“The power of storytelling is a driving force that engages communities. Stories have been the basis of culture from the beginning of time,” said Adam Gebb, Executive Director of Andes Amazon Conservancy, during the first in a series of webinars on climate change and environmental sustainability co-sponsored by ICA and the Center for Strategic Facilitation (CSF).
Beginning with the premise that “human-caused climate change is a defining issue of our time,” the Success through Participation: Environmental Sustainability Webinars, or “eco-webinars”, was launched to facilitate a multicultural, multinational exchange between leaders and projects who are working to address climate change. In 1979, Maxine Florell, Jeanette Hupp, and Janet Sullivan began operating a women’s center in Uptown with an aim that differed from many social service agencies of the time—to accept each woman as she was. To embody this value, they implemented a few rules as needed to create a safe, peaceful, and respectful space. In the beginning, that space was a second-story apartment with a handful of regular clients. It would later be named Sarah’s Circle for the cat that spent time with women in the center.
“What value does your work bring to the Uptown community? How do you contribute to the unique culture of Uptown?” asked ICA Program Coordinator Samantha Sainsbury to a group of enthusiastic women crowded into the Global Guild Suite at ICA GreenRise on the morning of June 7th for the Uptown Women’s Networking Mixer.
Chief Operating Officer Lesley Showers joined 30 other community leaders for a North Side meeting with the soon-to-be-Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
On May 14th, 2019, a new plaque was installed on the facade of ICA GreenRise, a physical display of the building’s status as a Chicago Landmark. It reads:
ICA CEO Ted Wysocki attended the 28th annual Just Economy Conference hosted by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) this past month. He highlighted the role of ICA GreenRise as a community anchor on a panel about Strategies for Preventing Displacement.
Ted shared reflections on his experience at the conference on his personal blog, U2CANDO, in a piece titled “Preventing Displacement & Championing Justice”.
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