Adults & Families – Howard and Evanston Community Center

The work itself is meaningful and fun

By Theresa Daniel I’ve been volunteering with the Howard and Evanston Community Center food pantry since April. It’s been an incredible experience. I'm enjoying it so much that I'm disappointed when it’s a holiday and I get the day off. Volunteering here is special. This is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. The food pantry serves long-time Rogers Park residents and recent immigrants from around the globe. The volunteers and staff, like the clients, come from diverse backgrounds as well. Every day I'm there, I learn something new and interesting. It could be something fascinating

Tamika Carlton2018-11-13T15:32:57-06:00August 10th, 2018|Adults & Families, Emergency Needs|

HECC helps domestic violence survivors navigate the cruelty of the courts

This is Erika Castillo Smith. She is a former Domestic Violence Legal Advocate at Howard and Evanston Community Center who represented over 100 people struggling with domestic violence. About half of her clients were immigrant women, some of whom are dealing with possible deportation. The majority are low-income. “This program is very important because the system is hard to navigate. We know the people and the court the system. We know how the departments work,” Erika said. Erika’s turf was the court at 555 West Harrison Street in Chicago. She served as HACC’s staunch advocate for survivors navigating the tangled

Tamika Carlton2022-01-18T13:12:35-06:00May 2nd, 2018|Adults & Families, Emergency Needs|

Why Education Matters by Antonio, adult ed student

Antonio is a former HECC adult education student and current Harry S. Truman College student. He excelled in HECC's ESL and GED courses, and just won a prestigious scholarship from The Seabury Foundation. The scholarship can be applied to tuition, books, transportation and day care (if needed). This is Antonio's compelling application letter that HECC turned into a blog post. Please take a read! “What is your aspiration in life?”, Moon Parker, Adult Education Coordinator at Howard and Evanston Community Center, asked me once while I was in one of my GED classes. My aspiration in life is to be happy.

Tamika Carlton2018-02-13T10:27:07-06:00February 8th, 2018|Adults & Families|

Results are in! Check out the Rogers Park Community Survey!

SPECIAL FEATURE! Written and designed by Rachel Hoffman

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:31:04-05:00February 6th, 2018|Adults & Families, Children & Youth, Emergency Needs, Health|

Get inspired! Poems by adult ed students

Howard and Evanston Community Center is truly honored to present poems from students in HECC's adult education classes. Students in ESL and GED classes, who are from over 25 countries, reflected on themselves and their identities in the following simile poems. These poems were published in the 2017 Howard Line, an internal student publication featuring creative autobiographical writing. Please enjoy these poignant pieces written by farmers, dentists carpenters, business people, textile workers, accountants, engineers, homemakers, and of course, proud Rogers Park community members. Introduction written and poems designed by Rachel Hoffman

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:31:46-05:00February 6th, 2018|Adults & Families|

Tammie found a home for her children & work after her addiction

In her youth, Tammie, 41, was abused by family members and boyfriends. Tammie looked to using drugs as an escape, but became addicted. It temporarily numbed her interpersonal pain, but left pain in its wake. “It was very hard to be anything- a friend, a daughter. I could only talk about my addiction. It was terrible,” Tammie said. The guilt was enormous, she said, especially because she has three children. When she went to stay with her daughter last year, she was served an ultimatum. “If you don’t get sober, I will never speak to you again,” her daughter said.

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:33:25-05:00February 6th, 2018|Adults & Families, Emergency Needs|

Practical math! Adult ed tutor & student work on math for a job in jewelry

Funding for adult education in Illinois is unstable, to say the least. Volunteer adult tutors are a lifeline for adults continuing their education. Just ask Toni (on the right), a budding jewelry designer, and her math tutor, Melanie Geyer. “I said 'My math stinks!'” Toni said, laughing. “But she [my tutor Melanie Geyer] was so encouraging. Not every teacher is like that.” Toni is 63 years old. She’s studying jewelry making and just completed a year of free adult education tutoring at Howard and Evanston Community Center. But Toni has lived many lives– perfume sprayer, assistant, retail worker, and more.

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:33:55-05:00October 30th, 2017|Adults & Families|

Susan, a refugee from the Congo, got her first job in the U.S.!

Susan is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like thousands before her, she fled the Second Congo War, a civil war that raged from 1998 until 2003. She was forced to abandon many family members and her livelihood, a prosperous corn and bean farm. Susan fled with her husband to a refugee camp in Uganda, one of four host countries for refugees, including Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. In Uganda, DRC refugees receive food aid and were able to work. But Susan said that the refugee settlement was a still a hard place to live and raise children. It

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:34:35-05:00August 16th, 2017|Adults & Families|

Parent Perspective: Sisters who had children as teens found a home at the Family Center

Genesis, 20, and Michele, 22, are sisters who grew up in Howard and Evanston Community Center programs. Their lives were filled with with homework help, field trips, summer camp, and more from birth through teenage years. Even their mother worked in the kitchen at the Family Center and volunteered throughout HACC. However, their lives changed dramatically after both Genesis and Michele gave birth to their own children before finishing high school at 16 and 17 years old, respectively. But HECC was there as a safety net. They enrolled their infant children, Sherlyn (now three years old) and Laylah (now four years old), in the

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:35:39-05:00July 17th, 2017|Adults & Families, Children & Youth|

VIDEOS: ESL students share stories from their lives!

This class session, students in Howard and Evanston Community Center's ESL 5 class participated in a transformative collaboration between HECC and the Community Writing Project. Students wrote personal stories in English and shared them with their classmates– not only enhancing their English writing and speaking skills but creating bonds between students from different backgrounds and empowering themselves. The stories and lives of low-income adults, refugees, and immigrants matter and we all need to hear them! Give their stories a listen below, and read them in the Community Writing Project's publication real conditions. Share with family and friends today! Jessica (Republic

Tamika Carlton2018-04-06T13:37:49-05:00June 26th, 2017|Adults & Families|