By jmeddy on 2/27/2012 6:38 PM

Center for Independent Futures began 2012 by kicking off its F.I.I.V.E. Chicago program with a Volunteer Club orientation and two activities. FIIVE Chicago, known within the CIF Community as “Volunteer Club,” had an orientation in January to prepare for bi-monthly volunteer activities in 2012. The group of volunteers emerged excited and ready to serve the community!

On February 8th and February 14th, the CIF Volunteer Club gathered twice to make Valentine cards for Marines serving overseas. The first activity took place at the Evanston Public Library, where 17 CIF participants worked collaboratively with 5 older adults from the Evanston community on Valentine cards. On Valentine’s Day, 4 CIF participants worked on Valentine cards with a group of residents of the Mather Pavilion on Foster Street in Evanston. After the card-making activity, the CIF volunteers and Mather Pavilion residents celebrated Valentine’s Day with a small party and some trivia questions. The Valentine cards were then shipped overnight and delivered to Marine troops in Afghanistan.

In March, the Volunteer Club looks forward to making placemats for the Hemenway Church “Soup at Six” program, as well as working with Mather Pavilion residents to package dog and cat treats for a local animal shelters.

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By jmeddy on 2/27/2012 6:07 PM

Did you know that peers teaching peers have an enormous impact on health?

HealthMatters CAP is introducing a new new Peer to Peer HealthMessages Program that was developed as a way to improve health knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in our communities.Individuals with ID are trained to become Healthy Lifestyle Coaches (HLCs) and provide a 12-week HealthMessages Program to their peers using a structure that is practical to implement in community settings. A centerpiece of the Program is the Coaching Manual - an easy to follow, step-by-step guide for the HLCs to use for the length of the program. Mentors are also trained and available to the HLCs should they have any additional questions or concerns.

Center for Independent Futures (CIF) will begin implementation of UIC’s HealthMessages Program in March by training 2-3 Healthy Lifestyle Coaches in partnership with Whole Foods Market Evanston South. The natural, organic food store will provide space, snacks and expertise in support of the CIF’s implementation of the program.  Health Messaegs classes will begin once the peer coaches have completed their training.  

“We love that the Health Matters Program provides education on healthy lifestyle choices through the innovative use of peer mentors,“ states Mary Cox, who will lead the training process for CIF. “This added social component coupled with the practice of positive personal goal setting makes the program a win-win for all our participants.”  

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By jmeddy on 2/27/2012 5:57 PM

As winter wanes, it’s time to pull out seed catalogs and begin dreaming about spring gardens! With that end in mind, the first meeting of CIF’s Garden Club was an opportunity for participants to begin learning about and planning for the planting and caring of the Harrison Street Independence Garden.

CIF’s Harrison Street Independence Garden was created last fall through a partnership with Yellow Tractor, a national non-profit group that creates and facilitates the use of vegetable gardens, and volunteers from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. During Community Impact Day, which is a part of the Kellogg School’s new student orientation week, incoming students participate in service projects to help further the mission of organizations serving Evanston, Chicago and its suburbs.  The volunteer team put in garden boxes and provided a compost bin and rainwater gathering barrel for use at the Harrison Street Garden.

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By jmeddy on 2/27/2012 2:08 PM

Center for Independent Futures was recently the second surprise recipient of one of Evanston Community Foundation’s (ECF) $1,000 25th Anniversary Awards. “ECF’s success is tied to the success of the organizations we work with. To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we examined the 170 organizations whose enduring impact on Evanston has been helped by ECF grants over the last 25 years, and selected 25 partners to received special awards of $1000,” said Mary Finnegan, ECF Board Member. Finnegan (center in photo) presented the award to CIF board co-chairs Ira Mitchell and Jean Prindiville in mid-February.

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