Bright Lights Bleak Country

Or, I'm so glad I live in Chicago

The pandemic illumines things, bleakly. And while most of what we see is bathed in a dim hideous light now—from our overwhelmed hospitals, to small businesses hanging on by their fingernails, to our mendacious president who makes threats like a crime boss—there are yet many beautiful small things that stand out in their own crystal clarity, bright in the dimness. So today, rather than rage and rage, which is what I want to do, which is what I have been in fact writing and writing and not sending out, I will share just a few of those beautiful small things. I’m also going to give you some projects that really would benefit from your help, if you are able.

I’ll start with the projects so they don’t get lost in the words. Because we have some situations that really need some assistance, and quickly.

First, La Rabida Children’s Hospital here on the south side wants masks. They don’t have to be N95 masks, they are rather for patients and non-clinical staff. La Rabida serves a high number of patients with asthma. As all regular masks are being diverted to doctors and nurses right now, and as allergy season is already bearing down, La Rabida is asking for cotton masks created by home sewers. Here is their specific request:

Please prewash all fabrics. They will be used for children as well as adults. 
Bundle 25 masks into a closed ziplock bag. Label it: 
LaRabida Hospital
Attn: Brian Reiher
6501 South Promontory Drive
Chicago, Il 60649

Arrange your drop-off by emailing tdaniel@larabida.org or phoning 773-256-5985.
You can email pictures of yourself sewing to tdaniel@larabida.org and they might be used on La Rabida’s social media sites.

And here is a video about how to make masks for this purpose:

Let’s get sewing, friends!

Another big request, also from the south side. Chicago’s iconic 57th Street Books and Seminary Co-op Bookstore, closed to the public at this time, are really, really taking a hit right now. And so a GoFundMe campaign has been launched. This 60 year old pair of bookstores somehow survived not only Borders and all the chain stores but Amazon too, and it cannot be that they will not survive coronavirus. They’re a south side cultural anchor, a beacon for writers and readers, and they have awesome story times to boot. Anyway if you are able, I hope you can throw a few bucks their way. Here’s the campaign:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-seminary-coop-covid19-relief

Now to the lovely things.

Orchestras making music from the musicians’ homes:

And another:

(Really, click on these if you haven’t heard them. I promise I’m not wasting your time.)

Local awesomeness:

The laundromat that is letting emergency responders and health care workers wash their clothes for free. The west side restaurant, Fifty/50, that is feeding folks laid off due to coronavirus, also for free. The Evanston restaurant, Jennifer’s Edibles, delivering dinner to shut-in seniors, also for free. The fancy Sophy hotel in Hyde Park offering 90 rooms for medical workers to rest in between shifts. The Hideout bartender serving food for free to folks who are out of work. These are your neighbors making these things happen, Chicagoans. It’s impressive. It’s beautiful. Breathe it in and out for a few moments a day as a break from apocalyptic news.

Large philanthropic/institutional efforts that seem to be actually good:

The Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund has raised $23M in a matter of weeks. They’ve already disbursed their first grants and I know it’s good when it’s helping out fantastic neighborhood organizations and public ed friends like KOCO and Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, as well as critical disability rights org Access Living. And many others. There’s somebody good picking the recipients for these funds, and you can be sure that any dollars disbursed to groups like these will go directly to help with rents, bills, food, basic needs, and care for those affected by COVID-19.

The United Center has been turned into a hub for the citywide response to coronavirus, to assist in “front line food distribution, first responder staging and the collection of critically needed medical supplies”; the Army Corps of Engineers is kitting out McCormick Place as an extra hospital. The city will offer 2000 residents affected by the pandemic $1000 in rent assistance; several hotels and YMCAs have made agreements with the city to house those in quarantine and the homeless.

All I have to say is, I’m glad I live in a state with a governor who is providing outstanding leadership in this mess, as well as a city with a mayor who seems to be planning ahead. I’m always glad to be living in a city whose residents routinely make me proud (well except those lousy northsiders who got us all banned from the lakefront).

I’ll be back soon with actual education news, and some good information for school kids. Till then, stay well and safe, friends. And look for the light. It’s there.