Dear Neighbors,
Another Chicago summer has come and gone, and for many neighbors and families it’s time to get back into the routine of the school year. I’m not gonna lie, I have some mixed emotions about it all as we gear up for early mornings, lunch-packing, too many afterschool activities and homework instead of sunscreen, s’mores and babysitters! I am sure that before we know it we’ll be back in the swing of things, looking forward to football games, changing leaves and fall festivals.
We continue to be busy here at BAPA! We launched our fabulous new website, www.bapa.org after working for the last six months with local webmasters, Jim and Laurie Cleary to create, a better, faster and stronger online presence that will bring you all the newest and most relevant neighborhood information! It is truly a reflection of our beautiful community. Big thank you to Grace Kuikman for her hard work making this all come to fruition.
We continue to expand BAPA’s mission-driven programming by partnering with local schools, and recruiting for our Parent Mentor Program, beautification projects and weeding Wednesdays. In August, we held our first ever small business tour for high school age students from the Margaret Walsh Mercy Home for Girls. Special thanks to local small business owners, Jamenda McCoy of Belle up and Rachel Bernei-Green of Laines Bake Shop for opening up their local business and sharing their small business stories.
But the BIGGEST news at BAPA is that we have received a matching grant, thanks to the generosity of the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust. The Trust will be matching dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000, doubling your donation and the positive impact it has on our neighborhood. Please join our membership committee and the other 1350 Beverly/Morgan Park neighbors in supporting BAPA. Help us meet the challenge by giving today!
Thank you for continued support of BAPA, I hope you enjoy this issue of The Villager and the change of seasons September brings!
All the Best,
Margot
P.S. Mark your calendars for our upcoming events: Tap into BAPA on Nov.12, and the NEW Cookie Crawl on Dec. 3! Get more information on our new website, www.bapa.org.
