Where do we volunteer? At the PAWS Chicago Adoption Center located at 1997 N. Clybourn Avenue (west Lincoln Park neighborhood). The center is a 13,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the adoption of Chicago’s homeless animals. It is cage-free; the only cage-free facility in the Midwest. Daily we have between 35-50 dogs in the 25 dog rooms and 50-70 cats in the 10 cat rooms . Since the Center opened in September 2007, over 15,000 dogs and cats have found forever homes.

What can we expect from the Volunteer Experience? We start the volunteer experience with a brief orientation to PAWS Chicago, the Adoption Center and the role of the visiting volunteer in Dog Town and Kitty City. Visiting volunteers play a key role in animal socialization (playing, brushing, petting), some light cleaning (for example, we have lots of glass, Windex and paper towels; kitchen and/or laundry duty). Each volunteer gets to choose if they want to work with dogs, cats or both. We also can have an administrative project or 2 available if there are visiting volunteers who don’t want animal contact (please let us know how many people would like to help out with projects so we can set up the work ahead of time).

What should we wear? Because you will have animal contact you must wear the following for practical reasons and safety purposes.

- All clothing should be washable
- Rubber-soled, closed toe shoes/sneakers (a MUST, inappropriate footwear, no animal contact)- Long pants: – Long sleeved-shirts (requested, not required) – Avoid wearing perfume/cologne as some pets react negatively to new odors and avoid wearing dangling jewelry

You also get to wear a PAWS Chicago volunteer apron and name tag.

Parking/Transportation: During the day street parking is typically available, particularly on the side streets (just pay close attention to the signs). Do NOT park in the strip mall across from the Center — there is a very diligent towing service. In the evenings (starting at 5 pm) we have free use of the Anixter Center’s parking lot, which is about a block away.

Public Transportation is a viable option. It takes me 7 minutes to walk from the Armitage stop of the CTA’s Brown Line and the #73 Armitage bus (CTA) stops at the el station and our corner. We also are a doable walk to/from the Metra’s Clybourn station and the CTA Red Line North/Clybourn stop.

Anything else? Each volunteer is required to sign a waiver of liability. We ask that each volunteer read and sign the waiver prior to coming to the Center; [please bring the signed waiver with you as it will be collected at the beginning of the event.

CAPCA’s annual Founder’s Day Dinner will be held Fri., June 8 at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie St., Chicago.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Aaron Williams, director of the U.S. Peace Corps, Chicago native and RPCV Dominican Republic.

Tickets are $80.

Cocktails will start at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. A silent auction will also be held.

This is CAPCA’s biggest event of the year and helps raise money for Peace Corps Partnership Program projects abroad by PCVs from the Chicago area.

ORDER TICKETS here!

Invitations will go in the mail at the end of the month so if you need to update your information or renew your membership, please contact Melissa Shoemaker at melissashoe513@gmail.com.

If you have any questions, please email CAPCAfundraising@gmail.com.

*Volunteer with fellow RPCVs at this 7-acre urban farm located in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. Involves a short training and tour, then we get our hands dirty! Farm includes:

-10 hoop-houses to grow fresh produce year-round;
-aquaponics systems, which will produce healthy Tilapia and Yellow Perch;
-vermicomposting;
-small ruminant husbandry, including chickens, ducks, and rabbits;
-urban apiary with six bee hives;
-urban orchard and vine fruit production;
-green roof production and research; and
-the training and employment of over 40 youth.
-the vision for the site is that it will also include an anaerobic digester to not only create nutrient-rich compost, but renewable energy as well.

More info: http://www.ironstreetfarm.com/

Please RSVP to Caitlin Johnson at caitlinjohnson31@gmail.com

Tuesday Deadline for Senate Letter

As of Monday morning, 16 Senators signed the Feinstein-Isakson Peace Corps funding letter.

This letter will close at 6 PM (EST) on Tuesday.

Below is the list of Senators who are among those who HAVE NOT SIGNED this year’s letter and have signed similar letters in the past. For the Senators listed below:
• Please call the Senate switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask to be connected to the office of your Senator.
• Once connected, ask to speak to the staff who handles Peace Corps issues.
• Leave this message: “I am calling to urge Senator _____ to sign the Feinstein-Isakson Peace Corps funding letter. The deadline for signing this letter is close of business on Tuesday. Signatures are being collected by Daniel Saphire in Senator Feinstein’s office, or Chris Sullivan in Senator Isakson’s office.”
• The list of Senators below also includes the years in which they have signed previous, similar Peace Corps funding letters. You can reference this in your messages.
• Follow this link if you prefer to send the above message by email.
• Ask 1 – 3 others from your state to take similar action, and contact us at advocacy@peacecorpsconnect.org to let us know you took action.
• For latest updates on Senate sign-ons, please follow this link.
The following Senators are among those who HAVE NOT SIGNED this year’s Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter (information in brackets indicates past years when they have signed similar letters).

Alaska: Begich (2009)
Colorado: Bennet (2010)
Connecticut: Lieberman (2008 through 2010)
Florida: Nelson (2009)
Georgia: Chambliss (2009, 2010)
Illinois: Durbin (2008 through 2010)
Maine: Collins (2010), Snowe (2010)
Massachusetts: Kerry (2007-2010)
Michigan: Levin (2008 through 2010), Stabenow (2006, 2008)
Minnesota: Klobuchar (2009)
Nevada: Reid (2009, 2010)
New Hampshire: Shaheen (2009, 2010)
New Jersey: Menendez (2007 through 2010)
New Mexico: Udall (2009, 2010)
New York: Schumer (2006 through 2009), Gillibrand (2010)
Ohio: Brown (2007 through 2010)
Pennsylvania: Casey (2009, 2010)
Tennessee: Corker (2008 through 2010)
West Virginia: Rockefeller (2008 through 2010)

Today is Deadline for House Letter

With 115 Representatives already signed onto the Farr-Petri-Honda-Garamendi Peace Corps funding letter, we are ten signatures away from a record number of Congressmen/women signing this letter.

This letter closes at 6 PM (EST) today.

Please follow this link to see if your Congressman/woman has signed onto this letter, and take appropriate action if they have not yet signed the letter.

It is especially important for you to reach out if your Congressman/woman is a Republican member of Congress. We want to strengthen the bi-partisan nature of this letter, so please take the following action:
• Please call the House switchboard (202-225-3121) and ask to be connected to the office of your Representative. Once connected, ask to speak to the staff who handles Peace Corps issues.
• Leave this message: “I am calling to urge Representative _____ to join Congressmen Farr and Petri by signing their Dear Colleague letter requesting $400 Million for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2013. The deadline for signing this letter is close of business today. Signatures are being collected by Caitie Whelan in Congressman Farr’s office.”
• Follow this link if you prefer to send the above message by email.
• Ask 1 – 3 others from your state to take similar action, and contact us at advocacy@peacecorpsconnect.org to let us know you took action.
• For updates on House sign-ons throughout the day, please follow this link.

You still want to make a difference. Be a member to continue serving, connect with others, and support the legacy of the Peace Corps.

JOIN TODAY!

SEND TO FRIEND

Take Action With Your Senators

Follow this link for contact information to phone or email your Senators.
If you are a constituent of Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) or Lindsey Graham (R-SC), scroll down to the “Special Action” section of this message.
For other Senators, ask them to:
Please sign the Feinstein-Isakson Dear Colleague letter in support of strong Peace Corps funding in Fiscal Year 2013.
Please co-sponsor Senate Bill 1421, Peace Corps commemorative legislation. (If your Senator is already a co-sponsor, say thank you and urge them to lead efforts to pass this legislation).
If you are sending an e-mail to your Senators, you can use the sample message below as a guide. We encourage you to personalize your message if time allows.
Take Action With Your Congressman/woman

If you are not sure who your Congressman/woman is, go to www.house.gov and use the “Find Your Representative” link in the upper right corner.
If you are a constituent of Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY) Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) or Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) scroll down to the “Special Action” section of this message.
For all others, call your Rep’s office or dial the Capitol Hill switchboard (202-225-3121) and ask to be connected to the office of your Representative. If you want to send an email, visit your Reps’ website or follow this link to send your message (you may need your nine digit zip code for this link)
Ask them to:
Please sign the Farr-Petri-Honda-Garamendi Dear Colleague letter in support of $400 Million for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2013.
Please co-sponsor House Bill 854, Peace Corps commemorative legislation. (If your Rep is already a co-sponsor, say thank you and urge them to lead efforts to pass this legislation).
If you are sending an email to your Congressman/woman you can use the sample message below as a guide. We encourage you to personalize your message if time allows.

Sample Letter For Your Lawmakers

(Feel free to use this letter as a guide when writing to your lawmakers. Make sure to edit so you use the appropriate references for the Senate and House. Personalize if you can. Include your Peace Corps service and why you believe Peace Corps is important)

Dear ______

As a strong supporter of the Peace Corps, I am writing to urge you to take the following actions:
Please sign the (Senate/House) Dear Colleague letter requesting strong support for Peace Corps funding in Fiscal Year 2013.

Please co-sponsor (Senate Bill 1421/House Bill 854), bi-partisan legislation that would authorize a privately funded effort to establish a commemorative work near the National Mall that would mark the lasting historical significance of the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, and the ideals Peace Corps service represents.

As the Peace Corps community embarks on its next 50 years of service to our nation, your support for these two matters will recognize Peace Corps’ role in our evolving American story, and help provide resources that are necessary to support thousands of volunteers.

The Peace Corps remains as one of our nation’s enduring expressions of global friendship and understanding. More than 200,000 citizens have answered the call to service, while Returned Peace Corps Volunteers provide ongoing service as leaders in communities all across our country.

I thank you in advance for taking positive action to support the Peace Corps.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Peace Corps Service, if applicable)

MONDAY, FEB 27th @5:30pm

327 S. Plymouth Ct (b/w State & Dearborn; Jackson & Van Buren)

*Drop by after work to mingle over cheap martinis and beer specials. This is the first event to celebrate Peace Corps Week (Feb 27-Mar 4), so head up to the roof-top and catch up with CAPCA folks. Recently-returned PCVs are especially encouraged to attend.

See you there!

Then World Music Wednesdays at Old Town School of Folk Music featuring Raul Fernandez’s “Paseo Jarocho”, 8:30 pm

(Latin, Arabic and Afro-Caribbean music)

http://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2012/2/22_fernandez.php

Concert is free with a suggested $5 donation.

Please RSVP to caitlinjohnson31@gmail.com

Our shift runs from 6:00 to 10:45 PM on Saturday, March 3, 2012.  Arrive at WTTW by 6 PM.

WTTW 5400 N. St Louis Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60625

There is a large parking lot at the station or you can come via public transportation.

What to wear:  Do not wear white because it creates too much glare on the cameras.  Feel free to wear Country of Service clothing or PC clothing.  DO bring a sweater, because it can be very cool to cold at the beginning before the camera lights are turned on.  You will likely be on camera.

WTTW provides a meal at the beginning.  Then you will trained on how to answer the phones and record the pledges.  10-12 volunteers are needed to staff the shift.

I have 5 spots left and I need to send in the list of volunteers by THIS FRIDAY (FEB. 17th) so email me to sign up– katmobrien@gmail.com.  Thanks!