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New Level 1 adult trauma center planned for Chicago’s South Side communities
Sinai Health System and the University of Chicago Medicine partner to provide trauma care services at Holy Cross Hospital

In a move to create a more comprehensive system of needed trauma and emergency care for Chicago’s South and Southwest side communities, Sinai Health System and the University of Chicago Medicine are partnering to build and operate a Level 1 adult trauma center and to expand emergency services.

Community Programs Accelerator seeks nonprofits for new program year
Organizations serving South Side communities can apply by Oct. 2
The Community Programs Accelerator at the University of Chicago is preparing to kick off its second year with a new, dedicated facility and a call for applications for programming.
Launched in May 2014, the accelerator aims to develop and strengthen nonprofits that are improving the health and vitality of local communities. Through partnerships with industry practitioners and connections to University resources, the program offers assistance tailored to an organization's needs, which may include office space, funding, coaching, strategic planning, consulting and board development.

The program seeks nonprofit organizations, preferably with 501c3 status, at any stage of development that serve at least one out of nine mid-South Side neighborhoods: Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Greater Grand Crossing, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, South Shore, Washington Park, and Woodlawn. Applications are being accepted through Oct. 2, and information sessions will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 at 5225 S. Cottage Grove.

Several opportunities to tour historic UChicago architecture

As part of the University’s 125th anniversary celebration, the Office of Civic Engagement is hosting architectural campus tours on three consecutive Saturdays, beginning September 26. The free, two-hour tours will be led by docents from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. They will leave from the University of Chicago Bookstore at 58th Street and Ellis Avenue, and end at 58th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.

The September 26 tours will be at 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m. The October 3 and October 10 tours will be at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.


The UChicago tours are a preview of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s annual Open House Chicago, a weekend-long architecture festival that features a behind-the-scenes look at some of the city’s most iconic and unique architecture, including 10 South Side treasures. Learn more about Open House Chicago.

The University is also a program partner in the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and will host nearly 20 events, exhibitions, and tours between October 3, 2015 and January 3, 2016. For more information, visit the Chicago Architecture Biennial at UChicago website
Photos by Greg Birman
Newly restored "Under City Stone" mural unveiled

When Caryl Yasko first mixed her paints on the wall beneath the viaduct at East 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue in 1972, she was at the forefront of the public art movement that began on Chicago’s South Side in the 1960s. Yasko returned to Hyde Park this summer to restore her mural “Under City Stone” and preserve a piece of history. The result of that work was presented to community members at a dedication ceremony on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Fifth Ward Ald. Leslie A. Hairston, who also spoke at the dedication, celebrated “Under City Stone” for depicting the “diversity and inclusion that are hallmarks of our community. This mural also embodies the spirit of collaboration that is in Hyde Park’s DNA.” 


Partner Spotlight: Artifice
Artifice is a community tech center based in Woodlawn that provides STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education to local youth. The nonprofit is the brainchild of UChicago doctoral student James Crooks, Ashley Lane, AB’11, and Adam Hammond, PhD’01. They founded the program two years ago to make learning about technology hands-on and fun, while also helping students develop lasting skills that will help them find jobs in the booming tech and entrepreneurial sectors. For the staff, most of whom are doctoral students in UChicago’s Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, Artifice is an opportunity to get involved with the community. 
Crooks, Lane, and Hammond launched the first pilot course in late 2013, and knew immediately they were onto something. Last year, through the Community Programs Accelerator Associates program, Artifice partnered with Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors (WECAN) to get donated space and utilities at 6460 S. Stony Island Ave.
Upcoming events
Woodlawn Rising:
One Day, Three Events
The SOL Street Festival is one of three Woodlawn Rising events happening on Saturday, September 12th. It will celebrate the creative contributions of Woodlawn icons Lorraine Hansberry, Oscar Brown Jr., and Sam Greelee, with a variety of visual and performing artist performances. There will also be a 1,000 Family/Youth March & Rally and Health & Resource Fair.  

Family/Youth March & Rally
10 a.m.
63rd St. & Ingleside Ave.

Health & Resource Fair
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
AKArama Foundation Community Center, 6220 S. Ingleside

SOL Street Festival
12 - 7 p.m.
62nd St. & Cottage Grove Ave.

Children's Book Fair
Hyde Park’s annual book fair has been a back-to-school tradition for more than 25 years. This year, it will be one a several Downtown Hyde Park Fest events and will feature a character parade, stage performances, storytelling and reading. Downtown Hyde Park Fest kicks off with FASHION53rd: Refined on Friday and culminates with Music in the Park Sunday evening. Visit the Downtown Hyde Park Fest website for details on all the events, including the Children’s Book Fair, which is sponsored by the Office of Civic Engagement.

Sunday, September 20, 2015
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Nichols Park
55th Street & Kimbark Avenue
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
The ninth annual Hyde Park Jazz Fest will present 35 bands on more than a dozen stages. Acts will include both local favorites such as the Kenwood Academy Jazz Band and Ari Brown Quintet, as well as internationally known artists. Performers will include trumpet virtuoso Ambrose Akinmusire, the duo of Henry Threadgill and David Virelles, violinist Regina Carter, and the Tomeka Reid Ensemble. There will also be film screenings, vendors, and an outdoor dance floor.

Saturday, September 26, 2015
1 p.m. - Midnight
Sunday, September 27, 2015
1 - 7 p.m.
Multiple venues in Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and Kenwood
Do you have an event to share with the Office of Civic Engagement? Submit an event
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About us
The University of Chicago is shaped and inspired by the city of Chicago. Our growing partnership with our neighbors has the potential to enhance the quality of life and economic development of the South Side and the global reach of this vibrant city. UChicago has devoted the research and creative thinking of some of the nation’s top scholars, as well as millions of dollars in investment in recent years, to support local schools, jobs, health care, arts, housing, and public safety. Learn more about our civic engagement work at uchicago.edu/community.
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