A nonprofit's toy drive, vaccine distribution and Hanukkah celebrations
Plus an epic 19-minute Marvin Gaye remix you won't want to miss
Welcome back to the newsletter, everyone. The holiday season is upon us with Hanukkah starting this Thursday, and we hope that everyone is staying safe, warm and healthy. It’s your newsletter team – Francesca, Justin and Cam – back for a week of news with some recommendations from the 14 East team and a special feature from 14 East contributor Fatima Zaidi (check out her latest work for 14 East here).
This newsletter also falls on December 7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Due to COVID-19, this year’s memorial gathering at Pearl Harbor in Hawai’i is much smaller than in years past, and the exhibit is closed to the public, but you can learn more about the 79-year-old attacks on Pearl Harbor here.
Empowering Women and Living Hope Distribute Toys to Families in Need
On Saturday, Illinois-based nonprofit Empowering Women, in partnership with Living Hope Church on the South Side, gathered to distribute 360 presents to families ahead of Christmas holiday celebrations.
Nearly 416 toys were requested by families with children, ranging from books, bicycles and basketballs to skateboards, and playsets from the organization’s Amazon wish list. The list was also available on their website. Toys that are typically priced up to nearly $100 on the shopping platform were valued by Empowering Women between $1-$10, making them easily affordable for all families that attended. Over 350 parents visited the church to pick up their gifts, and the remaining toys are going to be sent to a local Lutheran church by Living Hope for their toy drive in two weeks.
In light of the global pandemic, CDC health guidelines were followed by splitting the distribution and wrapping of presents into two shifts, morning and afternoon, with approximately 10 volunteers, including the pastor and his wife..
Arshia Hasnain, the founder of the nonprofit, described the experience as “out of this world” and emphasized that every volunteer had a role to play during the toy drive.
“We didn’t want too many people, you know, you just had to make sure that everybody was spread out,” said Hasnain. “Some people [were on] the shift of wrapping the stuff, some people on the shift of paying for the items, some people on the shift of taking the parents back into the big hall which had all the toys, some of them were lifting the toys, you know, if there was a heavy toy the parents couldn’t carry them all out to the car so kind of taking that responsibility. Because we had a list of 400-plus people that had [registered toys], some people who hadn’t come and picked up their toys, there was a call team also.”
One in three women are assaulted by an intimate partner in their lifetime; in the US, every nine seconds a woman is assaulted and abused by a loved one; and nearly 20,000 calls are made daily to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. Hasnain, along with Empowering Women, has worked diligently to provide mental health counseling, legal counseling, workshops, job skill training, and health care resources for the welfare of all women that have been impacted by domestic violence in South Side Chicago.
Empowering Women has a number of upcoming events, which you can find on their website.
Headlines in Chicago
44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney’s popular Lakeview brunch spot Ann Sather is “under investigation” after being caught violating Chicago’s indoor dining ban – more here from Block Club Chicago’s Bob Chiarito.
The state of Illinois reported 8,691 COVID-19 cases today with 90 new deaths, according to Chicago Sun-Times’ Rachel Hinton. Health officials are still bracing for a potential post-Thanksgiving surge and preparing for the holidays ahead this month.
Talk of the COVID-19 vaccine has been all over the news in the past week as the first vaccines are set to roll out at the end of this month. Here are the 10 Illinois hospitals planned to dose out the first vaccines in the state, from NBC Chicago.
DePaul News
To meet the growing international demand for early childhood educators, DePaul has begun a new program in partnership with Hainan Normal University in Haikou, China. The program is based in DePaul’s College of Education and is aimed at educating students for the roles of multicultural educators and counselors, especially those looking to work in urban environments. Cohorts consisting of about 100 students from Hainan Normal University enrolled in the program will be given the opportunity to study in China for three years before coming overseas to complete their fourth year at DePaul. Through the program, which began this fall, students can interact with each other to foster conversations leading to greater understandings of diverse cultural experiences and perspectives.
Do you know a role model for promoting multiculturalism on campus or are you a role model yourself? Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to submit the names of themselves or someone they know by January 25, 2021, for consideration to be interviewed for The Multiculturalism Project. The project is a video series led by Chi Jang Yin, DePaul professor and head of photography and media art at The Art School. It aims to create conversations about equity in classrooms and research. An added emphasis is being given to faculty teaching LSP 200 multiculturalism classes for their nominations, and names may be sent to Yin at cyin1@depaul.edu.
The last day to sign up for Christmas from DePaul is this Wednesday, December 9, at 5 p.m. This event is a university-wide celebration of Christmas with the retelling of the Christian Christmas story through words and music led by the campus community. Christmas from DePaul is open to all, and you can sign up here via Eventbrite.
In light of the holiday season, President Esteban and his wife, Josephine, wish everybody a safe and happy time, while sharing a few ways to share holiday cheer this year:
National headlines
Coronavirus cases have only risen from our last newsletter, with nearly one million new cases in the past week in the United States. 14.9 million Americans have contracted COVID-19 since March, and at least 282,900 have died, according to the New York Times.
Georgia has yet again confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state, according to AP News - bad news for President Trump, who filed lawsuits calling for recounts in those states that Biden also won.
Hundreds of thousands of New Englanders are without power after a Nor’easter struck the region, marking one of the first major snow events of the winter season, according to NPR.
Need something to do this week?
Take a chance to listen to Mike Mauro's 19-minute remix of Marvin Gaye's hit “I Want You,” that surely feels like an epic tribute to the genre and artist. The mix dives deep into the original and reintroduces the elements of the classic by highlighting them one by one. Like a commentator on the page says, "When the breakdown has a breakdown, you know that you are in the middle of an amazing remix." Richie Requena
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo for the past two weeks. The novel, Evaristo’s eighth, follows the lives of 12 women living in Britain, spanning several decades, economic classes, nationalities and narratives. It’s funny, emotional, insightful and a breeze to read, making it an excellent book to cozy up to on a winter evening in quarantine. Francesca Mathewes
After sitting on buying the game for a few months now, I finally bought Hades for Switch, and I’m hooked. It’s a Greek-mythology-themed roguelike game that seemingly never ends – mainly because dying is pretty much expected for the game, and every death puts you back at the start. It’s super fun, story-driven, and has great illustrations. Cam Rodriguez
Hanukkah (Chanukkah)
Chag Sameach! Hanukkah begins this Thursday at sundown. We’ve rounded up some online events to help those of you stuck at home to celebrate:
Chicago Sinai Congregation is hosting online Hanukkah readings and candle lightings all eight days. To find the times and information for these events, visit their website.
ChiTribe’s website showcases a number of online Hanukkah-themed events and celebrations from Jewish organizations around the city ranging from candle lighting ceremonies to virtual comedy shows. To find a full list of celebrations, follow the link here. They also have another list with more traditional and contemporary events here.
Skirball Cultural Center is hosting a Hanukkah Celebration on Sunday, December 13, at 5 p.m. CST. This LA-based event is a lively spin on the holiday with local musical performances and a puppet show to tell the Hanukkah story. The event is free, but you must RSVP through the link on their website by 11 p.m. on Friday.
COVID-19 Testing
All of these testing sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all from us this week, folks. Be sure to check back next Monday for our last newsletter o 2020 (can you believe it!) Until then, stay safe, healthy and check out http://fourteeneastmag.com/ this Friday for our last lineup of the year.