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Developer seeking to build second Starbucks in Galewood

Vol. 35 No. 17

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April 28, 2021

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Also serving Garfield Park

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M charged Man h d in i murder d of 7-year-old, page 4

Galewood’s ‘Miracle House’ gets city landmark status The City Council unanimously approved the designation during a meeting on April 21

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Miracle House at 2001 N. Nordica Ave. is officially Galewood’s first city landmark and the fourteenth city landmark in the Austin community.

On April 21, the Chicago City Council unanimously approved all of the ordinances necessary for the distinction that cleared the council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards the day before.

The 1955 house stands out thanks to the abundance of glass walls and two sets of spider-like steel arms on the sides that keep the second floor suspended like a bridge.

Owner Dr. David Scheiner, a retired physician who was Barack Obama’s personal doctor until 2008, requested the designation because he liked the house and wanted to preserve it.

According to the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD), the status will prohibit future owners from altering the exteriors and the rooflines, while making the property eligible for certain tax credits and fee waivers.

Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), whose ward includes Miracle House, said during his April 21 community meeting that Austin has many landmarked buildings. Spotlighting the Miracle House and other historic buildings in the ward, he said, brings positive attention to the community and may attract development.

In 1954, the St. Williams Parish launched a raffle to raise funds to build a new church and See MIRACLE HOUSE on page 9

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

GETTING VACCINATED: Amanda Perez, right, a nurse from North Shore, administers the first doze of the Pfizer vaccine to Pat Moore on April 24, during a free vaccination clinic hosted by Rev. Ira Acree at his Greater St. John Bible Church in Austin.

After bout with COVID, Austin pastor preaches vaccines

Rev. Ira Acree put his words to action during April 24 vaccine event held at his Austin church

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

On April 24, Rev. Ira Acree decided hosted a COVID-19 vaccination site at his church, Greater St John Bible Church, 1256 N. Waller Ave. in Austin — roughly a year after surviving his own encounter

with the virus.

Both Acree and his wife survived bouts with COVID-19 last summer. Acree got vaccinated at the end of January, but wanted to do his part to give Austin residents more opportunities to get vaccinated. He said he hopes that his example will help overcome the vaccine hesitancy

among community members, bringing both Austin and the city of Chicago a step closer to some semblance of pre-COVID-19 normalcy.

The church got 300 doses and at least 70 doses were used within the first two and a half hours, with around 20 patients waitSee VACCINES on page 9

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

Beyond Hunger’s home delivery program expands to Austin community The new location will allow Beyond Hunger to serve more people and accommodate more special diets.

By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

After expanding rapidly to meet the growing need spurred by the pandemic, a food access program has relocated to Austin’s Soul City Corridor.

The new location for Beyond Hunger’s home delivery program at 5317 W. Chicago Ave. will allow it to increase how many people it serves and offer a wider range of food options, giving people more choice over the kinds of food they can access through the program.

Before the pandemic, the home deliver program allowed Beyond Hunger to provide groceries to about 80 households each month.

But when the pandemic hit, the demand for food delivery swelled, and the program quickly grew to serve around 300 households

monthly, said Teri Miller, from Beyond Hunger.

“The need exploded when everything happened last year in March. The community reached out to us with the need to have groceries delivered,” Miller said.

Funded by a grant from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the new location has space for more kinds of food. That allows the program to serve more people who have specialized dietary needs, like a renal diet or a heart-healthy diet, Miller said.

“What that really does is stabilize the home delivery program. It allows us to maintain and expand that program,” Miller said.

“More importantly, it allows us to offer a larger variety of food items to the participants in that program.”

Each month, Beyond Hunger does a wellness call with program participants to walk them through a menu of food items that can be delivered. More options means participants can make better nutritional choices, Miller said.

“In the past, we might have had 1 percent milk or regular milk available. Now, we can also offer alternative milks for folks who can’t have dairy in their diet. We’ll offer low-sodi-

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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle at Beyond Hunger’s new Austin location.

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um or heart healthy items … . We have more space to have some more variety,” Miller said.

The home deliver program began when Beyond Hunger staff noticed it was hard for older people to get to the food pantry at the organization’s headquarters in the basement of First United Church, 848 Lake St. in Oak Park, Miller said. The group started off by supporting Oak Park Township’s meals-onwheels program by delivering groceries to older people to supplement the daily hot meal they were receiving.

The home deliveries have since expanded to other senior homes, and most participants are older residents of Oak Park and Austin and others who struggled with food access and faced barriers that made it a challenge to pick up food from local pantries. The new location is near senior centers served by the program, including Thresholds and Senior Suites of Austin.

The program operates through referrals with partner organizations. One partner is the 15th Police District, which maintains a

watch list of vulnerable residents who needed food. Last year, police helped deliver food for the program to about 100 households on its list, Miller said.

The new location will allow Beyond Hunger to better serve people experiencing food insecurity due to the pandemic, Miller said.

But many residents and older people on the West Side struggled to go out and get food themselves even before the pandemic, Miller said, meaning the expansion will help fill a gap that has always been there.

“The pandemic really highlighted the issue that there’s a lot of folks who were unable to get out, or maybe were afraid to get out … to get groceries. That was really aggravated by the health crisis,” Miller said.

Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.

CONTACT: pascal@blockculbchi.org

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

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Equity Editor/Ombudsman/Editor Michael Romain Senior Editor Bob Uphues Contributing Reporter Igor Studenkov Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks Columnist Arlene Jones Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Digital Strategist James Kay Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Chicago Department of Planning and Development

An architectural rendering of DPD’s development recommendation for the new Humboldt Park Invest South/West site.

City seeking proposals for Invest South/West site

The proposed project will be built at 3601 W. Chicago Ave. and 3617-3625 W. Chicago Ave. in Humboldt Park

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Chicago Community Development Commission voted unanimously on April 20 to allow the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to go out to bid for the redevelopment proposals for West Humboldt Park lots at 3601 W. Chicago Ave. and 3617-3625 W. Chicago Ave. As part of the Invest South/West initiative, the city has been seeking out developers for unused, mostly city-owned lots along major corridors on the West and South sides.

The West Humboldt Park proposal stands out because both lots are privately owned — one lot contains a vacant church building owned by the Uptown-based All Real Estate Company and the other lot includes a building that houses the offices of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS), a nonprofit that provides home ownership assistance to low-income residents.

The Community Development Commission voted on April 21 to authorize the city to use eminent domain to buy and raze the church building. One of the conditions of the redevelopment proposal is that the new

development must include office space for Neighborhood Housing Services.

Preliminary plans call for retail uses and new NHS offices on the first floor, with residential units and a community space located on the floors above. A public plaza would be built underneath the residential section held up by support beams.

The DPD is expected to go out for bids by the end of April and developers will have three months to submit their proposals.

As part of the Invest/South West, DPD issued proposals for three West Side sites in the fall of 2020. They chose Heartland Alliance and the Oak Park Regional Housing Center to redevelop the former Laramie State Bank building, 5200 W. Chicago Ave. The agency is currently in the process of choosing developers for the Silver Shovel site, 4300 W. Roosevelt Rd., and vacant lots at 3400-18 W. Ogden Ave. For West Humboldt Park, DPD considered several sites on the stretch of Chicago Avenue between Pulaski Road and Kedzie Avenue for the Invest/South West project.

Most notably, they considered a site at the northeast corner of Pulaski Road and Chicago Avenue, within walking distance of the controversial Joint Public Safety Training Academy at 4301 W. Chicago Ave. — better known as the “Cop Academy” among activists who opposed its construction.

The development commission’s March 9 meeting agenda originally included a vote on seeking proposals for that site, but the item was pulled from the agenda. DPD staff

indicated that they decided to go with a site that was centrally located within the study corridor.

As with other sites, the city held community meetings to get a sense of what the residents wanted to see on the site. During the April 1 community meeting, residents suggested several uses, including a small business incubator, a clothing store, a fitness center and some kind of mental health service provider.

At least 50 of the residential units in the new development would need to be affordable. The building would be continuous and the alley that currently separates the two lots would be vacated. The preliminary plans call for the residential structure on the Central Park Avenue side of the property to hang over a “mixed-use collaborative plaza” at the southwest corner of Chicago and Central Park avenues.

DPD previously indicated that, while developers don’t have to follow every aspect of the design, sticking closer to the city’s vision for the site will work in their favor.

The Community Development Commission approved issuing the bids and using the eminent domain unanimously and without discussion.

For the latest information about this and other Invest South/West development proposals, visit https://www.chicago.gov/city/ en/sites/invest_sw/home/requests-for-proposals.html.

CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

After 7-year-old’s murder, West Siders seek to occupy blocks

Firehouse Community Arts Center is organizing hyper-local groups to reclaim blocks and get young people off the streets

By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

After 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was murdered, West Side leaders are taking a stand against surging street violence, hoping to stop shootings before they start.

Firehouse Community Arts Center is organizing hyperlocal groups to reclaim blocks and get young people off the streets. The initiative, called Project Presence, was launched in response to the uptick of gang shootings, including one that recently claimed the life of Jaslyn Adams, a 7-year-old girl who was shot along with her father in the drive-thru of a North Lawndale McDonald’s on April 18.

The arts center will give local churches, groups, leaders and residents the resources they need to host pop-up events on blocks that experience violence to engage at-risk young people and keep crime at bay, said Pastor Phil Jackson, founder of the Firehouse Community Arts Center. Events can be anything from sports games to cookouts that will get young people involved and “take the neighborhood back just by posting up,” he said.

Weekly planning meetings for Project Presence will be held at 5 p.m. Thursdays at the Firehouse Community Arts Center, 2111 S. Hamlin Ave. At the meetings, partners will map out where and when they’ll host pop-up events on target blocks.

Any resident or group in the area is welcome to join, Jackson said.

Jackson hopes the volunteer groups can eventually establish a constant seven-day-a-week presence on blocks that struggle with violence so there are more eyes on the streets and more neighbors helping at-risk young people get involved with more productive activities.

“Let’s provide what we can provide. Let’s be present in the

PROVIDED

Jaslyn Adams

PASCAL SABINO / Block Club Chicago

Pastor Phil Jackson at the Firehouse Community Arts Center. community with people who care. Then those caring people can create conversations with cats who may not know where they’re trying to go or what they’re trying to do,” Jackson said.

Project Presence partners can also get support from outreach workers — credible messengers who share similar experiences and backgrounds with young people who are vulnerable to gangs and violence.

“I just try to be that bridge between the hood and our community and try to get these young guys on to something new,” said Jabari Ellis, an outreach advocate at Firehouse Community Arts Center. “I experienced it. I lived it. So I try to be that model.”

The project will allow residents to decide what kinds of events can best reach at-risk youth, Jackson said. Local partners are already embedded in their communities and have established relationships in targeted hotspots, so they already know what resources they need to make an impact, he said.

Partners will be equipped with the resources to host barbecues, open mics, basketball games, arts events, freestyling contests and performances. Firehouse Community Arts will also connect partners with resources, programs and opportunities to share with troubled young people to give them the support they need to get off the streets, Jackson said.

“The more presence, the more power for impact,” Jackson said. “It’s about opening a conversation that can spark that level of hope.”

18-year-old charged in murder of Adams An 18-year-old man was charged Saturday in the murder of Jaslyn Adams, the 7-year-old slain while with her father in a McDonald’s drive-thru.

Marion Lewis was charged with one count of first degree murder along with 16 other felonies including vehicular hijacking, attempted murder, aggravated assault of a peace officer and several gun charges, officials said.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said Lewis “was being charged in connection of the murder” but would not specify if he was the person who pulled the trigger. He did say the investigation is ongoing and that police believe others were involved.

“We’re limited in what we can say because we have other offenders to bring in on this horrific crime,” Brown said.

“We’re not done, there’s more offenders to bring to justice,” he said. “You can run, but you can’t hide. We are going to bring you to justice for this crime. The Adams family deserves nothing less.”

At about 4 p.m. Thursday, Lewis, who was under surveillance by Chicago Police, drove from a western suburb onto the Eisenhower Expressway.

Lewis is scheduled to appear in Bond Court on Sunday.

CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org

Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

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Austin organization puts plastic to good use The Austin Peoples Action Center received a new bench made entirely of intercepted grocery bags

Crossing Austin Boulevard This story is part of an ongoing series of articles that Austin Weekly News will publish about issues, events, people, places and things that show the interconnectedness of Austin and Oak Park.

By STACEY SHERIDAN Wednesday Journal

The Austin Peoples Action Center, 5125 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin, will be receiving a new bench made entirely of intercepted grocery bags, Ziplock bags and other plastics that would have otherwise been dumped into landfills.

“We’re really excited,” said Cynthia Williams, Austin Peoples Action Center CEO. The plastic collection is a joint effort between the Interfaith Green Network and the Clean Up-Give Back chapter of Oak Park and River Forest made possible through a recycling initiative coordinated

by Trex, a manufacturer of eco-friendly outdoor furniture.

“If you collect 500 pounds within six months, they will make you a plastic bench,” said Interfaith Green Network’s Phyllis Rubin.

The two groups began collecting in midMarch, quickly hitting that 500-pound mark, which corresponds to about 40,000 individual single-use plastic bags.

“About three weeks in, we surpassed the goal,” said Judy Klem, of the Interfaith Green Network.

With enough plastic poundage amassed for the first bench, collection began for a second – a goal easily within reach. The caring hands have gathered a total of almost 970 pounds of plastic since they began collection efforts last month.

“It’s insane that we have collected so much plastic,” said Klem. “And it’s still coming.”

The idea to collect plastics for a bench came from Rubin, whom Klem called “the queen of plastics.” Rubin learned of the Trex initiative through her contacts within the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest organization.

She presented the idea to Klem and other members of the Interfaith Green Network.

Klem in turn posted about the initiative on Oak Park’s zero waste Facebook group, where it was seen by Adrienne Eyer, president of the local Clean Up-Give Back chapter. Eyer suggested her chapter, made up almost entirely of high school students, get involved.

“We became this trifecta,” said Klem, who called the teenage partners “amazing.”

Collection bins are set up at Oak Park Temple, the lobby of the Oak Park Con-

Alex Rogals/Staff Photographer

FRONT FROM LEFT: Adrienne Eyer, of Clean Up Give Back; Judy Klem, of Interfaith Network Oak Park; Cynthia Williams, of Austin People’s Action Center; and Phyllis Rubin, Interfaith Green Network Temple Har Zion. The women stand with teen volunteers of Clean Up Give Back on April 17 in front of Oak Park Temple in Oak Park. servatory and Oak Park and River Forest High School’s student activity center. Volunteers and group members routinely empty the bins, which are often times overflowing.

Sometimes the bins are emptied multiple times a day.

“It’s a sad state that there’s so much plastic coming out of our homes,” said Klem.

Once collected, the contents of the bins are weighed, documented and then brought to the Jewel-Osco in River Forest, where they are the shipped off to Trex. The grocery store, according to Eyer, has been integral to the project’s success.

“They have been nothing short of fantastic,” said Eyer. “They really have just been out of this world.”

Klem and Rubin expect the sheer volume of plastics collected has much to do with people being unable to use their reusable grocery bags for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating the utilization of single-use plastic bags.

“What they did was they were saving all the plastic bags,” said Rubin, who stated she’s curious to see if the influx of plastic donations will taper off.

Grocery bags aren’t the only plastic item able to be deposited in the bins. Also able to be deposited are plastic coverings from a number of household items, including toilet paper wrapping, sandwich bags, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning bags, cereal box liners.

Plastics that can be described as crunchy should not be placed in collection bins.

Just as she suggested participating in the Trex initiative, Rubin suggested the first bench go to Austin Peoples Action Center. Already being manufactured, the bench will sit between two homes belonging to the center.

“What we use them for is to house highrisk babies or foster care babies,” said Williams.

The yard between the two homes is undeveloped. Austin Peoples Action Center is working to convert the site into a garden through donations and grants. Williams told

Wednesday Journal the center recently received an anonymous $1,000 donation to go toward purchasing plants and materials.

“We’re now able to have a real nice garden and an area where we can sit and relax,” said Williams.

Once enough plastic for the second bench is collected, the groups will determine the exact location where it will be situated. For now, the Clean Up-Give Back teens hope that it will go in a public space able to be enjoyed by all.

CONTACT: stacey@oakpark.com

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

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When asked why, he responded, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times. Good times create weak men, weak men create hard times.”

For the purpose of this conversation, the term “men” in this column will refer to both male and female. Reading his quote, I had to agree. Right now, the Black community is filled with weak people. What other reason could possibly explain the community’s response to the horrific slaughter/ assassination of a 7-year-old child riding in the backseat of a car going through the McDonald’s drive-thru? Since when did a Happy Meal include six bullets to the body?

Upon learning/seeing/hearing of this horrific event, did the community rise up, searching every nook and cranny to find the shooters? Did business and community residents in the area pull every bit of security camera footage to help identify the baby killers? Did people stand up and begin to name the kind of car and the individuals

in it? Was there a level of insult and disgust finally reached so that relatives would turn in their criminal relatives because they did not want to be associated with individuals who would murder a child?

Did the churches that sit three to a block with no grocery store in sight hold a “fire and brimstone” vigil and begin a prayer to God to smite the individuals who could do that to a kid? Was the Black community finally at our breaking point when it comes to the senseless violence and back-and-forth gang warfare being waged and perpetrated from within? Was a strong message finally sent to the criminal element that we are not going to take it anymore?

Hell no! In a community where ‘I’ll beat your ass” is a common, everyday tough refrain, the response was a fricking balloon release. I am certain that action did not send terror into the hearts, minds, and souls of those who committed this heinous act. And it surely didn’t send a message to future killers to make them think twice before attempting such a stunt.

What it did was validate what Sheikh Mohammed said. We we have weak people who, because of their inactions and tolerance of anything and everything, have allowed bad behavior to flourish, thus producing the hard times we currently live in.

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

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Developer looking to bring second Starbucks to Galewood City, developer disagree over site layout, store proximity to sidewalk

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Chicago City Council voted unanimously on April 21 to approve zoning changes that will allow Oak Park-based Capri Development to build Galewood’s second Starbucks at 2001 N. Harlem Ave. But that is only the first step in what could be a long approval process.

The coffee shop would be located roughly a mile north of the Starbucks at 7112 W. North Ave., currently the only Starbucks location not just in Galewood, but anywhere on the West Side.

Capri Development, which also developed the North Avenue location, is planning a layout similar to the Portage Park Starbucks location at 4155 N. Cicero Ave., with indoor seating, a patio with an outdoor seating and a drive-thru wrapping around the building.

The zoning change cleared the city council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on April 20, before going

dent coffee shops, none of them are in Austin. The closest Starbucks location to Austin is in the Hermosa neighborhood, at 1941 N. Cicero Ave. Capri Development is a commercial developer that works with retail clients to design and develop properties to meet their needs. Cairo said that Starbucks wanted the location based on the traffic studies.

GOOGLE MAPS The new Starbucks would be built on the currently vacant The lot at 2001 N. Harlem Ave., which could be the lots at 2001 N. Harlem Avenue site of Galewood’s second Starbucks. and 1716-1718 W. Armitage Ave., which were zoned for manufacbefore the full council the following day. turing and residential use, respectively.

According to Paul Kolpak, the attorKolpak told the zoning committee that, ney for the project, the Zoning Board of even before the pandemic, Starbucks had Appeals still needs to approve the drivebeen pivoting toward drive-thru facilities. through but Capri Development owner “Their position is they want to open stores, Mathew Cairo said the city is pushing the they want to get people in and out,” Kolpak development to build the coffee shop closer said. “They want to come up with a different to the sidewalk and reconfigure the drive- design, where, if the drive-thru is backed up, through. Until that issue is sorted out, the you can pull [up your order on a phone app] project won’t go before the zoning board. and they’d bring coffee to you.”

Cairo said that, if it does clear the zoning During his April 21 virtual monthly comboard, he expects to be able to start con- munity meeting, Ald. Chris Taliaferro struction “pretty much immediately” and (29th), whose ward includes the Harlem/Arfinish construction within 150 days. mitage site and the North Avenue Starbucks, While the West Side has a few indepen- said that the city and the developer are still

negotiating over the site layout and the location of the drive-thru.

Cairo said that the issue was that the city wanted the coffee shop “touching the sidewalk,” which, is not conducive to a coffee shop with a drive-thru, he said.

Since the city already approved the Portage Park Starbucks, he argued, it made no sense for them to reject a similar design.

Taliaferro said that he supports the Harlem/Armitage Starbucks, noting that it might reduce drive-thru traffic at the North Avenue Starbucks location. He also said that now that he has “a good point of contact” with Starbucks, he is trying to get it to open locations elsewhere in the 29th Ward.

Both Taliaferro and Cairo said that the city has given them no indication about when the application would go before the zoning board.

Judith Alexander, head of The North Avenue District Inc., said that, in the morning, the line of cars using the North Avenue Starbucks’ drive-through often stretches “a few blocks east.”

“I think it would be nice to take some pressure off the drive-thru,” she said. “I guess that the drivers that are going to be turning north on Harlem, they would go to that other Starbucks, which strikes me as a good thing.”

CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

Hundreds turn out for baby formula giveaway

Dozens of people donated supplies for Saturday’s makeup event that almost didn’t happen due to theft

By BOB CHIARITO Block Club Chicago

Hundreds of people turned out Saturday to pick up free baby formula, diapers and other supplies at an Austin church event that had to be postponed earlier this month after a small group of people made off with supplies meant for hundreds.

Pastor Michael Wright of Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 854 N. Central Ave., said he was “devastated” April 2 after 12-15 people took advantage of an employee working alone and took all the items set aside for the church’s Baby Bank event that helps people in need.

On April 3, the date the event was originally scheduled to be held, Wright had to explain to people showing up what happened and that the event was postponed. But donors quickly stepped up to help after a Block Club Chicago story shed light on what happened.

Dozens from the Austin neighborhood and from the suburbs donated supplies. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Starck Real Estate in Arlington Heights, for example, donated some 5,000 diapers and other baby items. Robert Magiet and members of West Town Feeds showed up in four SUVs filled with more than $3,000 worth of supplies.

On Saturday, even more donated, including a 50-car caravan of Delta Sigma Theta Chicago alumnae from across the city who brought more than 100 boxes of supplies.

And Magiet donated again — this time bringing food for 400 people.

Also on hand was Michael “Chef Mike” Airhart, founder and CEO of Taste For The Homeless, who cooked burgers and hotdogs for the crowd.

Local DJ Tony Harris, who lives a halfblock from the church, spun records on the parkway on Iowa Street, which Chicago Po-

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

Rev. Michael Wright, of Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, greets attendees at the church’s giveaway on Saturday. lice closed to allow for a block-party-like atmosphere.

Magiet has organized multiple, large-scale

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

The April 24 event, which nearly didn’t happen due to theft, was part giveaway, part block club celebration.

efforts to help people in need over the past year.

He bought out local tamale vendors on cold days and operated a Love Fridge from his restaurant, TaKorea Cocina. His nonprofit, West Town Feeds, has orchestrated Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for people experiencing homelessness, St. Patrick’s Day meals for hospitality workers and ongoing meals for soldiers working the United Center vaccination site.

So, seeing the several hundred people lined up along Central Avenue Saturday, Magiet said he was not surprised.

“I’m actually not. I’ve seen the need this year, especially because of the pandemic,” Magiet said.

Asked if he might run out of food before the end of the event, he said that could be a positive.

“It would mean we fed 400 and even more got baby supplies,” Magiet said.

For mothers like Shay Heath, a 23-yearold Austin resident with a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old, the event was a blessing. “My kids’ dad is deceased so this really comes in handy,” Heath said.

Ericson Vega, 28, of Austin, who was holding his 4-month-old daughter while waiting in line, agreed with Heath. “It helps a lot, especially during Covid when many can’t get out.

This really shows we aren’t alone, Vega said.

For Celia Camacho, a 32-year-old Logan Square teacher with three kids, the event was especially helpful.

“I don’t qualify for LINK because I work but I’m going through a divorce and this is a really tough time for me. This is wonderful,” Camacho said.

Wright said people in line had to enter the lobby of the church and register and then were able to go down a line of tables stocked with supplies and could take what they needed. Wright said people are asked for their contact information so that church volunteers can follow up after the event to see what other needs they may have.

“This is amazing,” Wright said, scanning the line that stretched for more than a block down Central Ave. “Our goal was to help 1,000, but we may exceed it. Wow.”

CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org

Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

VACCINES

Spreading the word from page 1 ing to get vaccinated, organizers said.

Residents sat in the church basement, with medical staff moving through the rows of seats, giving residents COVID-19 tests and vaccinating them one by one. They will be able to get their second dose at the church in May. In Austin, vaccines are currently available at Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Ave.; PCC Community Health Center locations; Cook County Health system’s Austin Health Center, 4800 W. Chicago Ave.; and Walgreens stores.

There have also been pop-up vaccination sites and one-off events organized through the Protect Chicago Plus initiative.

In fact, there were two vaccination events in Austin on April 24. In addition to Acree’s event, Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (7th) co-hosted an event at Moore Park, 5085 W. Adams St. “There’s a tale of two cities,” Acree said, referencing the deep racial and geographic disparities in access to healthcare and vaccine availability.

“As faith leaders, we prayed, ‘Lord, send us the cure,’” Acree said. “So now, there is the cure. The vaccine is the answer to our prayer.”

IGOR STUDENKOV

Rev. Ira Acree (right) greets Ald. Chris Taliaferro (second from left) and MWRD commissioner Barbara McGowan (third from left).

While he experienced chills and fever after getting the vaccine, those side-effects were nothing compared to the actual disease.

“I had significant breathing problems,” Acree recalled. “I had body aches, chills, flulike symptoms. I lost a lot of weight and really struggled to get around.”

And, unlike the disease, the vaccine side-

MIRACLE HOUSE

Officially landmarked from page 1 the house was conceived as a grand prize. Edo Belli, the cofounder of the Belli and Belli architecture firm, designed the building pro-bono, with General Electric donating appliances, retailer Sol Polk donating furnishings and General Bridge and Steel company providing the steel arms.

The name “Miracle House” was first used on the raffle ticket. The raffle raised enough money to not only pay for a new church, but a new parish rectory, a convent and a school. Since then, the building has only had three owners, with Scheiner buying it in 1999.

As part of the designation process, the application went before the Chicago Commission on Landmarks on Dec. 3, 2020.

“Every time I walk into the house, my heart skips a

FILE

HISTORIC: The Miracle House is known for its distinct design that represents mid-1950s optimism and is a rare example of residential buildings designed by Belli and Belli.

effects only lasted 24 hours.

“The next day, I felt 20 years younger,” Acree said. “It’s like I had a burst of energy.”

Acree encouraged everyone to get vaccinated, noting that every inoculated person puts the country closer to herd immunity.

“If they enjoy walking around with masks on for the rest of their lives, if they like not

9

going to church, if they like not going to the restaurants, don’t get vaccinated,” he said.

Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), whose ward includes Acree’s church, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Barbara McGowan stopped by Greater St. John to take a look at the event and offer support. Both officials are vaccinated.

The alderman, who promoted the event in his online newsletter and during his April 21 community meeting, said that he would like to see multiple vaccination sites throughout Austin.

“I just want to thank Rev. Ira Acree for putting this together for the Austin community,” Taliaferro said. “We still got thousands of people in Austin who need to get vaccinated. This is an awesome effort and we should continue to add sites in our ward.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” McGowan said.

“I think it’s absolutely great and I think the church did a good job of getting people out here,” she said. “This just shows that people do want to get vaccinated.”

Raven Lewis and Jaleal Meadows, both of Austin, found out about the event from their relatives.

“I was nervous at first, but I guess the nurses put me at ease and I’m relieved,” Lewis said.

“I feel alright,” Meadows said. “I was kind of nervous at first, but I’m okay.”

CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

beat,” Scheiner told the commission at the time.

“It’s an amazing house. It doesn’t overwhelm — it just envelops me.”

The planning department recommended the landmark designation because the house had a distinct design that represented mid-1950s optimism and served as a rare example of Belli and Belli-designed residential buildings. The staff also noted that, aside from an addition in the rear in 1965 and a minor alteration in 1999, the building has largely retained its original design.

According to a DPD fact FILE sheet, the landmark designation will allow Miracle GRATEFUL OWNER: Dr. David Scheiner, a retired physician who was Barack Obama’s House owners to apply for personal doctor until 2008, requested the designation because he liked the house and property tax assessment wanted to preserve it. freezes, get federal tax deduction for facade rehabilibeen studying other city landmarks throughout Austin. He tation and apply for waiver of city permit fees. noted that three Austin buildings and three Austin historic On April 21, Ward Miller, the executive director of Presdistricts are on the National Register of Historic Places, as ervation Chicago historical preservation advocacy group, well. said he was glad to see such a unique building get landThose include the First Congregational Church of Austin, marked.

5701 W. Midway Park Ave.; the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed “It’s a wonderful, wonderful landmark designation of a Joseph J. Walser House, 42 N. Central Ave.; and the Seth Warvery unusual mid-century modern house that’s got a very ner House, 631 W. Central Ave. interesting history,” he said. “We’re very proud to have “We do have some really incredible homes in the Austin that as one of the newest landmarks.”

Taliaferro has supported the designation throughout the community,” Taliaferro said. “Those are homes that could entire process. During his community meeting, he said that easily be $1.5 million in value — just tremendously beautiful.” he was “excited” that the house was finally landmarked.

Taliaferro also said that, in the past few months, he’s CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

10

Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

deadline: 9:30 am Monday office hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday

CLASSIFIEDS TO PLACE AN AD HELP WANTED

CALL: 773-626-6332 | FAX: 708-467-9066 | E-MAIL: classifieds@AustinWeeklyNews.com Place your ad online anytime at AUSTINWEEKLYNEWS.COM/CLASSIFIED HELP WANTED

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To be considered must have: • a current Illinois driver license • be friendly and courtoues • have a good driving recoed • must be 18 years or older in age • pass a criminal background check To schedule an interview CALL (708) 442-7533, MONDAY THRU SUNDAY (10AM TO 4PM) ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INTERN The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Environmental Health Intern in the Health Department. This fulltime seasonal position will provide assistance to the Environmental Health Practitioners in the inspection and local businesses, homes and other establishments to enforce state and local laws and ordinances related to public Health safety; to respond and resolve citizen complaints regarding nuisances and reported epidemics. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than April 30, 2021.

HOMECARE AIDES Sahara Homecare is hiring Homecare Aides for our Melrose Park location. We are looking for compassionate caregivers to assist elderly clients with everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and other errands. Pay starts at $14.00 per hour and flexible hours are available. Please call our Melrose Park office at (708) 344-2273 if interested or email Nicole Gray at nicoleg@ saharahomecare.com and Greyder Martinez at greyderm@saharahomecare.com.

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

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Austin Weekly News, April 28, 2021

Recovery can be hard.

PCC will support you every step of the way.

PCC Community Wellness Center has 13 health centers that serve the West Side and near west suburbs. We offer specialty mental health and substance use treatment during medical appointments at our health centers.

Behavioral Health Services (773) 378-3347 Ext 4252    

Emotional support & counseling Support and wellness groups Psychiatric medication management Help finding resources

Substance Use Treatment, 18+ (708) 406-3929 

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Treatment for the use of heroin, prescription pain pills, alcohol, cigarettes, and other substances Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) with Suboxone, Vivitrol, or Buprenorphine Chemical Dependency Clinic Prenatal care, including peer doula care, ultrasounds & delivery during active treatment Peer support specialists with lived recovery experience Support groups and access to ongoing care after treatment

We have in-person or virtual (telephone or video) appointments available!

PCC accepts many health plans, including Medicaid and Medicare.

We also offer a discount program for patients without insurance.

No one is denied services, even if you cannot pay.

3 Erie Court, Suite 1300, Oak Park, IL 60302 PCC’s Chemical Dependency Clinic is located at the PCC Walk-In Wellness Center at West Suburban Medical Center.

Here, patients have direct access to the first doses of medicine for the recovery of substance use. After treatment is established, patients may continue their treatment and care at another PCC health center.

Patients at the Chemical Dependency Clinic will have a peer support specialist with lived experience to help them manage their recovery and appointments.