PRESS RELEASE: Alumni Service Day

Submitted by Seth Harris on Wed, 2009-06-03 14:00.

i.c.stars Alums Build Community on Service Day

Chicago, IL (June 03, 2009) On Saturday May 30th 5 teams comprised of i.c.stars alumni provided their time,energy and enthusiasm to work with 5 organizations in Chicago strengthening both the i.c.stars alumni community and the greater Chicago community.

The day, spear-headed by Tiffany Baggett, alumnus Cycle 18, paved the way for i.c.stars alums to seize the opportunity to work with their communities. 21 alums participated in the day.

Here’s what some of the alums had to say about the day-

Thomas Chatman (Cycle 15), North Lawndale Community Church

“I was team captain for team Opportunity Makers and we completed our day of service with the North Lawndale Community Church. Our duties for that day were to clean up a vacant lot on the corner or Ogden and St.Louis. I enjoyed my day of service, it really made me value and appreciate my neighborhood more. Just looking at how much garbage was in and around the lot was insane and how careless we as a people can be at times, but the look of the lot when we left was nice. All we needed was a lawn mower and then it would had been perfect. Overall, My team and I enjoyed getting dirty for our sister community.”

Ben Harris (Cycle 17), Growing Power

“It was incredible spending Saturday afternoon with Growing Power as part of the Alumni Service Day… As our team fought with weeds in the Pizza Garden, which local kid's would then use to plant and grow the produce and herbs for their next pizza party, I found myself continually awed the garden as a whole. What started as another of Chicago's abandoned lots had been re-purposed as community space to bring fresh produce, positive activity and interaction among members of the community. And the simplicity of just laying down beds of fresh compost and opening the door for people has made me look at vacant stretches of concrete and gravel as something more than just a urban blight. In conclusion, my memory of the Alumni Service day is one of working with a great team at an impressive organization looking to do amazing things within the community.”

Sherita Whitaker (Cycle 16), First Baptist Congregational Church

“As team captain I had a great time organizing Team Urban Angels. We volunteered at First Baptist Congregational Church which is a church that I spent a lot of my childhood in and it felt great to be able to volunteer. My team did a fantastic good and I appreciate them taking them time on a beautiful Saturday to do something positive. We came together and helped out a community and they appreciated us being there as well. “

Connecting the Future

An update, recap and thought for the future will be shared at the next Alumni Meeting June 9th, 2009.

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About i.c.stars: 1000 Community Leaders in 2020

Inner-City Computer Stars, a Chicago non-profit formed in 1999 to address issues of socioeconomic impact in under-served communities with demonstrated leaders. Adults with high school completion or equivalency are selected to complete intense project-based learning and full-immersion teaching techniques in the fields of business and technology. Providing opportunities to develop executive level skill, the organization innovates as a leadership institute building top-rate consultants that will go back into their communities to create positive change.