Block Party Survey Aims Toward Better Policing on the Block

As Bloomington residents partied on the block last weekend, volunteers at the 18th annual West Side Block Party canvassed celebrants on the best ways to better the beat.

At Saturday’s block party in the Bloomington First Christian Church parking lot, McLean County YWCA mission impact director Jenn Carrillo and her team surveyed Twin Cities on police-community relations and public attitudes toward law enforcement, as part of a larger YWCA/Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal project.

While locally, “we’ve been very good at responding when events happen,” Carrillo stressed continued need for a proactive approach in exploring “what work needs to be done so we aren’t ‘that incident’ on the news.”

“As you know, there’s been a lot of very publicized violence in the (national) news, and we want to figure out the patterns, the attitudes here in Bloomington-Normal,” she related. “We’re asking folks very neutral questions – basically giving them an opening to talk about experiences they’ve had with law enforcement here.

“Our hope is to get a lot more of these surveys filled out -- this is just kind of our dry run to see how people respond to questions. Once we have some good information, we plan to sit down with heads of law enforcement, share our results, and talk about some solutions we can collaborate on. I think it all starts with community policing, and the only way to have community policing is to have the community involved in defining exactly what that looks like.”

Rather than offer surveys online, Carrillo hopes to continue having volunteers share one-on-one, “face-to-face time with community members.”

The block party has over the years provided a range of community services, this year alone including distribution of 1,066 free school kits as well as school-approved free dental checks and dental supplies for low-income and other local children. Guests also had the opportunity to visit with representatives of community organizations, Unit 5 and District 87 school district officials, and emergency responders.

“We have shown though actions, through words, through relationships, that we want to be good neighbors, that we want to be more than ‘that church on the corner’ that people come to once a year to get school supplies,” related First Christian Associate Minister Kelley Becker, leader of NIOTBN’s Faith and Outreach effort. “We care more than about pencils – we care about their lives.”

NIOT:B/N's Rao Among Extraordinary 'Ordinary' Nominees

Mandava Rao, right, during a 2014 tour of India's Chicago Consulate.

NIOT:B/N leader Mandava Rao is among Collaborative Solutions Institute's 2015 Extraordinary Ordinary Men of the Year Awards -- a recognition of ordinary men in our community who make a positive impact on others through volunteering in their neighborhoods, faith communities, schools, and social service agencies.

The award recipients and all nominees will be recognized at an Oct. 15 dinner, at 5 p.m. in the Carol A. Reitan Conference Center at Bloomington-Normal’s Marriott Hotel. To purchase tickets to this event, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/collaborative-solutions-extraordinary-ordinary-men-of-the-year-award-dinner-2015-tickets-18428845172. 

In addition to serving the NIOT:B/N Steering Committee, Rao was 2003 president of the McLean County India Association, and is a board member with For A Better Tomorrow, a global philanthropic group. He is a director with the Hindu Temple of Bloomington-Normal.

Other 2015 nominees include Grant Anderson, Merlin Anderson, Frank Beck, Bruce Bergethon, Anand Bhende, Robert Bosquez, Kevin Bradley, Hank Campbell, Phil Eaton, John Evans,  George Gordon, Paul Harmon, Jim Howard, Craig Luchtefeld, Mike McCurdy, Michael Predmore, Larry Taylor, Bill Tolone, and Doan Winkel.

NIOT's Schmidt MCLP Award Recipent

You can often find this year’s MCLP Community Service Award recipient pedaling a bicycle around low-income neighborhoods, laden with an overflowing book box.

That determined and personal effort exemplifies Karen Schmidt, who has helped initiate and maintain numerous community projects — including the Book Bike Program that brings free books into the homes of local residents. Karen gives her voice, time, leadership, and financial support to a myriad of causes — locally and on a state and national level.

Karen serves as alderman and Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Bloomington. Professionally, as Illinois Wesleyan University Librarian, Karen is active in state and national library associations, strengthening campus ties between technology and library services. She also connects IWU students to service learning opportunities that benefit the local community, especially the older Bloomington west side and downtown.

Karen is a board member of the Downtown Bloomington Association and a founding member of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation’s Women to Women Giving Circle. She coordinated a series of grassroot workshops on “Making Neighborhoods Work” in the City of Bloomington, and helped found the West Bloomington Revitalization Project (WBRP). She was instrumental in bringing together the police department and city churches to form the Moving Forward initiative, helping young people improve their chances for success, and is a board member of the Not In Our Town B/N initiative. Karen and her husband, John Elterich, established the Elterich Family Scholarship within the Pratt Music Foundation, giving music opportunities to lower-income youth.

In her family, her neighborhood, and her ward, Karen has personally experienced the challenges and opportunities that confront diverse populations, and spoken out for social justice across all sections of our community. Karen has been a long time supporter of MCLP—as a mentor, speaker, and financial contributor. Her life’s work exemplifies the very definition of a servant leader.

McLean County YWCA President D. Dontae Larson,  who also serves on NIOT: B/N's steering committee with Schmidt, is keynote speaker for April 25's Class of 2015 Graduation Celebration, where Karen Schmidt will receive the MCLP Community Service Award.

MCLP Class of '15 graduates March 7

Five local organizations will get a boost towards their goals as the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP) Class of 2015 concludes its community service projects on Saturday, March 7 at Heartland Community College's Astroth Community Education Center Building (the second floor auditorium).

Beginning with a 7:30 a.m. continental breakfast, this public presentation is offered 8 to 10:45 a.m. Five MCLP teams will share how they put servant leadership into action, dedicating six months’ time and effort to help five local non-profit organizations achieve the following:

 Community Health Care Clinic — study the feasibility of a dental clinic and a five-year budget program

Immanuel Health Care — develop strategies to increase name recognition

Meadows at Mercy Creek — support staff development to enhance skills and better serve residents

Prairie Pride Coalition — assess LGBT community needs to help redefine goals and outreach

Challenger Learning Center — enhance fundraising efforts

Immediately following the project presentations, MCLP will offer an information session 11:00 AM to noon to share about future MCLP opportunities, including how to apply for the MCLP Class of 2016 program year. Local nonprofits interested to submit proposals for next year’s MCLP class projects may apply online at www.bn-mclp.org.

Radio Interviews Offer Previews of Team Experiences: Tune in to Susan Saunder’s show on WJBC AM 1230 every Friday at 10:05 a.m. through March 6th to hear interviews with the MCLP project teams; and to WXRJ’s Ursula Crooks’ “What’s Going On” show 12-2 p.m. on Saturdays through March on FM 94.9.

For more information, see www.bn-mclp.org or contact MCLP Executive Director, Sonya Mau at contactus@bn-mclp.org or call 309-556-3589.

Bring It On Bloomington Notes Feeling of Social Divide

Eric Stock

WJBC-AM 

Results of a city-wide survey in Bloomington are now in a hands of stakeholders who will try to see what changes - if any - can be done. 

Executive Director of the McLean County Regional Planning Commission Vasudha Pinnamaraju said while Bloomington's population actually skews younger than the national average, there's worry they'll inevitably get older and how can the city be hospitable?

"By that time, how are we going to accommodate that aging population?," Pinnamaraju asked. "Do we want to lose them to the Sunbelt communities? Do we want to help them age in place? These are all of the questions we are asking." 

Vasudha Pinnamaraju queries residents during a 2014 Bring It On Bloomington meeting at the McLean County YWCA.

Pinnamaraju told WJBC's Scott Laughlin, the survey also shows a clear east-west divide in the city, due largely to socioeconomic factors. There's a much higher concentration of low-income families in west Bloomington. 

"The sentiment exists there is a divide. People feel like we should try to find ways to dissolve that," Pinnamaraju said. 

Residents also said they want to preserve the city's historic neighborhoods. 

"People are happy with the variety we have with older and newer neighborhoods, but are extremely concerned the historic neighborhoods are not being taken into consideration," Pinnamaraju said. 

More than 2,000 residents took part in the Bring It On Bloomington survey that will guide the city's comprehensive plan for the next two decades. The working groups covering areas such as economic vitality, arts and culture and neighborhoods are expected to have a final report for the city council by June. 

Escaping the Labyrinth: Second Chances, New Opportunities

A labyrinth is a complex maze, virtually inescapable without an understanding of the rules and the system. For many women attempting to start anew following incarceration or imprisonment,

Bloomington-based Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women provides support for women in McLean County returning home from prison or the McLean County Jail. It’s the only such resource of its kind for Bloomington-Normal and surrounding communities.  Labyrinth assists women in securing state identification, transportation, employment preparation; housing, food, and clothing resources; medical and prescription assistance; GED, education, and job training linkages;  long-term counseling and case management; family reunification including parenting resources; a spiritual community of their choice; a support system; and special opportunities when available, such as vocational training, art therapy, and holiday gatherings.

Labyrinth’s first vocational training program – Breaking the Cycle of Female Ex-Offender Employment --  was held this summer with six women graduating. The classes explored résumé development, interviewing, financial literacy, explaining a criminal record, and exposed students to careers that are traditionally considered “a man’s job” but can lead to economic stability and successful careers. As a result, Labyrinth clients could find solid, well-paying work as electricians or welders or in landscaping, carpentry, sheet metal, plumbing, farming, construction, or maintenance.

But despite advanced opportunities and community-based support, Labyrinth Program coordinator and case manager Kristin Manzi notes continued wariness of or prejudice toward even long-released ex-offenders. In the following interview excerpt, Manzi  stressed ex-offenders will continue to live in the community “regardless of whether we make opportunities better,”  and pled a second chance for individuals who could prove an asset to an employer. Check out Labyrinth at http://www.labyrinthoutreach.org/, and listen to the entire interview at www.integrityhelps.org.