call to visual artists

August 13th VE will be hosting a benefit at the Empty Bottle (see post below). In addition to the four bands playing, we will also be having a print sale. I would like to invite any and all visual artists to donate a print (or more). If you'd like to participate, please contact me. You don't have to be in Chicago; I can give you a shipping address if need be.

Artwork does not have to be any specific size, although it would be best if you mounted it on some kind of board to eliminate damage. 5x7, 8x10, 11x17 or any variation there of is fine. Including a caption or website information is a good idea so people know who you are and how to find more of your work. I do ask that once you donate the print you completely relinquish it to VE; I will be assigning a very reasonable price to the artwork, as it is a fundraiser, and all unsold artwork will be saved for use of the non-profit.

Please forward this message to others who also may be interested, and make sure you all come to the event in August. Thanks!

benefit announced

August 13th at the Empty Bottle there will be a benefit show for Voluntarios de la Esperanza (VE), the non-profit with which I'm going to volunteer. With a solid independent music line-up, a print sale featuring the work of local visual artists, and a table of information with an array of buckets for the loads of contributions that are sure to pile in, the evening is set to be the best thing happening on a hot sunday night in Chicago.

If you've never been to the Bottle, it's a few dark rooms of exposed brick with a stage placed on an angle to the long bar where PBR's are cheap and stools never enough. A Ukrianian Village favorite, this cove of a venue has housed many a great show and keeps their calendar full of both bigger names and fresh releases. Our benefit, "Hello Chile", will feature Shelley Short, Modern Temper, Big Buildings, and Beardog, which means you'll be coming early and staying until the end.

What: Hello Chile, a benefit show for disadvantaged youth in Santiago
Who: Shelley Short, Modern Temper, Big Buildings, Beardog
Cost: $10
Note of Interest: I am starting a photography program for children at social risk in Santiago, Chile. Please bring any used / new digital cameras to the event (with their cords). If we get a photo printer before the event (see article below) ink cartridges will become a requested donation-- will keep posted.

Please tell everyone you know-- thanks.

photo printer fund

Attention all photographers, all image aficionados, all visually minded people and all those who wish they were more inclined to be so: let's pool our resources and purchase a photo printer for a soon-to-be digital photography program in Chile.

Your donation could be $1, it could be $20. Maybe you write a check, maybe you empty your change jar. If you are looking to aid a cause that expands the creativity, skill set and confidence of disadvantaged youth, this is the cause for you. If you are looking for an organization you can trust, where you can watch your contribution in action having a positive affect on real people, this is the cause for you. The truth is, it's a numbers game. The more people that give a small donation, the bigger the end result.

You can visit this donations page to make a contribution-- a big thank you in advance.

polish the chrome, head for the porch

Summer has taken hold of Chicago: cafes and restaurants have spilled onto the sidewalks, porches and stoops have once again become gathering spots for hours on end, and parks are near capacity with softball, soccer, block parties, picnics, and the like. This will be my third summer living in the city proper, and while I keep saying that I'm going to get out my neighborhood more often, I keep getting pulled into my favorite local rituals-- it's hard to find reasons not to sit under the palm trees at Sultan's market or to stroll around the quiet tree-lined streets of the Ukrainian Village visiting the local dogs. Working full time with projects on the side will do that to you: you get so busy, by the time the weekend comes around, all you'd really like to do is slow down and enjoy your neighborhood.


The season has a different tone to it this year, with nostalgia settling in the creases. I know I'll live in Chicago again, but for now it's a great excuse to keep myself moving about the city. As of last week I've announced to my company that I'll be leaving, a situation saturated with both anxiety and anticipation. I find myself explaining my pending transition to many people, and they offer me mixed reactions. Some are genuinely pleased, many have wished me well, several have been silenced by befuddlement or what seems to be general apathy. The idea of quitting a job and seeking experiences abroad doesn't match up to what some people think of as secure, but I don't know if I've ever had the same definition of security-- besides the fact that their idea of it may have been shattered awhile ago. I do know that perceiving myself in a position where I feel I have options for my future, where I sense an amount of choice in the direction I am pursuing, is one of privilege: up until two years ago, this trip or any like it would have been absolutely out of the question. The plans are in motion, but until August, there's much to do in Chicago.

ve has landed

New York gave Voluntarios de la Esperanza (VE) a warm welcome last week at our first annual fundraiser. Despite the sporadic thunderstorms, guests still poured into the Museum of Children's Art and brought with them much interest and enthusiasm about the projects underway in Santiago. I didn't have very clear expectations for the trip- I had only been to New York City once before, and had never personally met any of the volunteers associated with the program- but I still have been saying that it proved more successful and exciting than I had imagined.



Please visit a slideshow of photos from the event.

This year's fundraiser showcased artwork created by children in Santiago as well as photographs by Lindy Drew, a current volunteer in Chile right now. Guests sipped Chilean wine, munched on empanadas, mingled to the sounds of an obliging jazz trio, and eventually congregated in the back of the museum for presentations by Luke Winston, director of VE, and a few past volunteers. While we did raffle off some enticing prizes and offer guests homemade friendship bracelets, one of the most significant moments of the evening was the opportunity to explain the mission and the vision of Voluntarios de la Esperanza to a group of people previously rather unfamiliar with the organization- including, to some extent, myself. From the informational material presented about the program to the personal accounts of living in an atmosphere so disparate from previous lifetyles, I felt that the evening afforded me the chance to construct a more dynamic understanding of what VE is trying to accomplish in Chile.

When I first applied to VE my perspective of the organization had been formed solely through the internet. I kept thinking about all of the organizations that exist in areas of the world where technology cannot help connect people, but I knew that I could only handle a certain amount of risk. I wanted to travel to another country, but I preferred to know as much about the situation into which I would be entering before I would go. Both on the website and in New York, I learned that VE does not assist only one orphanage, one home- rather it has taken its relatively fortunate position, including exposure on the internet, and constructed a network of homes such that volunteers and resources move far beyond the central location called Hogar Esperanza. VE is even beginning to reach children in local elementary schools, and aims to assist communities and local families as well as children at social risk. The mission of VE is not to replace primary caregivers, and it is not simply to give assistance. VE seeks and works towards change, education, and support in an effort to provoke growth in a positive direction. Members of the organization are active members of Chilean society, American society, and the greater global society. I have been lucky to have found VE, because the more I learn about the organization, the more I believe in it and its vision.


A Saturday night dinner in a dark Italian restaurant- but paired with Chilean wine- sealed the weekend, leaving me with faces to go with the email addresses and a heightened anticipation for the next few months.

the drive is on

While the schoolyear may be coming to a close for the kids at Central School in Glencoe, IL, some seventh grade students are asking their peers to think about something other than the fast approaching summer break: digital cameras. This past Monday the drive kicked off, advertised by posters made by the students as well as myself. The drive encourages the children to ask around for any functional digital cameras that may have been old, forgotten, or replaced by newer models. In the fast-paced world of technology, digital gadgets can have short lifespans-- not because they are broken or unusable, but because their owners have moved on to updated models. This is exactly the market for a photo program: rather than forget your digital camera to a remote closet or garbage dump, you can put it to good use and enable underprivileged children to explore creativity through photography.

Friday greeted me with the pivotal news that we have recieved our first donation from the drive. Thanks to the efforts of the principal, the students, and a very special seventh grade teacher, we are on our way to collecting enough materials for an entire orphanage to be able to participate in classes. While I do not know which Hogar (home) I will be placed to work with yet, I know that the children will have lots of fun with these cameras.


In addition to digital cameras I will also be collecting memory cards, card readers, USB cords, a printer, printer paper, and reusable batteries-- basically everything a person would need to produce digital pictures. While computers have been placed in many of the Hogars, I'm sure no one at Voluntarios de la Esperanza would ever turn down the donation. I have heard from many generous people so far-- I feel a momentum that should bring us to a promising place by the end of August.

volunteers converge on new york

We are now exactly two short weeks away from VE's unveiling in New York: volunteers will be coming from all over to host a first annual fundraiser. You may argue that all weeks are the same length and all weeks consist of 7 days each of 24 hours, but I beg to differ: these weeks will be shorter. This year's event is scheduled to be at the Children's Museum of the Arts and will feature art work from the children down in Santiago, Chile, as well as photographs taken by participants. Past volunteers will share their experiences as well as their hopes for what the organization will do in the future. And, of course, there will be music, food (we're still working on that), and Chilean wine.

Because we are all so far away from each other, we email all instructions, questions, and progress about the event to each other. I've had long distance friendships and relationships before, but this is different, because I've never met these people in person ever. Email lacks tone of voice, humor and emotion in general is difficult to construct when writers and readers have little idea of the other's personality. Yet I hold great anticipation in meeting them, I'm curious, and besides that, my intuition is leading me to believe that I won't be disappointed.

One of my jobs is to get press exposure for the event: I'm aiming high, trying to get the New York Times, the Village Voice, TimeOut, and some other publications to include us in their content. If anyone knows of someone I can send the press release to, please give a holler. I'm beginning to learn that just asking for something is half the battle-- many times people answer "yes." I'm really going to put this hypothesis to the test over the next few months, and let's see how many yes's come our way. Speaking of, can anyone in New York spare some delicious empanadas for our event???

el día del niño

This past week the Institute of Latin Progress / Instituto del Progreso Latino celebrated The day of the Child / El Día del Niño. Based in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, this organization offers educational and professional resources to Latino immigrants and their families from ESL classes to citizenship workshops. Even though I haven't been volunteering at the center for long, I feel very welcome in the colorfully painted halls and I enjoy the friendly and open atmosphere of the community.

Most recently I've been spending time with the 4 and 5 year-olds while their parents are in class. While it's typical to spend time singing songs, practicing our ability to share with others, and fine tuning our skill with markers and scissors, this Thursday the kids were rallied outside in the play area for a very special treat: piñatas. We watched as the bolder, older kids jumped and laughed as they chased the prize with a bat, and we cheered supportively when the more courageous younger kids cautiously stepped up for the challenge. Some may have preferred the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, but everyone flew into a scramble when the candy started falling.


As I assist the teacher in herding the children from outside to inside, and as I encourage them to build their house of blocks even larger or reassure them that their spilled orange juice is really not that big of a deal, I find myself trying to remember to use the correct form of the verb so that I'm not juse offering my words to one of them, but to all of them. I find myself wondering how many times I'll accidentally say "frases" instead of "fresas" (because who would want "sentences" kept off their cake when it's "strawberries" they don't like) and feeling thankful that these most honest and uninhibited 5 year-olds have no problem correcting me every time.

Meanwhile preparations for the summer and fall continue to move forward. This week marks the purchase of my ticket, a phone call that momentarily prompted a few minutes of unexpected light-headedness, as well as the acceptance by a Chicago school to host a digital camera in the name of Voluntarios de la Esperanza (VE). The intertia is beginning to work, I just need to maintain it carrying us in a positive direction: I have every intention of keeping it so.

plans begin to take form

Plane tickets, travel logistics, and fundraising ideas have been taking over any free time I might have had these days. Chicago is in full spring mode now, and the streets are full of people milling about at practically any time of day. All outdoor seating has been reinstated along the sidewalks, a sure sign that warm weather is here to stay -- I just hope it's true. I have realized that my timing for the switch from North to South America could not have been better: I will trade in winter for summer, which will earn me essentially three summers in a row.

I have learned that Voluntarios de la Esperanza will be having a fundraiser in New York on May 18th; details will follow. In addition to having many past participants present, presenting stories from their times in Santiago, there will be photographs and children's art displayed. The festivities will be at a children's art gallery in Manhattan, and we are hoping for a large turnout.

Meanwhile I have, with the friendly guidance of my fundraising captain, constructed a fundraising webpage where anybody can donate any amount to Voluntarios de la Esperanza. I have decided that my goal, from now until the day I come back from Chile, will be to raise $5,000 for the organization. In addition, because I would like to be very involved with installing a photography program wherever I am placed, I am determined to collect at least 40 point-and-shoot digital cameras. It's about four months to departure... let's see what we can make happen.

and so it begins

Spring has landed in Chicago. It happened rather suddenly for me as I was out of town this past weekend, which is precisely when it arrived. Now it's here, and with it the energy that we've been missing all winter.

I received word on Sunday night that I've been accepted into Voluntarios de la Esperanza, a volunteer organization that serves youth in Santiago, Chile. I responded immediately, accepting my acceptance. And so it begins.