Sunday, March 22, 2009

Tuesday March 17th

Greetings from Chicago! Day 3 of our stay here was a good one, starting at the Zoo and making its way north of the city to bordering Evanston.

To begin the day, we woke up at around 8:30, had Hostel breakfast and headed onto the L to the Lincoln Park Zoo. A beautiful day outside, it was great to be walking around the Windy City on a day that, we assume, is very atypical of the Chicago climate. Gorillas, giraffes, and other species were abound, as were thousands of mothers and fathers wheeling around their little kids in strollers. Needless to say, it was very distinct from the experiences we have had in the center of the city.

From there, we headed about 30 minutes in the wrong direction on the buses, trying to get to Hilda’s Place. We eventually got there an hour and a half after we were supposed to, but the man who ran the place, Kevin, was very gracious and quick to delegate tasks to us. We were cleaning and sorting and organizing the dusty storeroom for the organization, which would allow for the guests who stayed there to receive clothing, toiletries and other things that they needed. Hilda’s Place sought to help the homeless, by giving them a place to sleep and eat and be comfortable in, serving as a springboard back into working society. While we did not get to interact with many people but ourselves, it was great to work together as a team and help Hilda’s Place by doing behind the scenes work that was necessary to the organization.

This quote was written on the wall at Lincoln Park Zoo:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Peace out.

Kareem + Carol

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