Preparing to Party

Today I met with Lynnea and Tom at the Center on Halsted to talk about the StudentsXpress Relaunch Party. It will be on June 2, and though that may seem far away, I know it will creep up very quickly. And I've got LOTS to plan. But I do like to throw a party, so it should be fun. And the Center on Halsted is such a great location. I'm very excited!

Spring is Here!

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted here. But I figured now was as good a time as any to get back to it. It's difficult because, when the most is going on, there is no time to be blogging, and when I'm I have "down time" there's not as much to blog about. I will try to be more consistent and stay on top of things here.

So I'll start with filling in the big gap since my last post. This past year, StudentsXpress has grown from being printed twice a year to four issues a year (fall, winter, spring and summer), so I really don't have much down time at all. When I'm not inputting and designing the magazine, I'm working on getting funding through advertisers. It's interesting because the stuff I thought I would dread (selling and grant writing) turns out to be very enjoyable. I like working with the neighborhood businesses to sell them ads, and sometimes help them design their ads as well. It's nice to make connections in the community, and I've met some really great people. I just started grant writing. StudentsXpress is part of "Rachel Switall Magazine Group," which just received it's 501c3 status about a month ago. So I'm starting to look for funding through grants. It's a long process, but I've enjoyed digging deep into my mission, and it gives me a chance to reflect on how far I've come, along with focus on where I'm going. The other thing I've been hesitant about is financing. I'm not a money person, but once I sit down and crunch the numbers, it's actually liberating to understand it all. That being said, I am hopefully speaking with a possible accountant today! And the last part of all this is publicity. I'm happy just doing my thing and getting my job done, but I realize that people need to know about it to make it work. So getting the word out has been a learning experience for me as well.

The other week, I was a guest on "The Afternoon Shift" with Rick Kogan on WBEZ. Rick is great. I love his show and how much he loves Chicago really comes across—not only on the radio but in his pieces for the Chicago Tribune. And he's wonderful in person too. I was so happy to be there. And to have one of my board members with me as well—Pastor Corey Brooks. He is a terrific man, doing great things for the community, and I am so happy he wanted to be a board member on StudentsXpress. He's also a great speaker, and everything he said on the radio was just perfect.

This week, our Spring issue (focusing on Earth Day) was delivered to the schools. We now distribute to 26 schools and every Chicago Public Library, for a total circulation of 20,000. Being our Earth Day issue, we included a piece from Sandwich Me In, a quick-service sandwich shop in Lakeview that uses local meats and fresh produce with an emphasis on sustainability (recycle, reuse, reduce) and the education of their guests as to how their food travels from farm to plate. In the spirit of educating their guests, they will be having and Earth Day Event on April 21st. It's a day of fun and learning right in their shop. You can view the day's schedule here. After meeting Justin, the owner of Sandwich Me In, I took my kids there for dinner, and it was delicious. I'm looking forward to the event for the activities, to learn a few things, and most definitely for the food.

There's a ton more going on right now, but I'll save some to post in a bit (this time I promise not to wait almost a year!). I hope you'll check back often—either here or on the web stie. I also post updates on facebook. Spring 2013 Issue

Park District Camps!

My kids have been attending Chicago Park District Camps for the past few years, and we couldn't be happier. We've been at three different parks, and all of them have been wonderful. The staff is always great, the field trips are terrific, and you can't beat the price. This year they are at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, and they're both having a blast. Instead of swimming every day (there is no pool at this park), they have "Beach Days" where they walk to the lake for a swim. How cool is that?

Quotable Chicago

As I update my blog on Chicago in the Summer, I feel I should update about the progress of the next StudentsXpress issue, "Life in the City." I've reached out to various Chicagoans for quotes about "What makes Chicago a great place to live." I've received quotes from Mayor Emanuel, Kerry Wood, Jesse White, Rick Kogan, Toni Preckwinkle, Pastor Corey Brooks, Tony Fitzpatrick and Dan Gargan to name a few. I still have more quotes coming in, and I'm looking forward to printing these Chicagoans' words next to the art and writing of the CPS students. As I say, StudentsXpress isn't just about the students, it's about the community. Everyone who has contributed a quote has been a positive part of that community, and I thank them all!

Random Food Trucks and Unique Spots

I can't believe it's July already. That sounds so cliche, that the summer is flying by, but it's true. We've done a lot, but I haven't been bringing my camera with me everywhere, so I haven't been posting. I do intend to bring my camera along more, since the kids grow so fast (another cliche), and I love looking back on when they were younger (as do they).

Sam has been taking gymnastics at the park district, and she loves it. After her Saturday class, we would sometimes try to go out together to a new place. This particular Saturday we went to Urban Orchard in Andersonville. I had read about it and wanted to check it out. It was a cute shop, and Sam got a brownie and a drink. We sat at their tables and hung out a bit...some girl time. On our way back to the car we saw "Flirty Cupcakes on Wheels." Though she just ate, I couldn't resist buying her a treat to take home and share with Ethan later.

No, I wouldn't normally just buy her a cupcake after she had a brownie. But I had heard so much about these food trucks and rarely saw them that I thought why not? And I happened to have my camera with me too.

Movie Day!

Usually I think of a great movie day as one when it's raining or freezing. Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Chicago. My son was home sick from school, so he was around to help me shoot this video. He had a lot of laughs at my "bloopers," but all in all, I think we had a great movie day.

Summer in Chicago

I just got back from Newsweb where I was picking up a few hundred copies of the StudentsXpress Courage issue. This is the first time I will be using a delivery service, and the copies will be delivered to the schools this week. The few hundred I picked up are extras.

The next step is to e-mail the advertisers and backers and make sure everyone knows where they can get their copy or view the magazine online. I've been updating the web site as well. At the same time, I'm working on gathering content and advertisers for our new back-to-school issue that will come out in September. I'm very excited about this issue. I've been working with the American Planning Association  on the topic of "Life in the City." The APA provided some great ways for children to explore their communities and express themselves. I can't wait to see what the students turn in this Friday.

Friday is also the deadline to be entered into a Chicago Cubs game drawing. The Cubs have offered StudentsXpress 100 tickets to a September game at Wrigley Field to coincide with our "Life in the City" issue, and I will be drawing 25 names from those students who submit work for that issue, so each winner will receive 4 tickets to the game. Thanks Chicago Cubs!

In addition, I'm starting to work on collecting quotes from Chicagoans about "What makes Chicago a great place to live." Leading up to our "Life in the City" issue, I've decided to blog about a Chicago Summer, one of the best times to be a Chicagoan. And what better time to start than Memorial Day, which was yesterday. We started out our day with a nice walk/bike ride/scooter ride to our friends' home in Lakeview where we met up with other families and enjoyed a nice brunch (and delicious mimosas). Then we all headed out to the WOOGMS parade. This is a great neighborhood parade that honors our veterans every Memorial Day. I love their slogan: "Everyone Marches--Nobody watches." So we all marched a few blocks and ended up at St. Joseph's Hospital, where Jesse White lead his tumblers in a fabulous show. The Jesse White Tumblers are wonderful representatives of Chicago. The program teaches discipline as the tumblers perfect their skills. The grades of the team members are monitored and reviewed after each marking period. As they work together, teamwork is clearly evident. Jesse himself even got in on the action, performing a headstand that the tumblers flew over as they flipped. At the end of the show, Jesse reiterated is philosophy: Do something good for someone every day. That is a great message for everyone. I've always enjoyed watching the Jesse White Tumblers, and I loved sharing the experience with my daughter, an aspiring gymnast. She came home and practiced walking on her hands, as the tumblers did across the mat. You can catch the Jesse White Tumblers at many places throughout the city, and it was a great way to start off our Summer in Chicago!