Kelly's Update

Apologies for the tardy newsletter, and buckle up because this one is a lot. We won’t have a regular newsletter this Friday but will share a special Halloween celebration resources edition.

First, you read last week about Taylor Ortiz returning as our new Chief of Staff. This week, we’ve got one more bit of news on the Team 14 front. This week, Rauly Luna moved from part-time constituent service support to District Office Manager. Carlos Barragan will remain in his part-time Constituent Advocate role, rounding out our team.

Pictured Left to Right: Rauly Luna, Carlos Barragan, Rep Cassidy, & Taylor Ortiz

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Rauly yet, here’s a little bit about him:

Rauly Luna is originally from a small town in Southern California, he received his Bachelors in Theatre at San Diego State University before moving to Chicago in 2013. Since then he has written and directed with companies all over the city. 

He is an avid gamer and can talk endlessly about Pokémon. He is excited to step into his new role in the office and can't wait to connect with more constituents in the 14th District!

Pictured above: Rauly Luna, District Office Manager

Now, about my time in Florida. I wrote this from my flight back from Tampa and honestly still processing everything the last few days have held.

Regular readers know I have been focused on the dual hits on my hometown from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. I went down to Florida last week, originally for some Pride events I’d agreed to be a part of with Equality Florida that were postponed due to the storms. I arrived on Wednesday with 2 big duffles of requested supplies and a loose plan to help on Anna Maria Island, my hometown, and in the fishing village of Cortez which were both hit especially hard.

Wednesday, I stopped at my sister’s place in Palmetto on the way down to Bradenton from the airport to check on her place. She lives alone on a big overgrown double lot that we knew had taken a beating from the storm. Once I got to my brother’s place in Bradenton and shared what I saw, we had our next day’s plan in place. That night, we gathered on his back patio with his brother-in-law as they each shared their day of slowly piecing things back together. My brother is one of the leaders of the local youth soccer organization and had spent the day managing to get soccer goals that had blown up into trees safely back on the ground. His brother-in-law helps run a chain of small motels on a nearby key that were damaged from Helene as well, but they hadn’t been able to get out to them before Milton came along, so they were particularly nasty and challenging. This scene would repeat each night, sometimes with neighbors joining in, recounting the day’s efforts and challenges. 

The next morning, Kevin and I headed to the soccer fields to finish getting things ready for the resumption of practices and games that night. We made short work of that before heading over to our sister’s place for a few hours of wrestling downed branches and vines while my brother attacked a downed tree with his chainsaw. After, I headed off to get some groceries to make dinner for Kevin and the family while he got things underway at the soccer fields and his wife and brother-in-law finished their workdays. Hurricane fact: when you lose power for several days, you literally have to throw everything away. It’s amazing the things you have in your fridge that you just assume are gonna be there. Anyway, as I stood in the checkout line, my mind drifted and I realized I’d zoned out and apologized to the woman behind me in line saying “Sorry, I zoned out.” She replied, “Honey no worries, we all are.” Except I had just gotten there.

My plan for Friday was to join the folks from The Blessings Bag Project at a mobile home park near the historic fishing village of Cortez. This area is known for its old Florida character and is home to an assortment of old fisher folk and generational families who’ve made their home here for decades on end. It’s a proud place, and I have fond memories of hanging out with one of my oldest friends Rose whose love of the village is only eclipsed by the village’s love for her. Before I headed out, I saw a post requesting small appliances for folks who were getting power back but who’d lost everything to the one-two punch of water and wind. I headed to Wal-Mart and filled a cart with toaster ovens and coffeemakers. Anyone who knows my love of coffee (and the ability to drink my morning coffee in silence without interacting with another human if possible) will understand how that request spoke to me. I get annoyed when I’m traveling and have to get dressed to go downstairs in the hotel to get coffee, so having to travel and ask someone for a cup of coffee under these circumstances just seemed to need addressing.

Trunk full, I headed out to Cortez. Another sister joined us (We’re a family of 7. There are a lot of Cassidys down there.) and we got to work unloading and sorting donations, making sure folks got food, their questions fielded, and whatever needed doing. I was blown away - by the scale of the destruction, the clear trauma written on every face, and the determination of the folks trying to make it through another day. Equally impactful was the grace of the volunteers, the smooth plans put in motion by Betsy Plante of the Blessing Bags Project who had managed to get the park community center cleaned up and functional enough to serve as a kitchen for hot meals as well as a hub for relief supplies. I’m also coming home with some feelings about the reality of life for folks in these trailer parks in areas like this and the risk they currently face of losing what little they have.

Saturday was supposed to be Gulfcoast Pride, the festival I was originally coming for with Equality Florida, but in this case, it was the day I was least looking forward to: getting out onto Anna Maria Island, my childhood home. Helene had hit the island hard on its way to the Big Bend area where it made landfall, swamping the whole island with a massive storm surge that brought upwards of 4 feet of water into many buildings and leaving the entire place full of sand carried in by the surge. Before folks had even had a chance to finish getting things out that had been damaged, Milton set its course for direct landfall on Anna Maria. A last-minute wobble of about 10-15 miles meant that it made landfall on Siesta Key, bringing the devastating storm surge there instead. That didn’t mean Anna Maria was spared as the winds and rain were plenty damaging, especially given how little ability to prepare there was. As I was getting ready to head out with the supplies I’d brought down, I saw they had an urgent need for cleaning supplies, especially bleach as mold is the real enemy here with soaked drywall and studs everywhere. So, back to Wal-Mart I went and filled my trunk with bleach. 

Before I headed to The Center of Anna Maria, I made my way up the island, stopping to make purchases at places that had managed to open. I also stopped by my favorite spots to see for myself what had happened. The little yellow cottage I’ve fantasized about living in forever and was delighted to get to rent for a Christmas visit a few years ago was just gone. Part of the roof was pushed up against an adjacent building, but the building itself was nowhere to be found. Rose told me she had seen it a few blocks down the beach. Mattresses oddly rested relatively close to where the bedrooms used to be, surrounded by odd assortments of debris that may or may not have been part of the cottage. From there, I went past my childhood home, not far from the Center. Someone was working out front, so I pulled over and introduced myself. He led me to the backyard where he introduced me to the owner, who was happy to show me around. The house was in amazingly good shape and in spite of being on a canal, only took on about 4 inches of water. Henry shared that he owns 4 properties out there in addition to living out there and this one had fared the best. We chatted a bit about the house’s history and island life before I said I was delivering some supplies to the Center and asked if he needed anything. I handed off some bleach and cleaning supplies and headed over to the Center where in addition to being the staging area for supplies, they’re also matching volunteers with requests for help from residents. My sister Nora was with me and they had just one open request, so we headed off to meet the resident who needed help documenting damaged appliances. When we got back, they hadn’t gotten any more requests, so we moved on and decided to patronize a few local businesses on our way back to the mainland. 

It’s pretty amazing to see the resilience of folks who have managed to get their businesses opened and the support they’re providing each other. We stopped for a snack and a cold drink at an island mainstay, Slim’s Place, where we met a couple who were carrying all of their important papers with them just in case. They had just had their FEMA inspection and were pleasantly surprised by how quickly they could arrange it. While they expressed some frustration at the fact that they’re somehow expected to distinguish between the damage caused by Helene vs Milton, they’re hopeful the process is now moving ahead appropriately. I can’t disagree that it seems foolish to try to distinguish between two historically brutal storms within 2 weeks of each other and hope that common sense might come into play here to make the process more efficient for folks.

Sunday was my last day and I planned to hit Sunny Shores one more time as Betsey had told me earlier that Sundays were tough days to get volunteers from her organization. At the same time, Rose had found a woman who lived alone in another mobile home park nearby who needed help moving her things from her trailer to storage so that the repairs could progress. We met up at Sunny Shores and then headed over to the other park to see if we could find her, but she wasn’t home. This is another lesson from this week: disasters don’t have schedules and people living through them don’t either. Communication is challenging, and people have to take advantage of whatever opportunity for help they can.

We headed back to Sunny Shores, where Betsey pointed to a big pile of black contractor bags on a table in the back of the room that had apparently been dropped off this morning. Betsey was frustrated because often, folks use the excuse of “donating” items to get rid of things they simply don’t want. As a small organization without a lot of space, she simply can’t be everyone’s discard sorter. As we started going through the bags, we discovered they were all the same, filled with a weird assortment of opened and unopened packages, including some food, canned goods, and toiletries. Betsey explained that this was likely the result of some other site closing and creating “go bags” of what they had leftover for folks to take. What wasn’t taken was dropped off with us. Not all of it was usable and some of it was expired, so a few of us got to work sorting out what could be used and getting rid of things that were too questionable to pass along. Disaster lesson #2: don’t give what you want to give - give what the people on the ground are asking for. Disaster lesson #3: There’s a timeline to this stuff. Right now, folks need the basics like food, shelter, and hygiene. Nobody knows what to do with your old comforter and they sure don’t have the resources to wash it before giving it to someone and potentially adding bedbugs to their list of problems. Finally, it was time to start serving lunch and we noticed not a lot of folks were showing up where in the days previous we had folks waiting for us to be able to serve. Betsey told us about folks asking her how long until we leave like everyone else. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of concern among the residents about rumors that all coastal trailer parks are going to be condemned in the aftermath, eliminating the closest thing to affordable housing in some of these areas. We can argue about whether they ever should have been allowed to develop in such vulnerable areas, but they’ve been there longer than our family has lived there and there’s no way they’re going to be replaced with safer but still affordable housing.

Which brings me to Disaster Lesson #4: It ain’t over once the news stops talking about it. The need for help and support will remain for a very long time. Right now, folks are focusing on the critical issues: cleanup, demo, mold prevention, and basic needs. As we move into the recovery portion of the disaster, please keep the groups who are providing direct support in mind for your end-of-year giving. Just as with all things storm-related, this is constantly in flux. I’ve gotten word that some of the groups we’ve recommended are no longer accepting donations. We’re going to do our best to get updates and will link to all the groups we’ve been connecting with our webpage (HERE) rather than keep adding to the lists in the newsletter.

I will likely be making another run down to help both in Florida and North Carolina, hopefully soon. I’ll keep sharing resources on our website and on my social media pages in the meantime.

To begin your LIHEAP application for Cook County residents, click HERE.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) expanded its pilot program for licensees seeking to reinstate or restore their licenses. Eighteen license types can now find their reactivation requirements online. Previously, if licensees wanted to reactivate their license, they had to contact IDFPR directly to learn their restoration or reinstatement requirements. This pilot program simplifies the reactivation process by allowing licensees to obtain all necessary information online before mailing their application, simplifying the reactivation process in an important way. 

You can find out more about the program and apply online here.

Early Voting for the November 5th general election is now open! Early voting sites are open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 4. Most early voting sites are also open Election Day. You do not need to live in the ward to vote at that ward’s early voting site. You can vote at any early voting site.

In the 14th district, the following voting sites are now open:

50th Ward: Northtown Library, 6800 N. Western Ave

49th Ward: Willye B. White Park, 1610 W. Howard St.

48th Ward: Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway

40th Ward: Budlong Wood Library, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.

The Field Museum is launching extended hours for four upcoming Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with deeply discounted All Access Pass tickets: $20 for Chicago residents and $25 for everyone else. The next offering of extended hours is on October 23rd.

More info can be found by clicking HERE 

As a reminder, general admission from 9 am-5 pm remains free for Illinois residents on Wednesdays! 

Also, our office offers a free Museum Pass that can be checked out to access the Field Museum and many other museums around Chicago! More information about the pass and a form to check out the pass can be found on our website by clicking HERE.

It's that time of year! Put on your spookiest costumes and bring out the whole family for a frightfully fun night of trick-or-treating.

The 49th Ward Office is excited to announce their annual Candy Crawl will take place on Tuesday, October 29th from 4-7pm! Please join Alderwoman Hadden, the 49th Ward Staff, and many of our local businesses along Morse from Sheridan to Clark for an evening of candy, laughs, and ghoulish fun! Costumes are definitely encouraged! 

Please stop by their office at 1447 W. Morse Ave. to pick up a map of participating businesses the day of the event. The candy crawl will take place rain or shine! 

If you have any questions, please reach out to the ward office at office@49thward.org or by calling 773-338-5796.

Our office will be participating, so come on out and see the 14th District Staff in our cool costumes!

Neighborhood Shoutout

Crunchy leaves and pumpkin spice everything -- the harvest is here! Join The While Onion Market for their first annual Harvest Festival to celebrate their growth together. Enjoy live music, activities, and giveaways. Come toast National Co-op Month and the start of the harvest season with a nice hot apple cider.

All are welcome!

The celebration will be held next Saturday, October 26, from 10 am-2 pm, in-store: 7007 N Clark St. The Store will be open regular hours 8 am - 8 pm

In the District

Events in Rogers Park

The 24th District Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability is hosting its October meeting at Devon Bank (6445 N Western) on Monday, October 21st at 6 PM. This meeting is also available via Zoom which you can access by clicking this LINK.

Crime. Corruption. Cauliflower. Bertolt Brecht’s cutthroat satire chronicles gangster Arturo Ui’s bloody ascension to power. Set in Chicago amidst a city-wide scandal, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui gets to the heart of hometown corruption and global fascism. Boundaries are blurred between high and low art, rich and poor crime, broken and fixed systems. In responding to the rise of tyranny in 1940s Germany, Brecht conducts a disturbingly timeless takedown of who runs systems and who lets them.

This play runs from October 23rd through November 3rd at the Newhart Family Theater (1020 W Sheridan Rd). Tickets can be purchased and more information can be found by clicking HERE.

The Rogers Park Wester Ridge Historical Society is hosting another installment in their series "Addressing Eco-Anxiety: A Living History Series in 4 Parts" called "Water: Chicago's Local Water Issues". This event will be held on October 23rd from 6-7pm at the Rogers Park Library (6907 North Clark Street).

From RPWRHS' Website:

Dick Lanyon, the former executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, returns to RPWRHS to give us his take on Chicago’s local water challenges. Changing climate conditions have put strain on the world’s water supply, but living next to one of the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystems, we have not been as immediately impacted as other places. Closer to home, our water issues include quality, security, and accessibility. Learn about the current state of Chicago’s water system, issues that impact our drinking water, and the research and improvements being made today to make our water system resilient to climatic change in the future.

This event is free but RPWRHS does request that you pre-register by clicking HERE.

Synapse Arts and the Chicago Tap Theatre are co-hosting a FREE dance day at Loyola Park (1230 W Greenleaf Ave) on Saturday, October 26th from 11 am-5 pm. All ages and identities are encouraged to attend this exciting event that features adult & kids hip-hop and tap classes, costume swaps, and even performances!

To learn more about this event, click HERE!

The Potawattomie Park Advisory Council is hosting a free Haunted House at the Pottawattomie Park Field House (7340 N Rogers) on Halloween night from 5 pm to 8 pm! Candy will be distributed and games will be available too!

The advisory council is also looking for volunteers for this event. To find out more information, visit www.facebook.com/pottapac

Join us for a Halloween Party in the Park! We'll have Halloween themed games, treats, a DJ and lots of fun. Dress in your Halloween best. The event is ideal for those ages 3-13. No registration is required; pay at the door. This event is in partnership with the Loyola Park Advisory Council.

Boo Bash, Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.

3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.

Ages 3 to 11, $5.00 admission

The 24th district is hosting a series of community conversations to discuss the 2025 strategic plan. The second meeting will be held at Pottawattomie Park (7340 N Rogers Ave) at 6:30 pm on November 14th.

For more information about this event, please contact the 24th district community policing office at 312-744-6321.

To register for this event, please click HERE.

Events in Edgewater

Gethsemane Garden Center is offering a FREE pumpkin patch every day from 9 am-4 pm through October 22nd! Every day is fun for the entire family with events including a straw bale maze, photo opportunities, and, of course, a pumpkin patch! Saturday will also feature pumpkin painting and face painting from 10 am-2 pm.

This is a free event and there is no registration required! To learn more about this event, click HERE!

The 20th Police District is hosting its monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 22nd from 6-7 pm at the Mather High School Library (5835 N Lincoln).

You can register for this event and submit public comments by clicking this LINK.

The Friends of the Edgewater Library is hosting The League of Women Voters at a free event for voters at the Edgewater Library, 6000 N Broadway. The event, November Election Questions - Be Prepared, is Saturday, October 26 at 3. p.m.

The League will discuss voting by mail, early voting, and visiting your local polling place. Attendees will learn who can vote and how to use the Illinois Voters Guide. There will be time for questions.

To learn more about the League of Women Voters, click HERE.

To learn more about the Friends of the Edgewater Library, click HERE.

The 48th Ward and the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting a Halloween Parade on Saturday, October 26th starting at 10:30 am at 5400 N Broadway. Neighbors are encouraged to join the parade in costume and will walk west along Balmoral, north on Lakewood, west on Catalpa, and end at Elise Malary Plaza.

Volunteers are being recruited for this event! To help out, you can sign up by clicking on this LINK.

Join St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church for their inaugural Edgewater Trunk or Treat, on Sunday, October 27 from 1-3 pm in the St. Andrew's Parking Lot. They welcome all to decorate their trunk, pass out candy, or do just one of the two - the event is free! For more information and questions, you can contact St. Andrew's Church by clicking HERE.

The 48th Ward is hosting a Fall Jam in partnership with The Mayor's office on Tuesday, October 29th from 5-7 pm at the Broadway Armory (5917 N Broadway). There will be a DJ, Food Truck, Sports, and much more!

More information about this event and others like it around the city can be found HERE.

The Edgewater Environmental Coalition, in partnership with other local offices, is hosting its annual pumpkin smash on Saturday, November 9th from 10 am to 2 pm at 6040 N Clark. This is a great opportunity to not only dispose of your pumpkins in an environmentally conscious way, but to also learn more about composting!

The EEC is also looking for volunteers to help staff the event! There are a variety of open positions available, and more information can be found by clicking this LINK.

Events in Andersonville

Halloween is coming to Andersonville in a big way! Highlighting all the festivities is the Andersonville Business District Trick or Treat where many businesses on and around Clark St pass out candy! For a full list of participating businesses and information on what candy options will be available, click HERE.

See the graphic above for a full list of Halloween activities happening in Andersonville, or click HERE for more info.

The final Andersonville Vintage market of the year is coming up! Neighbors can enjoy a last taste of the market on Sunday, October 27th from 10 am-5 pm at 1500 W Catalpa.

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, the organization that helps run the vintage market, is also looking for volunteers to help staff it. To help run the market as a volunteer, click HERE.

Youth & Teen

The Youth Job Center (YJC) will be hosting a fall career fair! Here are the details.

DATE: Wednesday, October 23

TIME: 10:00-11:30 a.m.

PLACE: Dawson Technical Institute - Student Cafe, 3901 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60609

WHAT TO EXPECT: During the first hour, YJC staff will be available to review resumes and assist with applications, so youth can rest assured they're bringing their A-game. Starting at 11:00, local employers from a variety of industries will be available to connect with young job-seekers in hopes of finding candidates to hire onto their teams.

Interested attendees can sign up HERE.

If you are a young person aged 16-24 who's interested in pursuing a healthcare career but either don't know where to start or can't afford the training you need, we can help! YJC has partnered with TTI Medical School and Chicago Instruction Center to connect interested young people with training and certification in the following categories:

Patient Care Technician (PCT)

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

EKG Technician

Phlebotomy Technician Training Certification

Email our healthcare program coordinator Sara at algawerash@youthjobcenter.org to learn more

Job Openings

Chicago Conservation Corps’ Fall 2024 Sustainability Leadership Training is your way to spark change in your community. You will receive training from C3 Experts representing established organizations already invested in sustainability work. After completing the Sustainability Leadership Training, C3 Leaders become sustainability champions in their communities and receive funds and individualized museum staff support for an unlimited number of sustainability projects.

To participate in the training course, you must be 18+, attend an information session, and submit a short application. Class will be held online via zoom on Wednesday evenings, 6:00pm - 8:00pm, October 2nd - November 20th. Visit chicagoconservationcorps.org or email c3@naturemuseum.org with questions. 

Info Session Dates:

Virtual on Thursday, September 19 @ 12:00pm

In person at the Nature Museum on Saturday, September 21 @ 6:00pm

We'll also have a recorded version available on C3's website shortly after.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is hiring a Research and Analysis Manager. To apply and see any other employment opportunities visit their website.

Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy

State Representative, 14th District



Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

1507 W. Morse Ave

Chicago IL 60626