July was filled with much to celebrate, from summer camps and block parties to staff promotions. While there was a lot to commemorate, we also had to say goodbye to one of our biggest advocates, Robert Tone Bale, who has been part of CPA since the beginning. Check out below all that is going on at CPA and what is to come.
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Mark Your Calendar
Check out these fun events we have coming up and join us!
- Tuesday, August 16 – Back to school supplies deadline
- Wednesday, August 17 – Foster Care Orientation
- Sunday, August 28 – 2nd Annual Pickleball Tournament FUNdraiser
Remembering Tone Bale
One of the Founding Board members and early leaders of Children’s Place Association, Robert Tone Bale, passed away July 23rd at age 83.
Tone served on our Board for 18 years (1989-1999 & 2013-2021) and was instrumental in forging the path that has led us to where we are today.
READ ON to learn more about Tone’s CPA legacy.
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Come join us at our 2nd annual Pickleball Tournament FUNdraiser on August 28. Over 100 locals will gather to learn about Children’s Place, eat, drink, be merry, and play pickleball. CLICK HERE for details.
Back to School
Help us set our CPA kids up for success this school year by providing them with the supplies they’ll need to thrive. You can participate by purchasing supplies from our Amazon Wish List, or if you would like to purchase items and drop them off, CLICK HERE to learn more.
Congrats to…
- A client’s son recently graduated from Lane Technical High School.
- Two clients have recently become CPA team members.
- A client’s husband for obtaining employment at Tyson Foods in Moline, IL. The family is planning to join him with supportive transitional assistance from their Family Case Manager.
- All of our clients were able to perform 100% participation in case management support services following the departure of our former CFSS supervisor.
Summer Programs and more!
Summer Mini-Camp Fun
What a summer we’ve had with 21 kids registered! We’ve had so much fun swimming with Goldfish Swim School, doing great activities with JPA running WeRock, learning about keeping our minds and bodies healthy, and learning how to grow our own food with the nursing interns from the University of Chicago! A special thank you to Dick’s Sporting Goods for providing tennis equipment and partnering with Grassroots Tennis Association for free lessons! Each Monday through Thursday, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm, we make sure to provide summer fun and healthy meals for our Thrive summer campers.
Sports Physicals & Pediatric Consultations
We are offering free school sports physicals and pediatric consultations to the community with our continued partnership with Rush and Dr. Margi.
Mission In Action (M.I.A)
M.I.A, a free, teen-led program for grades 9 through 12, has started and takes place every Monday from 12:30 to 2:30 pm!
Mental Health
Our partner, JPA, continues to offer mental health counseling on site (at WHP) every Friday from 2:00 to 6:00 pm with Ben. We have also added a new counselor, Julie, for individuals who prefer services with a female-oriented/gendered person. These services are available to everyone associated with CPA and the West Humboldt Park community.
Celebrations, Beginnings, Ceremonies, and more!
End of Year Celebration
The Early Learning team, students, and families had an end-of-year block party with fun activities to rejoice in our school’s community! Pictures coming soon.
August 17 – Graduation and Moving Up Ceremony
It’s that time of year to honor our kids leaving Center Base for kindergarten and those leaving Home Base for preschool. 18 kids are graduating to kindergarten, 7 have been accepted to Charter Schools, 1 to a selective enrollment gifted program, and the rest will attend local or choose school options based on parental preference. Most students will be returning for our 22-23 program year.
It’s a Bug’s Life
The Iguana and Polar Bear Preschool classrooms have been working on a unit on insects! For the past few weeks, students have been learning about an array of bugs, including live crickets! Next week, they will focus on the butterfly’s life cycle and observe real-life caterpillars grow and turn into beautiful butterflies!
Kudos
Congratulations to Foster Care Case Manager Julie Acevedo, the newest team member. Julie has recently taken on her cases and is a strong advocate for her clients. She has adapted very well to the various challenges of child welfare and fosters care case management.
Congratulations, Micol!
Please join us in congratulating our very own Micol Werner for her promotion to Director of International Programs and Operations!
In her new role, Micol will assume overall responsibility for all CPI programs and operations, including leadership of our Takeda partnership, ensuring program excellence, and working on identifying new programmatic opportunities, strategic planning, and budgeting.
Over her five years with Children’s Place International, Micol has demonstrated outstanding leadership, thoughtful teamwork, gifted analytical abilities, and the capability to work fluently in English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish. She is committed to ensuring children and youth around the world can equitably access health, education, and opportunities to thrive.
Major Company & Foundation Supporters
Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS, The Chaddick Foundation, Col. Stanley R. McNeil Foundation, Paul M. Angell Foundation
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Major Individual Supporters
Joie DeGraff, Ms. Binita Kwankin & Mr. Joseph Hmieleski, Patrons of Old St. Patrick’s Church, Bradley Rasof, David Shelist, Colin Smith, Eric Wilder
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In-Kind Donations
Dick’s Sporting Goods supplied tennis equipment for the Child Thrive summer camp.
Volunteer, Donate and CPA Opportunities
Join in and be part of the solution in helping Chicago’s most vulnerable kids. We have a variety of volunteer, donation, and CPA opportunities.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
- Early Learning Center
August 15, 16, 18 & 19 Help the teachers prepare for changes between program years, including organizing the classrooms and the rest of the building.
Contact volunteer@childrens-place.org
OngoingVolunteer Opportunities
There are plenty of volunteer and donation opportunities throughout the year. Check out which might be most suitable for you:
- Mission In Action (M.I.A.) Program: We are actively looking for participants and volunteers to mentor for our teen-led program (grades 9 through 12) after-school in the West Humboldt Park area.
- Join our Junior Board
- Join our Gala Committee
- and so much more!
Contact volunteer@childrens-place.org
Whatever your skillset or time commitment, we have something that fits YOU!
Contact us today to learn more and get started on your volunteer journey.
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Other CPA Opportunities
Join the CPA Team:
Check out our CPA openings and how you can join the team. Read about all the existing opportunities to work at Children’s Place Association.
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Foster Parents Needed
Foster parents are needed! If you would like to learn more about our foster care program, email fostercare@childrens-place.org to learn more.
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Invest in our CPA Child’s Future
Your support helps us provide critical services to children and their families affected by serious health issues and extreme poverty. Whether a one-time gift or a recurring monthly donation, $5 or $500, it directly impacts our children’s future.
- Adopt a Family donations
- Gift cards (Target, Amazon, Aldi, etc) for families in need or in crisis
- $35,000 to purchase tablets, laptops, educational software, internet services, phone plans, and computers for our teachers.
Please donate today to support our kids’ and families’ education, health, and economic stability.
Hope Thrives When Communities Care
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
As the African Proverb says, going together gets you further. We’d love to have you stay connected with us to know what’s going on at CPA and how you can be involved.
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