We Are Still Rolling...

Last we spoke there was some uncertainty of the future of C3, but the Corps is alive and thriving under the guidance of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum!  I haven't blogged in a while because I have been tweeting (@lafleen) more these days.  

Happy Spring 2013! 

It's rained every day for the last week here, more or less, and it doesn't look like the forecast for next week is calling for anything different.  Not a ton of rain, but enough to give way for some beautiful flowers and spectacular greenery.  I look forward to walking through Portage Park witnessing the trees sprout pink, purple and white blossoms. 

And of course it is baseball season.  Some may complain that it is the most boring to watch, but golf is only watchable, according to my mother, because of the locations of the golf courses.  I concur.  Baseball, you bet.  Go, go White Sox!  

Johnathan Winters passed this week and it hit home because my dad loves him and his dad before as well.  It reminded me of my dad who is 72 and still doing well, but it does give a good feeling to know Winters had a good run at 87 and he wasn't nearly as healthy as my dad.  My dad loves baseball, too!  A legitimate Yankees fan from Long Island, NY.  

Sustain C3!! Please Read

3/6/2012 URGENT DATED INFORMATION Contact: Sustain C3 Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SustainC3@gmail.com, 312-566-7222

“LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEERS ASK FOR HELP TO PRESERVE CITY-
WIDE PROGRAMS”

Volunteer leaders with the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) fear the defunding and dissolution of the program. The contract for C3 expires June 30th, 2012. Unless greater funding is secured, C3 and other environmental programs hosted by the City of Chicago - the Center for Green Technology, Greencorps Chicago, and the Sustainable Backyards Program - are all at risk of severely cutting services or discontinuing based upon a lack of City funding.

Over six years, the successful city-wide program has touched 50 wards and built a diverse environmental network that is open to all Chicagoans under the motto, “You Care. Do Something. We’ll help.” The mission of the Chicago Conservation Corps is to recruit, train and support a network of volunteer leaders who work together to improve the quality of life in Chicago neighborhoods and schools through environmental service projects that protect water, clean air, restore land, and save energy.

Mayor Emanuel has pledged, “I want Chicago to be the greenest city in the world, and I am committed to fostering opportunities for Chicagoans to make sustainability a part of their lives and their experience in the city” (City of Chicago Environment and Sustainability).

C3 wants to help the Mayor achieve this. Operating on an already modest yearly budget, with only three full-time staff organizers, C3 has a high return-on-investment. Major successes, like the closing of the Fisk and Crawford coal plants, require vast efforts from the city, non-profits, and volunteers alike. C3 is an important part of these broad efforts and will be essential in keeping Chicago a national leader in sustainability.

C3 leaders have requested a March meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, David Spielfogel (Chief of Policy and Strategic Planning, Mayor’s Office), Karen Weigert (Chief Sustainability Officer) Aaron Joseph (Deputy Sustainability Officer) to discuss the future of and funding concerns for the C3 program in light of recent developments with its sister program, Greencorps Chicago. We care about our role in the greening of Chicago, and wish to insure that these types of opportunities are available for many years to come.

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