The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccine to youth, ages 5-to-11, pending authorization from the relevant federal government agencies. Studies have shown the vaccine to be safe and effective in younger children, and the vaccines have been proven to provide the best protection against severe outcomes from COVID-19.

To encourage vaccinations, CPS will expand access through regional clinics, school-based health centers, and school-based mobile events across the city. CPS sites can be found at cps.edu/COVID and will include four regional vaccination clinics at CVCA, Roosevelt, Clark and Richards High Schools, at mobile vaccination units, and at school-based health centers.

While using the same “formula” as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adults, the recommended dose for 5-to-11-year-olds is expected to be one-third the dose of adults. All COVID-19 vaccinations are free, no insurance or government ID required.

For seniors, CDPH announced a number of initiatives aimed at encouraging even more Chicago elderly residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including the launch of a marketing campaign featuring real stories of Chicago seniors who made the choice to get vaccinated. While vaccination rates in Chicago are steadily increasing, rates among seniors, especially those 70 and older, continue to lag.

In all, 76.6 percent of Chicagoans age 65 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, just 60 percent of Latinx Chicagoans age 65 and older have received at least one shot, compared to 71 percent of Black and 77 percent of White Chicago seniors. Overall, Chicagoans in their 50s are the

most vaccinated group, and CDPH would like to see greater up-take among those older.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and find vaccines for your family at Chicago.gov/COVIDvax.

As the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget and Government Operations, Alderman Dowell plays an important role in the creation and legislative process of the annual City of Chicago budget. This includes working with the administration and her City Council colleagues on setting the priorities for the budget, hosting the annual departmental budget meetings, advocating on behalf of City residents for their budgetary ideas, and participating in public outreach on the budget. This year was no different, with the added complexity of allocating an additional $1.9 billion in one-time federal funding designed to help our City recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through Alderman Dowell's leadership, the 2022 City of Chicago Budget makes monumental investments in critical City initiatives, while also putting Chicago on a much more fiscally sustainable path. As part of the budget, Chicago is investing:

In addition, the budget: funds the expansion of the co-responder model to deliver a non-police response to our City’s public safety concerns, more than doubles the size of our tree trimming operations, provides for citywide capital construction projects, helps the City catch up on the delivery of garbage carts, adds critical night and weekend hours for mental health services and more clinical staff to address these needs, supports the development of affordable and market rate housing, and allows aldermen to invest in social services in our wards.

And it will ensure proper oversight of this spending by creating a new ARP spending oversight committee, with Alderman Martin serving as the vice-chair, as a subcommittee of the Committee on the Budget and Government Operations.

This is a historic budget that moves our City forward to make Chicago what we all want it to be. For more information on the budget please visit www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/obm.html.

Continuing to provide important services to the community, Alderman Dowell's office in October hosted a Free Flu/COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic and a Free Shredding Event. Thank you to the Chicago Department of Public Health, True Rock Ministries, Midway Moving and Storage, and the entire 3rd Ward team for serving the community at these popular events.

At the Flu/COVID-19 Clinic, residents were offered both a flu shot and/or a COVID-19 vaccine. With cold weather approaching and the return of mostly indoor activities, it's more important than ever to get your vaccines to help prevent the spread of these harmful diseases. And with residents practicing social distancing over the past year-and-a-half, the flu may be especially prevalent this year, as there simply hasn't been much contact between people to build immunity levels to the various flu strains that we would typically see in a normal year.

Alderman Dowell was also proud to host another free shredding event, this time in the South Loop. Numerous residents stopped by to have their old paper documents safely destroyed. Not only does this help to clear up space in your home, but it protects residents from things like identity theft, fraud and other financial crimes.

Timuel Black, who passed away on October 13, 2021, was a towering intellect, passionate leader, and generous mentor. He served as a trusted advisor and dear friend to Alderman Dowell, and they worked closely on education issues as he was a member of the DuSable High School Alumni Coalition. He was the driving force behind the landmark designation of the school. One of the proudest moments for Alderman Dowell in her role in City Council was passing legislation that created a street sign in his honor on State Street at 49th Street. Alderman Dowell and the entire 3rd Ward team offer their sincerest condolences to his wife, Zenobia, and all who loved and admired him. Chicago lost a true pillar of the community. His legacy will live on.

Throughout October, Alderman Dowell attended numerous community-led events including the annual South Loop Elementary School (SLES) Clean and Green and the 2nd Annual Bronzeville 5K Run/Walk. Thank you to 3rd Ward Superintendent Thomas L.E. Stovall, Alicia D. Bird, Scott Golas, and Valane and LaTrina Spaulding for organizing these great events.

The SLES Clean and Green was held at Mary Richardson Park where community members pulled together to clean the park and playground for the kids to safely use. For the Bronzeville 5K at Armstrong Park, Alderman Dowell was on hand to cheer on the runners and participate in the healthy living events offered in the park.

Keep in touch with the 3rd Ward Public Service Office for news on more great events in our community!

Friends of Historic Second Church is pleased to announce that they have received a grant from the Save America’s Treasures program. This prestigious federal award recognizes the national significance of Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, a National Historic Landmark, located at 1936 S. Michigan Ave.

The $250,000 grant will support preservation work in the church including the conservation of a large mural painted by renowned muralist Frederic Clay Bartlett. The Save America’s Treasures grant program is a highly competitive program organized in collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Alderman Dowell, herself a former college basketball player and current Chicago Sky season ticket holder, extends her most heartfelt congratulations for the 3rd Ward's own Chicago Sky on winning the WNBA Championship! Alderman Dowell was lucky enough to attend a finals game and visit with her favorite basketball player of all time Ann Meyers Drysdale, Chicago’s legendary Dorothy Gaters of Marshall High School, and Kim McQuarter former Marshall standout and coach of the Malcolm X Women’s Team.

Following their victory, Alderman Dowell welcomed the Sky's championship parade to the 3rd Ward, which ran through the heart of the South Loop along Michigan Ave. from Millennium Park to Wintrust Arena. What an incredible event to cap off an amazing season.

Thanks to the generosity of Black Men United, Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Chicago Football Classic and Christmas in the Wards, Alderman Dowell hosted a free food giveaway at Metcalfe Park for needy families in our area. If you or anyone you know are in need of food assistance, please visit www.chicagosfoodbank.org/find-food/ to find a food bank or food giveaway nearest to you.

The Phyllis Wheatley Home (5128 S. Michigan Ave.) hosted an important preservation event, which was attended by the Chicago Agricultural Club, Preservation Chicago, the Washington Park Advisory Council, and The Woodlawn Organization. Thank you to Dr. JoAnn Tate for feeding everyone in attendance.

Phyllis Wheatley Homes offered shelter and resources to young Black women moving north during the great migration. The home at 5128 S. Michigan Ave. in the 3rd Ward is the last standing Phyllis Wheatley Home and was built in 1896. Due to its advanced age, the home is undergoing extensive preservation efforts to keep this important historical marker in the community.

In October, the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) continued its Location Identifier/Pole Marking Program with the installation of signage on light poles from Oakwood Blvd. to Roosevelt Rd., which can be used to report a location to 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. This signage helps first responders get to a specific area in an emergency where addresses may not be present. As part of a phased process, the City has previously installed signage along DuSable Lake Shore Drive from 6600 South to 3900 South and also in Grant Park area. For details, visit City of Chicago Pole Marking/Location Identifiers 

Pole Markers affixed to light poles are green and white with white characters listed vertically. The letter and number combinations are used to identify locations. For instance, a sign listing the characters ‘M300’ would be located at 300 E. Monroe and ‘LSD5132S would be at 5132 S. Lake Shore Drive.

This pole number information has also been entered into the 9-1-1’s computer aided dispatch system (CAD) which allows City call takers and dispatchers to automatically associate each location with an approximate address or location. This helps emergency responders to locate areas needing assistance, especially during crowded events held throughout the year along the Lakefront and Grant Park.

AT&T is providing notification for a proposed antenna and ancillary equipment construction project at the following location: 1801 S. Wabash Ave. This project comes as an effort by AT&T to build up their infrastructure in order to bring advanced cellular technology to the community. This build is scheduled for Q4 2021.

MCI is providing notification for a proposed fiber optic installation construction project at the

following location: Dearborn St. and Archer Ave. Work consists of the installation of one communication manhole. This project comes as an effort by MCI to build up their infrastructure in order to bring advanced fiber optic connectivity to the community. This build is scheduled for Q1 2022.

On October 12, 2021, a judgment of $2,040 was entered against Liyu Zheng (2323 S. Wabash Ave.) by the Department of Administrative Hearings for operating without an animal care business license. Questions regarding this case can be directed to the 3rd Ward Public Service Office at 773-373- 9273.

For a complete list of Soldier Field events, please visit www.SoldierField.net/event. The 3rd Ward is providing the list below as a courtesy to residents and visitors and does not assume liability for the accuracy of the monthly list of South Loop events. All Soldier Field events are subject to change, including cancellation or the scheduling of additional events. It is your responsibility to adhere to the parking restrictions in place. 

The Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) Emergency Heating Repair Program (EHRP) provides a grant up to $24,999 to low-moderate income, owner-occupied residential building of one to four (1-4) units. The program is limited to the repair/replacement service of a heating system. Grant funds are limited and provided on a first-come, first-serve basis to income qualified Chicago residential property owners. Eligible residential buildings will be assisted one time for one-service (furnace or boiler) only and for the life of the property. In two to four (2-4) unit residential buildings with individual heating systems only the owner-occupied unit will qualify for assistance.

Total household members gross income earnings (including rental income, earning for minors and any other source of income) that totals 80% or less of the area median income (AMI) are eligible to participate in the program (see household gross income limits).

Interested homeowner(s) can download an application package starting November 1st to April 1, 2022 at: www.chicago.gov/ehrp.

Partnering with Community-Based Organizations to Help Students Thrive and Succeed, CPS announced an investment of $7.5 million in public and private funds over the next year to serve 1,000 youth grappling with high-risk situations. Under the plan, CPS and community partners will expand Choose to Change, a program that has helped reduce the impact of trauma on Chicago’s youth who have experienced higher levels of violence.

While CPS has seen vast improvements in key safety metrics over the last decade, more investments are needed to support students' mental health and wellbeing amid the ongoing pandemic, gun violence and other adverse conditions. CPS and the City of Chicago are answering an urgent call to action by partnering with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) and Children’s Home and Aid to train four community-based organizations to implement a new, hyperlocal version of the Choose to Change program. The program provides intensive youth and family support and weekly behavioral health sessions. The effort is part of the District’s commitment to ensure all young people have access to safe

environments at school and in their communities.

On October 4, 2021, the Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS) issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) inviting food and beverage, retail, arts and other qualified businesses to apply to operate a concession on the Chicago Riverwalk in the Community Marketplace for the 2022 Season. Responses are due Monday, November 8, 2021.

The RFQ is specifically looking for businesses that will provide concession services reflective of the cultural diversity and neighborhoods of the City of Chicago. The goal is to establish a pool of qualified operators which offer a variety of concessions. Small businesses in your communities, and minority and women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to respond.

The RFQ application and recording of the pre-submittal webinar can be found here:

https://www.chicagoriverwalk.us/opportunities.

Local businesses sign up online for Small Business Shop Local 2021. By signing up, you will receive free marketing, advertising, promotion to over 20,000 local residents across 5 South Side neighborhoods. The program will run for 5 weeks from November 8th to December 6th. If you are interested sign up here.

Learn about the home buying process such as the basics of budgeting, improving credit, understanding

the closing process and down payment assistance programs. This is an eight-hour course delivered in four

2-hour sessions.

When: Wednesday, November 3rd at 6:00 pm (link to register), Saturday, November 6th at 9:00 am ( link to register)

Whether you are planning to purchase a home or simply need to improve your finances, this webinar will

prepare you for financial security. Learn How To: develop a spending plan, reduce your debt, and

increase your credit score.

When: Tuesday, November 9th at 6:00 pm (link to register)

The City of Chicago, City Colleagues of Chicago, and Chicago Public Schools invite you to our 2021 Faith in Education Day. Faith in Education Day aims to cultivate new and strengthen existing relationships with faith-based leaders of the City of Chicago to build stronger communities through education.

Where: Malcolm X College (1900 W. Jackson Blvd.)

When: Monday, November 8th from 8:00 am to 11:00 am