The North River Commission (NRC) is accepting ads for our 50^th Anniversary Commemorative Book.  The deadline for submitting ads is April 16, 2012.  Please see the attached details about ad placement opportunities.  We encourage you to purchase ads early to ensure your spot in this special publication.  We are planning a large distribution of the ad book through our special events, community meetings, and online resources. We will also post a PDF copy of the entire document on our website.  We believe that between hard copy distribution and electronic circulation, we will reach more than 20,000 individuals throughout the year.  This is a great chance to reach out to potential customers, show public support for NRC, and get your name out in the community. 

Please prepare your ad in electronic format, or provide a black and white camera ready copy.  If you are purchasing a premium ad in color, we request that you supply a camera ready copy in color.  We need all ads in JPEG format.  Please call Liz Griffiths at (773) 478-0202 ext. 116, if you have any questions.  Logos and ads can be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

NRC's 50th Anniversary Dialogue & Planning Series on Community Issues Presents:

Community Forum on Parks, Open Space,

and the Environment 

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Horner Park Field House

2714 W. Montrose Ave at California

(parking available in the lot off California behind the field house)

Our Parks, Open Spaces and the North Branch of the Chicago River wind through our communities and are vitally important to our health and well-being. Our corner of Chicago is ranked as one of the neighborhood areas with the least amount of green space compared to the built environment.

It’s time to share resources and plan for the future. Our natural resources need to be protected, preserved and promoted as treasured spaces. Listen to experts discuss strategies and resources for Park Advisory Councils and local civic groups. Plus, hear about updates on cleaning and greening activities across the North River area. Let’s discuss what we want to see in the next 5 years and develop a plan for how we can all work together in order to get there!

Special speakers include representatives from: Openlands, Friends of the Parks and Friends of the Chicago River.

Questions to be addressed:

How can we strengthen and support Park Advisory Councils?

 What resources are available to enhance our parks and to clean up the river?

 How do we make North Park Village a green model for Chicago and the Midwest?

Feel free to bring flyers and information of any upcoming events or meetings in your neighborhood. If you have any questions or thoughts before the meeting, please call NRC at (773) 478-0202. We will see you on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 7pm!

Speak up. Ask questions. Get answers.

Did you ever want to ask Mayor Emanuel a question? Are you wondering about what will happen with Chicago's extended school day? Is there a different issue surrounding the city's education system that is keeping you up at night?

Now is your chance to act. On Monday, January 23rd, 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will hold a "Facebook Forum," entertaining questions from all over the city pertaining to the Chicago Public School (CPS) system. Parents, community members, Local School Council representatives, adminstrators, faculty, and staff are all encouraged to participate and submit questions. So please click on the following link and complete the survey according to the directions provided on the following website in order to do so: http://www.askchicago.org. 

If at the end of the forum, your questions were still not addressed please do not hesitate to contact Pete Kalenik - North River Commission's Education Coordinator - at either This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (773) 478-0202 ext. 111 for more answers.

 North Park Village Advisory Council Meeting Notice

Request for Proposals:

Multicultural Sculpture Park  

and Healing Garden in Ronan Park

"Rendering for the design for the Ronan Park Multicultural Park and Healing Garden developed by local residents"

Project Introduction

The Multicultural Sculpture Park and Healing Garden in Ronan Park and the North River Commission is currently seeking submissions for temporary art pieces to be installed in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. All sculptures need to remain in the garden for approximately one calendar year. Additionally, each art piece must be able to withstand the harsh weather conditions associated with a Chicago winter, including: high winds and frigid temperatures. But even more importantly, the sculptures themselves must represent the motivations leading to the original creation of the garden, which is to provide a safe place for the entire community to rest, reflect, and renew.

If you are an artist, and you are interested in submitting a sculpture piece in order to support this initiative, please ask the North River Commission for a full “Request for Proposal” packet, which includes: 

• Guidelines & Policies as a Prospective Sculptor  
  
• General Information on Ronan Park
• Sculptor Proposal Submission Form
• Multicultural Sculpture Park and Healing Garden Checklist Form

Please inform the North River Commission (NRC) of your interest in participating in this unique public arts opportunity by contacting our Arts & Culture Project Coordinator: Rebecca Rico at either: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (773) 478-0202 x 117. Anyone – students, school groups, pre-professionals, professionals or community groups, people of all ages and backgrounds – is eligible to submit a sculpture proposal or a concept for a sculpture.

Project Description 

The Multicultural Sculpture Park and Healing Garden in Ronan Park is designed as a place where residents of, and visitors to, the greater Albany Park community can find beauty and peace. It is a place where those who have fled the violence and turmoil of their native countries or who may seek solace from the chaos and complexities of their current home life can rest, reflect and renew. In our expectations for the garden, all can experience the healing power of art and nature. The creation of the garden, its on-going development, and its enjoyment and programming, will all be done by a community-wide effort. Connections between local institutions and neighborhood associations will come together in order to bring the people of Albany Park closer to one another by overcoming the differences found within our community by focusing on the fact that we are all humans that possess a shared existence in this world.

NRC is currently seeking sculptures reflective of these goals to be installed on-site at the Multicultural Sculpture Park and Healing Garden in Ronan Park

 Project Timeline

1.  Interested parties receive a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) packet by contacting the NRC in order  to register an intent to submit a proposal with Arts & Culture Coordinator: Rebecca Rico.
2.  Submit completed sculpture proposal by: February 24, 2012.
3.  When intent to submit a proposal is received, a member of the Sculpture Committee will contact the  artists in order to discuss project details.
4.  The Sculpture Committee will select proposals by mid-March; all participants will be notified  immediately of program decisions.
5.  Contracts setting forth the requirements and terms will be sent to selected participants and must be  signed and returned by: April 6, 2012.
6.  Site visits to sculptor’s studios to view art will be made by sculpture committee members prior to: May 1, 2012.
7. Installation arrangements will begin: May 1, 2012.
8. Installation will take place prior to: May 31, 2012, (sculptors must be present).
9. De-installation will take place prior to: May 31, 2013, (sculptors must be present). Sculpture Committee members will schedule individual dates at least one month prior to de-installation and all artists will be notified accordingly.

Empowering our Schools: A Conversation with

Jacqueline Edelberg and Dr. Isaura Pulido 

"Attendees listen in as Jacqueline shares her story at Northeastern Illinois University"

Learn. Plan. Take Action. 

With the fate of public education not beyond our community’s control, the North River Commission and the College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University recently co-hosted an event entitled: “Empowering our Schools: A Conversation with Jacqueline Edelberg and Dr. Isaura Pulido.”  

Jacqueline Edelberg oversaw an ambitious community plan that transformed a neighborhood CPS school into one of the best performing elementary schools in the State of Illinois. She is a committed mother, a fierce advocate, and an innovative school leader that authored the critically acclaimed book: How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance.

Dr. Isaura Pulido is a Northeastern Illinois University Professor specializing in Educational Policy Studies. She re-frames conventional arguments regarding standardized testing and instead focuses her work on how performance in the classroom is affected by cultural connections, personal identity, and macro-level shifts in society with regard to immigration policies and economic globalization.

Throughout the evening, attendees learned about specific actions that can be taken in order to morph neighborhood schools into the centers of their communities, including: (1) re-branding and marketing strategies that challenge how neighbors perceive their local schools, (2) organizing chamber of commerce activities around school programming in order to build support among area business owners, and (3) supplementing the standard school day with after-school enrichment initiatives by renting classroom space to local arts, theater, and non-profit organizations while increasing school revenue.

When it was all said and done, over 40 individuals from throughout the North River Commission area participated in the evening’s discussion – stirring debate that has already initiated conversations for implementing these tactics in our area schools.

If you would like more information regarding these strategies for improving your neighborhood schools, please contact Pete Kalenik, NRC Education Coordinator, at: (773) 478-0202 ext. 111 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .   

 North River After School Collaborative: "Request for Proposals"

Available Friday, December 2nd, 2011

The North River After School Collaborative (NRASC) is an initiative of the North River Commission (NRC). The purpose of the program is to provide resources to create and/or enhance after-school enrichment activities in the 24 Chicago Public Schools found within the geographic area bounded by: (1) Devon Avenue to the North, (2) Addison Avenue to the South, (3) the Chicago River to the East, and (4) Cicero Avenue to the West.

NRASC is a direct response to the inclusive planning initiatives that NRC utilizes as a practitioner of comprehensive community development. At the end of this year’s formal planning process faculty, parents, and community members self-identified a need for increased after-school programming in all of our neighborhood schools.

As a result, the North River After School Collaborative will enable administrators, teachers, and staff to submit proposals in order to receive one (1) $3,000 grant that can be used in order to assist the creation of an after school program or to expand a pre-existing learning opportunity for the 2011-2012 academic year.

If requested, NRC will help form partnerships between neighborhood schools and local non-profit agencies in order to help design program initiatives that best fit each school’s curriculum and the personal interests of their students.

While we are able to offer a lesser amount of program dollars this funding cycle, the North River Commission is continually seeking additional opportunities for strengthening after school programs in the Albany Park, North Park, and Irving Park communities located on Chicago’s Northwest side.

Would you like more information? Contact Pete Kalenik, NRC Education Coordinator, at: (773) 478-0202 ext. 111 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

And for a look at the impact of last year's NRASC program take a look at the following graphic:

 Thanks to everyone who came out to our second annual Bon Appetit Restaurant Crawl! Special thanks to all the sponsors, restaurants and their delicious food that made it possible! We had a great turn out and tons of positive feedback.

If you missed it, be sure to check out the articles, Restaurant Crawl Offers Left Sides of Many Menus and Restaurant Crawl Should Keep ’Em Running Back, written by LISC-Chicago. You can also check out their online photo album for great pictures of us in action here.

We look forward to seeing you there next year!