so someone offered her a prize.  She said that she shouldn't since she was late, but everyone insisted.  What a crowd! 

Veronica, our Volunteer leader asked if I wanted to call the game.  I asked Elvina if I should stay – since I was proving to be lucky – or go as the caller.  She replied by saying that she did not wish to be selfish and wanted to share me with everyone.  That may be the sweetest thing that I have ever been told.  I started in my best “baritone voice” by wishing everyone a good evening and then spun the hamster wheel, while trying to calculate the probability of getting a number.  Yeah, I do need a life. Prizes were now disappearing and soon it was time for the last game.  The late comer lady called out and realized that it was a false alarm.  She was really polite and apologized profusely.  Despite me continuing to drop balls we soon handed out the final prize.  I left after saying goodbye to Elvina and Sylvia, thinking the same thing as before: It is an absolute pleasure to spend an evening with these folks, especially Elvina.

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy