Institute for Leadership and Service Blog

As I come to the conclusion of my time as a CAPS Fellow with Community Renewal Society, I find myself reflecting on how I have grown and developed through my experiences as a Communications and Development intern. While this summer has certainly gone by fast, it has been a delight to learn about various macro-level and policy approaches for tackling the connections between racism and poverty, participate in webinars on engaging members of a congregation and building a valued donor base, aid in launching the new CRS website, and celebrate the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act in Illinois. Most notably, it has been incredibly educational and rewarding to witness the elimination of cash money bond, a crucial part of the prison industrial complex that furthers racial and economic disparities for individuals presumed to be innocent. Despite the time it has taken to recognize the value of eliminating this inequitable […]

Through the Chicago Reporter, I had the chance to pursue my passion project on gun violence. Last week, I had a meaningful interview with Kweisi, who tragically lost his brother to gun violence years ago. Kweisi, a poet and advocate, strongly believes in healing through his poetry and the concept of forgiveness. He believes the only way to heal is to grow and forgive. When he shared his story with me, I was struck by the profound strength he possesses to navigate a world filled with cruelty, his determination to prevent similar situations and aid others in healing from their traumas is truly inspiring. My current aspiration is to bring Kweisi’s story to the forefront and shine a spotlight on the significant issue that the Chicago community and the entire country is grappling with. The issue is the absence of adequate checks and balances for gun control and the mishandling of […]

While Lutheran Summer Music, or LSM, has been around for 40 years, this was my first year. As a social work major with an art minor and no prior experience in music, joining the LSM community was intimidating. Luckily, with an art concentration in my background, I know that art comes in many different forms, and all forms of art are enjoyable for me. Although coming into LSM, I knew little about anything musical, nor had I ever listened to ‘nonpopular instrumentals’. So I was a bit out of my comfort zone, although the mindset I had due to my artistic background helped me navigate the unfamiliar territory of music at LSM because it was a completely new world to me. Luckily, the LMS community is very welcoming, which made learning about musical culture easier. As a social work major, my major instructs me to understand and appreciate different cultures; often, […]

I am currently a little over halfway through my time here at the Guild. That sentence conjures up both feelings of restlessness and anticipation. Grappling with the reality that this is the last summer of my college career (and maybe life) has been an unexpected challenge that I have had to overcome this past month. A reality that, in the scheme of things, is wildly unimportant but nonetheless a challenge I have felt deeply. At the start of the summer, I was excited to explore the vastness of the nature surrounding me. My time was often consumed with various tasks that had to be completed before Summer Programming began, so I never really had the time to dwell on this revelation. As tasks died down and a once-foreign daily routine became my new normal, I started to have more time to miss the people that I would usually fill my […]

As I wrap up my fellowship at Shirley Heinze Land Trust, I’ve been reflecting on my experience and looking towards the future. I have enjoyed working with a group of smart, driven people this summer who have equipped me with invaluable information to advance my career.  Through my research, I’ve written educational policy briefs on urban agriculture, water quality, conservation easements and more. I’m proud of how I’ve been able to create and execute this project from the ground up, and I’m excited to see what direction Shirley Heinze takes this work once I transition out of my role. Not enough people in Northwest Indiana know about land trusts and their vital roles in conservation and preservation, so I hope that my work helps with outreach and education in that regard. I’ve appreciated how the rest of the Shirley Heinze interns and I have been engaged in professional development throughout […]

I am about two months into my summer internship at By the Hand Club for Kids, which has been gratifying. Unfortunately, my time here is quickly reaching its ending point. I am enjoying my time so much that Interning here is flying by so fast and does not feel like work!  During a normal day of Summer programming, I was able to sit in a music class for 1st graders. It was a beautiful moment to witness the students praising God by singing and dancing to Gospel music. I even discovered that a few of my students had a true gift of singing and should consider pursuing it.  On Friday, June 30th, we were able to treat students that made A’s, B’s, and C’s to Great America. Many of the students that went on the trip had never been, so it was great to see their faces light up as […]

I’ve been lucky enough to have had plenty of great experiences these past few weeks working with the Care Coordination Team of Heartland Alliance Health! For some highlights, I’ve assisted in organizing outings to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Gardens, which were successful and offered fun, community-building activities to participants and staff. I’ve worked closely with one particular case manager in dividing up some of her weekly tasks involving participants, and have formed connections with participants while supporting them with attaining resources such as entrance into our program, public benefits, bus cards, medical care, and disability parking permits. I’m refining my administrative skills, especially by practicing case-noting, and am noticing an increase in my comfortability levels with directing my own tasks. I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed this work experience, and have felt a sense of empowerment from it in ways that I did not expect. While […]

For the past few weeks I have been working with Heartland Alliance’s Vocational English Language Training Team. So far this position has been very eye opening for me and has helped me reflect on my future. In my first week it was all about observation. I was tasked with watching various classes ranging from Level 1, the lowest level taught, all the way up to their higher level courses. Each teacher had their own way of teaching with some using similar resources and others making their own curriculum. I tutored in high school so I had a small experience doing that but I had never experienced teaching at this scale before. At this point I wasn’t sure what my job here would look like or how this position would affect my future goals but I was willing to go along for the ride! As the weeks began to progress, I […]

HealthLinc continues to impress me with their unique ways of serving their patients and the communities they are in. Coming soon is National Health Center week, and HealthLinc will be celebrating by hosting Community Health Fairs at various sites in Northwest Indiana. These fairs provide wellness check-ups, sports physicals, and COVID-19 vaccines all free of charge. And, of course, there are plenty of games and food! Part of the preparation for this event was organizing school supplies that could be given away to kids in need of basic supplies. Many volunteers including myself spent several days packing backpacks full of supplies that could be sent to the site fairs. These fairs are one of HealthLinc’s biggest yearly events and contribute to the goal of creating healthy communities. In addition to these fairs, HealthLinc’s outreach has also expanded to virtual services. Thanks to TeleHealth, we have been able to perform annual […]

Hello, my name is Chris Gatlin. I am a rising senior at Valparaiso University. I am interning at the Kheprw Institute and my internship title is democratizing data intern over the summer. My internship has been a new experience for me since I’m staying in Indianapolis. I am originally from Chicago, Illinois. I really love the city and I am happy to have built a relationship with the people inside of my workplace. Though I have been homesick, staying in Indianapolis has allowed me to build the relationships and connections that I would have been unable to build if I would have done my internship remotely. And has allowed me to have a more enriching internship experience. Throughout my internship, I have completed several tasks and learned a lot about a multitude of areas. I have helped create efficient data collecting tools for various Kheprw community events. I have been […]

This is my first blog post, and I have been contemplating how to describe my experience with The Chicago Reporter. This summer has been filled out with new opportunities. Over the past month, I have come to recognize how this experience will enable me to pursue my purpose and sense of calling by exposing me to novel insights and perspectives. The Chicago Reporter’s mission resonates with my passion for giving a voice to marginalized communities and promoting justice. Through this fellowship, I have enhanced my personal development by engaging with a wide range of topics, deepening my understanding of local issues that have far-reaching effects. An important objective of mine is to emphasize unjust matters and advocate for equality, even in small areas such as Chicago. This fellowship has played a pivotal role in my personal growth through its diverse coverage, which has expanded my awareness of a multitude of […]

Through my time in REI development meetings and team member engagement meetings, I have appreciated Lutheran Services in America’s ability to utilize the strengths and weaknesses not only of those within their organization, but of their membership network. The LSA network consists of over 300 members all over the United States, and yet with such a big network, the goal is to make sure that each member gains and connects with LSA in a meaningful way, so as to emphasize the importance of intentional connection with the LSA network. In order to ensure members are getting enough out of the network, we have been working on the “Health and Housing” initiative. This has consisted of many one on one meetings with members of our housing collaborative to identify major projects in the pipeline, but also major stumbling blocks that people seem to be facing when it comes to implementing affordable […]

What do I do? For my CAPS Fellowship placement this summer I am working with City Service Mission as one of their City Hosts. As a City Host, my job is to welcome youth groups from across the country to Washington D.C., and serve as a guide and liaison for them during their time with us. On the first full day of their trip, I lead them on a prayer tour all throughout the city, where we discuss the impacts of phenomena such as gentrification, white flight, food insecurity/food deserts, and the intersectionality between each of those factors. As we go throughout the tour, we pray for the people of the city and for ourselves as we prepare our hearts for a week of service. Throughout the rest of the week, I take the groups to serve at several different non-profits in the city. At the end of each day, […]

This summer, I am privileged to have the opportunity of serving as a Communications and Development Intern with Community Renewal Society. CRS is a non-profit organization based in downtown Chicago that focuses on bringing together persons of faith and congregations to address the intersection of race and poverty. As a rising senior social work major, I took an interest in the mission of CRS through my previous internship at Porter County Prisoners and Community Together (PACT) and the courses provided by the Criminology department. In addition to my passion for criminal justice and prison reform, my background as a fifth-generation Japanese American compels me to speak up against acts of hate, help others heal from racial injustice, and fight for reparations for other communities marginalized by the United States government. In addition to spending time editing the new website and sharing social media posts from CRS’s member congregations, I also […]

Surprising just how fast a month can go! In my earlier post, I had just finished working with a veterans event in which I got to see amazing people beating all kinds of adversity. In talking with everyone, they all seemed so happy to be pushing themselves to such a high bar and it felt really cool to see them as I was handing out water and sandwiches to people who wanted any. Life did not slow down, as on the week of the 5th, the American Red Cross opened up a shelter in Merrillville to help with a condemned apartment building. It was open for a few days and not a lot of people used it, but the important thing is that the Red Cross was there ready to help people if they needed it. The next week was less hectic: doing some admin work and planning to teach about […]

It has been over a month since I started interning at The Bridge Teen Center and I have loved this experience so far. I was drawn to The Bridge because of the work they do in the community they are a part of which happens to be the one I live in! The founder, Priscilla, felt called to make a place for teens in Orland Park and this summer, it celebrated its 13th birthday. The Bridge provides free programs for students in grades 7th-12th and the programs allow them to develop holistically in five ‘buckets’: community connections, educational support, everyday life, expressive arts, and mind/body. These programs allow students to learn more about themselves. There are also Friday Night Live programs which are every other Friday and these are where students can hangout and have fun throughout the entirety of The Bridge space. The first Friday event was the celebration […]

It’s a busy time at Concordia Place! The 3rd Annual Golf Outing is under a month away, and I’ve enjoyed creating content all about it. The Annual Golf Outing happens each summer and is a fantastic fundraising event for Concordia Place.  Participants can decide if they’d like to play as an individual or foursome, and their registration fees become funds for the organization.  My latest project has consisted of making a series of raffle prize reveal posts. There are all sorts of exciting experiences, items and excursions raffle participants have the potential to win. My latest reveal post was for two Xtreme Xperience Full Throttle Passes. Xtreme Xperience is a company that offers all sorts of race track experiences and thrills. This Full Throttle package consists of unlimited in-car videos, digital photos, spectator pit passes and a t-shirt.  To post the graphics I create, I use a website called Constant […]

This experience for me has truly been life-changing. I have met many wonderful people and have crafted memories that will last a lifetime. So far in this internship, I have received invaluable information and wisdom that I will carry into my future career in healthcare administration. On June 7th, I was able to participate in an engagement event in the Altgeld community in Chicago.  I was able to share information with children and parents about By the Hand Club for Kids and provide them with fruits and organic popsicles that were both delicious and nutritious. The children loved them! BTH is highly geared towards providing kids with nutritious food options and I am very blessed that I was able to be a part of serving them. Another project I am working on is making sure that every child visits the dentist and eye doctor at least once a year. At […]

On my first day about a month ago, I was welcomed to HealthLinc by people with open arms and smiling faces who all had at least one thing in common: a passion for service. HealthLinc is a non-profit community health center with several clinic locations across northwest Indiana. HealthLinc provides quality, affordable healthcare through a variety of health services. While their services are for everyone, they mainly cater to underserved populations. They do this by identifying barriers between patients and their health such as finances or transportation and work to break down those barriers. Serving nearly 30,000 patients, HealthLinc’s impact is undeniable. Although direct treatment of patients is helpful, disease prevention is more effective for population health, but is often overlooked. One of the ways HealthLinc is able to augment disease prevention is through grant-based programs. A couple of these projects that I am currently working with are Food as Medicine […]

Going to Girl Scout camp was always a special experience. In elementary school, we would pack up our cars after school let out and drive to one of the nearby Girl Scout-owned camps. We usually ended up in a creaky old cabin that we would try to convince one another was haunted, but I’m sure I was the only one who was ever actually scared by the ghost stories. Nevertheless, I have fond memories of hiking, doing crafts, and getting to spend time with my friends. I hadn’t thought about Girl Scout camp in a long time, until I heard about Shirley Heinze Land Trust. When I found out that their headquarters are at Meadowbrook Nature Preserve in Valpo, I instantly had flashbacks to camping trips there with my troop. We stayed in various cabins on the property and loved hiking on the trails there. I was beyond excited to […]