Join generationOn in Chicago for Great Youth Events at the National Conference on Volunteering
Join us at the 2012 National Conference on Volunteering and Service
June 17-19, 2012 | Chicago, Illinois
MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE WORLD with two distinctive events for youth!
Youth Summit
Sunday, June 17, 2012 1-4pm
FREE. Registration required. Space is limited.
The generationOn Youth Summit will gather 250 young people for an afternoon of civic dialogue and service-learning including a panel discussion with notable youth leaders, leadership skill building activities and a service project to benefit the local Chicago community!
site and use the registration category “Youth Leadership Track and Summit.” After completing the contact information, select “Youth Summit” from the Itinerary Builder page. Then click “I am Done with My Sessions.” This event is free and will require no payment.
All chaperones must register as well. There is no fee for chaperones to attend.
Youth WorkshopsMonday & Tuesday, June 18-19, 2012 9am – 3pm | Ages 13-18
Fee: $250* Includes all seven sessions. Sessions are sequential and
must be attended as set. Registration required. Space is limited.
*Limited scholarships are available. Click here for more info.
During seven sequential workshops over two days, hear from stars in the service field and learn to:
Plan a Unique Service Project
Share Your Story and Learn to Public Speak Like a Pro
to go to the conference registration website.
2. Enter your last name, email address, and select “Youth Leadership Track and Summit” from the drop down menu in “Reg. Category.”
3. On page 6 (the Itinerary Builder page) select “Youth Leadership Track”. Then click “I am Done with My Sessions.” The fee for this track is $250.
All chaperones must register as well. There is no fee for chaperones to attend.
to go to the conference registration website.
2. Enter your last name, email address, and select “Youth Leadership Track and Summit” from the drop down menu in “Reg. Category.”
3. On page 6 (the Itinerary Builder page) select “Youth Leadership Track”. Then click “I am Done with My Sessions.”
4. On payment page, below balance summary, select “
if you have a coupon to apply” and enter code “Chaperone12” to waive fee.
Segal Entrepreneurship Award Winners to be Recognized at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service
Today’s post is written by Ken Tran, the current External Relations Coordinator with AmeriCorps Alums.
To celebrate Eli Segal’s legacy of service, AmeriCorps Alums is proud to announce the winners of our annual Eli J. Segal Entrepreneurship Award. As part of the Segal Fellow Network, this is the highest award given out by AmeriCorps Alums to alumni who display Segal’s entrepreneurial vision and leadership in making positive impact in their communities. Our winners will be recognized during our AmeriCorps Alums Town Hall Session 2944 at NCVS (which you should definitely add to your NCVS itinerary.)
Recognized as the “Father of AmeriCorps,” Segal was an architect of the modern national service movement and an extraordinary civic entrepreneur. As an aide to President Bill Clinton, Segal was instrumental in driving several of the Clinton administration’s most praised projects, including the creation of the Corporation for National and Community Service, where he served as the first CEO.
Since his death in 2006, Eli’s spirit of service has been embodied by the community impact made by the more than 775,000 current and alumni members of AmeriCorps. This year, we selected two alumni who have lived out Segal’s vision in their life after AmeriCorps.
We congratulate Anita Yip and Ryan Sarafolean as the two winners of the prestigious 2012 Eli J. Segal Entrepreneurship Award!
About Anita
Anita Yip, 26, is the assistant director of corporate and foundation relations at her alma mater, Wellesley College. For the past two years, she served at Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as part of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship (AmeriCorps). Anita holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and media arts and sciences from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication from Northeastern University.
In 2011, Anita co-founded the Jasmine Asian Women Giving Circle in response to foundations giving less than one percent of philanthropic dollars to organizations and programs assisting Asian women, a desire to build a safe and supportive community among Asian women and the need to collaborate to create lasting change. Her extensive community work includes helping to raise more than $100,000 in financial and in-kind donations for eight organizations since 2007.
Anita currently serves on the board of directors of the Friday Night Supper Program and on the advisory board fundraising committee of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship.
About Ryan
Ryan Sarafolean is a community organizer, educator and proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied issues of privilege, power and identity in and outside of the classroom. For four years he worked at an after-school program that served the at-risk and homeless community in Madison and implemented a structured, educational program focused around youth empowerment. Upon graduation, Ryan became an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with Project SUCCESS, a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis. There, Ryan worked as the civic engagement coordinator, working with middle school and high school youth to address local issues including gun violence.
Ryan now serves as the founder and executive director of the KGSA Foundation, a nonprofit organization that reduces poverty and gender inequalities in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. KGSA Foundation works closely with local leaders in Kibera to provide free secondary education, artistic programming and athletic opportunities to more than 130 young women each year. The core of the Foundation’s work is to build and harness the unique strength of women to lead their communities out of poverty. In fall 2012, Ryan will begin a graduate program in International Development at American University in Washington, D.C., where he will focus on gender studies and community development.
Preparing for Conference this year and recognizing the “Turning Point” theme, we want to highlight our two award winners for taking advantage of the moments that inspired them to continue to serve after their AmeriCorps years. Each saw an opportunity in a respective community, Ryan in Nairobi, Kenya and Anita in the APIA women population, and both made the decision to do something impactful for others. Their stories are inspiring and they serve as great representative of AmeriCorps Alums going forth.
Anita will be joining us at Conference this year and will be recognized at our AmeriCorps Alums Townhall (Session 2944) on Tuesday, June 19. Ryan has made prior commitments to be in Kenya for the summer, but we will celebrate his work at the session as he continues his good work abroad.
AmeriCorps Alums has lots of great plans in store for our alumni members of AmeriCorps service and we hope to meet many of you during our Pre-conference and Town Hall events. Here are a list of our sessions, so join us maybe?
Keep up with AmeriCorps Alums on Twitter during NCVS with #ACAlumsNCVS.
Ken Tran served as a National Direct AmeriCorps member with the Get HandsOn Campaign in 2010-2011 at Points of Light. He fancies volunteerism, hashtags, strong coffee, and of course, Beyonce.
Reintegration through Reinvigoration: Communities Supporting Veterans and Veterans Supporting Communities
, Points of Light, Chase and ITT Exelis are hosting a two-day session, June 17 – 18, for individuals who are interested in community-based solutions for meeting the needs of service members, veterans and their families. During the
Summit for Change, “All the Way Home: The Blueprint for Meaningful Community Response,” participants will explore how to bridge together military and civilian communities to build a stronger more united nation. Topics include military and civilian partnership and collaboration, trends and research on challenges facing service members, veterans and their families and models for engaging military and veteran volunteers to address our nation’s most pressing challenges. Confirmed speakers include:
Governor Pat Quinn
General George W. Casey, former U.S. Army Joint Chief of Staff
Bryan Anderson, Veteran, Author and Actor
Craig Newmark, Craigslist founder
The Community Blueprint Summit for Change will inspire and equip attendees to:
Leverage the military community as civic assets
Return home ready to create opportunities for military and civilian communities to join together in one common goal: to provide the right resources to our service members, veterans and their families at the right time
Implement proven, meaningful community based solutions
Challenge and recruit others in their communities to join forces and take action
To register, or for more information and the full schedule of summit workshops and speakers. Other sessions in the Veterans and Military Families track available during the Conference include:
Solution Center: Solutions for Finding and Engaging Veterans in Service (2956)
Solution Center: The Community Blueprint Network: Organizing Communities to Support Veterans, Service Members and Families (2955)
The Key to Successful Military and Civilian Partnerships (2696)
From the Couch to the Cause: Leveraging Military and Civilian Online Networks (2484)
The Secret to Successful Programs to Strengthen Military Families (2609)
Veterans as Assets: From Military to Civilian Service (2709)
Military 101: An Individuals Guide to Military Families (2741)
Today’s guest post is written by Eric Roache, a yoga teacher, blogger and founder of ForWorld Thinking, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchange and understanding. He has volunteered and traveled around the world and uses those experiences to help advocate for global community and social change.
The first time I ever traveled overseas alone, I headed off to Australia and Nepal to volunteer abroad for five months. It was a nice transition stopping a month in Australia to save the rainforests for a young American who had never really been exposed to other cultures or the harsh realities of the developing world. Lush landscapes, crisp night air and the familiar values and perceptions of Western culture in the other volunteers from Europe and America. It gave me a chance to get over being away from home, friends and family, and to settle into life on the road before the real adventure began. As I rode the midnight plane from Brisbane to Kathmandu by way of Bangkok, I watched the moonlight glimmer on the Pacific and tried to quell the anxiety and doubt swelling up inside my stomach. That night was the quietest and clearest my mind had ever felt as I stared into the darkness, an eerie calm to counteract the knots in my stomach.
Hours into my stay in Kathmandu, I wandered the chaotic streets of the city, far from the safehaven of touristic Thamel, putting my complete trust in two other volunteers who arrived earlier than me as I followed blindly. It was a strange rush and an assault on the senses that put me oddly at ease, and from that day forth I knew I would be forever at home in the unfamiliar. That moment of truth was important, because it set the stage for everything to come, in Nepal and beyond, and it allowed me to embrace fully the experience of life in cultures vastly different from my own without fear.
I will never forget the day I arrived in the small Nepali village where I would teach. I was handed off to a gentleman who spoke almost no English, led through the village in the waning light of sunset to a house across the yard from school and sat on the porch with no explanation as people gathered and watched but said nothing. There we all sat around together in darkness for more than an hour until my host father, Damber, finally arrived to greet me. It was his house we sat outside, and his wife was one of the people waiting with me, but she did not invite me inside. This incident sticks with me because it taught me to show respect and deference to the place, the people and the community in which I was living. I was the outsider here, and I could not count on anything I knew or had learned before, so I threw it all out the window and prepared to learn everything all over again through the eyes of Nepal.
The months that followed were astounding in their simplicity and beauty. But nothing had a greater impact on my life than meeting Himal Waiba. He was a fellow teacher at school, and I was immediately struck by how genuine and compassionate this humble young man was. It resonated in his every word and action. We quickly became like brothers, spending every moment we could together. Every barrier that might normally separate us only served to bring us closer together because of our openness to one another. Never have I connected with another person on such a deep level with no effort and no need for words. Himal changed me, he inspired me and he helped become the person I always wanted to be but never knew I could before I met him.
To me, that is the clearest example of the benefit of cross-cultural exchange. When you let go of everything you know and give in to your experience, which international service forces you to do, all your walls come down. You allow your whole understanding of the world to be changed and opened by others with a different set of values, beliefs and experiences than your own. And in the end, that paradoxically shows you that we are in fact the same after all.
Together, Himal and I have since embarked on a journey of community service, global community building and cultural exchange. To learn about the orphanage Himal founded in Nepal and find out how you can help, visit Joining Hands Nepal. To learn more about my organization and how we help, visit ForWorld Thinking.
Meet More Awesome Conference Speakers
Our speakers are so great they couldn’t be confined to one post alone. We are honored to have these inspiring people join us at the
. Don’t miss your chance to learn from innovators in a variety of fields making an impact through service and volunteering this June. Check out a few more incredible speakers who will join us in Chicago.
Laura Ling, Journalist, E! Investigates host, co-author, “Somewhere Inside”
Closing Session
3118 How Citizen Service Strengthens Communities
Laura Ling is the host and reporter on “E! Investigates,” a documentary series on the E! Network, which explores topics such as teen suicide and the challenges faced by military spouses. Ling also worked as a correspondent reporting on crucial issues from around the world. She has reported from dozens of countries and has covered subjects including slave labor in the Amazon, Mexico’s drug war, Internet censorship in China and women’s rights in Turkey. In March 2009, while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women, Ling was detained by North Korean soldiers along the Chinese-North Korean border. She and her colleague Euna Lee were arrested and held captive in North Korea for 140 days before being granted a special pardon and returning to the United States. She has since sought to shine a light on the issue of trafficked women as well as to bring greater attention to the plight of other imprisoned journalists around the world.
Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Global Ambassador, chairman and president of the
Honored with USA WEEKEND Magazine’s “Most Caring Athlete Award,” and from FOXSports.com as the most generous athlete in the world, NBA All-Star Mutombo of the Houston Rockets has long been dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for the people in his birthplace, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Created in Atlanta, Ga. in 1997, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is attempting to eradicate many childhood diseases that have virtually disappeared in developed countries while those diseases are still life threatening to children in the Congo every day.
Jenné Myers, Chief Service Officer, City of Chicago
Session 3115
Civics Service: Helping Drive Economies Through Action
Jenné Myers was appointed in 2010 to lead Chicago’s participation in Cities of Service, a national civic initiative launched by the Rockefeller Foundation and the mayors of New York, Chicago and other major urban centers that now has more than 100 communities participating all across the country. As the first-ever Chief Service Officer for Chicago, her charge is to develop and implement a citywide plan for increasing volunteerism and utilizing volunteers to address some of the city’s greatest needs. The service plan and campaign she has developed is called One Good Deed Chicago.
Craig Newmark, founder, craigslist and craigconnects
Session 2961*
Prevailing Trends and Effective Solutions
Session 3144*
iService: Technology and Media Solutions that Serve and Engage the Military Community
Session 2903
Civic Fellows Leadership Exchange
Craig Newmark founded craigslist, the web-based platform that fundamentally changed classified advertising. Since its founding in 1995, craigslist has become one of the Internet’s 10 most-visited English language sites. In early 2011 Newmark launched craigconnects, his initiative to link up everyone on the planet using the Internet to bear witness to good efforts and encourage the same behavior in others.
Neil Nicoll is the 13th person to lead the 165 year old YMCA movement in the United States. He joined Y-USA following a combined 26 years as president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle and YMCA of Greater Worcester (Mass.) Nicoll currently serves as a Trustee of Springfield College, Trustee of America’s Promise Alliance and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Independent Sector. In addition, he is a member of Leadership 18 and a past board member of the National Assembly.
Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light
Opening Session 3112
A New Generation of Service
Michelle Nunn is the CEO of Points of Light and co-founder of HandsOn Network. Points of Light inspires, equips and mobilizes people to take action that changes the world. At Points of Light, Nunn leads the organization in engaging millions of volunteers each year to use their time, talent, voice and money to solve the pressing issues of our time. She has served on the President’s Council on Service and Civic Engagement and as a co-convener of the Service Nation Coalition and Re-Imagining Service. The NonProfit Times has named Nunn to its annual “Power and Influence Top 50” list of change agents from the nonprofit sector for four consecutive years.
Named by US News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009, Eboo Patel is the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based organization building the global interfaith youth movement. Author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith, Patel is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post, USA Today and CNN. He served on President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Brian Reich, author, “Shift and Reset: Strategies for Addressing Serious Issues in a Connected Society”
Session 2979
Books and Brew – Brian Reich’s “Shift and Reset”
Brian Reich is well known for his expertise in new media, Web 2.0, social networks, mobile, community, ecommerce, brand marketing, cause branding and more. Reich is the author of “Shift & Reset: Strategies for Addressing Serious Issues in a Connected Society.” Reich contributes as a Fast Company Expert, hosts a regular podcast discussion about the impact of media and technology on society and teaches consumer behavior and marketing strategy in the graduate school of communications at Columbia University
Mark Shriver, senior vice president for U.S. Programs, Save the Children
Closing Session 3118
How Citizen Service Strengthens Communities
Mark K. Shriver leads Save the Children’s U.S. Programs, which works to ensure a fair start for all children in the United States, including the nearly one in four living in poverty. Shriver’s career fighting for social justice in advocacy and service organizations, as well as elected office, has focused on advancing the right of every child in America to have a safe and vibrant childhood. Shriver joined Save the Children in 2003 and developed its early childhood development, literacy and health programs for children in living in impoverished, rural areas of the United States. He created Save the Children’s domestic emergencies programs to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children before, during and after disaster strikes.
Wendy Spencer, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
Session 3139
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Town Hall Closing Session 3118 How Citizen Service Strengthens Communities
Wendy Spencer is the newly confirmed CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Spencer understands firsthand the needs of local communities and has a proven track record of nearly three decades in volunteer management and administration. Throughout her career, Spencer has held management positions in the private sector, state government and in major nonprofit organizations. As head of Volunteer Florida, a bipartisan, gubernatorial appointed commission, Spencer managed between $18 million and $23 million in federal, state and local grants each year.
* In order to attend these sessions, you must register for preconference session 2913
All the Way Home: The Blueprint for Meaningful Community Response
We are honored to be able to present a variety of voices in the nonprofit sector and beyond.
for NCVS soon to learn from the best.
Which session are you most excited about attending? Let us know in the comments below.
Seeds for Change Conference Service Project
Join us at Conference and help address food stability with Chicago’s students
The National Conference on Volunteering and Service has a legacy of active engagement with its host cities’ communities. This year’s service program, Seeds for Change sponsored by Chase, showcases the Chicago motto Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden) as a model for how environmental and economic success can be achieved through service.
The Seeds for Change program engages students, parents, local nonprofit leaders and grassroots community organizers, all serving to meet the growing concern regarding access to healthy food options. The program will result in the disbursement of 500 community garden kits, at least one per Chicago public school with access to a garden. The installation, seeding and upgrading of these gardens will engage thousands of volunteers including youth, community and Conference volunteers. Chase and Points of Light will also provide specialized training and implementation guides for other communities to replicate the program.
On Monday, June 18, registered attendees will work alongside students, parents, teachers and other Chicago community members. At Theophilus Schmid Elementary School in Chicago, volunteers will build plots, plant seedlings and construct greenhouses and benches, and learn how to overcome the challenges of finding fresh produce in various parts of the city known as “food deserts.” More than 609,000 Chicago residents live in these areas, which lack access to grocery stores and healthy food options.
Then, on Monday evening during the Welcome to Chicago all-Conference celebration, attendees will assemble seed packets, seedlings, implementation guides, service learning materials and gardening supplies to create 500 “Seedsfor Change: Community Garden Kits” to be disbursed to schools throughout the city. We’ll be accepting donations of seed packets from attendees throughout the Conference to be included in the garden kits. Please bring vegetable and/or fruit seed packets that are suitable for fall/spring planting in the northern region. Look for donation bins in the registration area.
Don’t miss your chance to meet the Chicago community and Schmid Elementary students. Register as a volunteer with Chase for the Seeds for Change service project today.
Meet Our Awesome Conference Speakers
We are pleased to have an incredible lineup of speakers at the
this June. Attendees will have multiple opportunities to join important dialogues with key influencers, innovative thinkers and other leaders making an impact through service and volunteering. Take a look at just a few of our amazing speakers who will join us in Chicago.
Kevin Bacon is renowned for a hugely diverse acting career in a wide range of film genres. At the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, Bacon launched SixDegrees.org, a website that builds on the popularity of the “small world phenomenon” to create a charitable social network and inspire giving to charities online.
J.R. Martinez, veteran, actor and winner of Dancing with the Stars
Opening Session 3112
A New Generation of Service
J.R. Martinez is widely recognized for his mirror-ball winning performances on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Martinez joined the 101st Airborne Division of the Army in 2003 when he was deployed to Iraq. He received burns over 40 percent of his body when his Humvee drove over a landmine and he was trapped inside. After 33 surgeries and while recuperating in the hospital, he experienced a turning point when a nurse asked him to speak to another burn patient who had just seen his body for the first time.
Barbara Bush, Former First Lady of the United States, founder,
A tireless advocate of volunteerism, Mrs. Bush helped countless charities and humanitarian causes during her years in public life. Mrs. Bush’s primary cause through the years has been promoting literacy. In 1989 she founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy which supports family literacy programs where parents and children can learn and read together.
Bryan Anderson, veteran, author, actor
Session 3136
All the Way Home: The Blueprint for Meaningful Community Response
Chicago native and Purple Heart recipient, Bryan Anderson lost both of his legs and left hand as a result of an improvised explosive device explosion in Iraq in 2005. He is one of the few triple amputees to have survived his injuries in Iraq. Anderson is the national spokesperson for Quantum Rehab, a division of Pride Mobility Corp., and delivers his message of perseverance and determination in major rehab facilities. He is also a spokesman for USA Cares, which focuses on assisting post 911 veterans in times of need.
General George W. Casey, Jr., Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army
General George W. Casey, Jr. is one of the most accomplished soldiers in U.S. history and an authority on strategic leadership. As the 36th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Casey led the world’s largest and most complex organizations during one of the most extraordinary periods in military and global political history. He is widely credited with restoring balance to the war-weary U.S. Army, modernizing and leading the transformation necessary to defend our nation in the 21st Century, and ensuring the current force deployed in the war on terror was the best this country has ever fielded.
Civics Service: Helping Drive Economies Through Action
Carol has over 25 years of experience creating substantive public-private partnerships that advance solutions for social issues. As founder of Cone, Inc., she led the development of initiatives for Avon; ConAgra Foods; Chevrolet; ITT; PNC Financial Services; Procter & Gamble; Reebok; Western Union; and the American Heart Association, helping raise awareness and more than $1.2 billion for causes.
Merri Dee, AARP Illinois State President and Broadcast Legend, Civic Fellows Leadership Exchange: Israel Idonije (2900)
Merri Dee was recently appointed through the Pentagon as an official U.S. Army Ambassador, has been appointed to the Mayor’s Council on Women’s issues, is State President of AARP’s 1.8 million members and serves on the Serve Illinois Commission. For her 38 years with Chicago’s WGN-TV, she was inducted into the NABJ National Journalism Hall of Fame and honored by the National Women In Film.
Joshua DuBois, Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Session 2758 Faith and Neighborhoods In Action: Addressing Problems with tangible Solutions
Joshua DuBois helps direct the Obama Administration’s engagement of faith-based and other nonprofit organizations around the country. DuBois is a noted expert on the intersection of religion and public life, and his work has been profiled in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN and elsewhere.
Session 3117 Celebrating the Power of Service in Education
Arne Duncan was named U.S. secretary of education by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20, 2009. Prior to his appointment, Duncan served as the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools from June 2001 through December 2008, becoming the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country. Before joining the Chicago Public Schools, Duncan ran the Ariel Education Initiative (1992-1998), a nonprofit focused on advancing educational opportunities in economically disadvantaged areas.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Honorary Co-chair and Speaker
Opening Session 3112 A New Generation of Service
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is the 55th mayor of Chicago. A native with three terms representing his district in Congress, he is a strong, effective voice for the city’s neighborhoods. Emanuel most recently served as the White House Chief of Staff in President Barack Obama’s administration. During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the passage of key milestones such as the economic Recovery Act, Wall Street reform, and health care reform — increasing access and decreasing costs for millions of Americans.
Stay tuned for additional featured speakers in tomorrow’s post. Register for NCVS soon to take advantage of this amazing opportunity!
Who are you most looking forward to hearing from? Let us know in the comments below!
Why Should You Come to Chicago?
We are excited to be in Chicago this year for our National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The more we learn about this great city, the more we love it. Below are some of the reasons we’re looking forward to our time in the “Windy City” and why you should join us there this June.
The city is home to approximately 40 museums, more than 200 theaters, more than 200 independent art galleries, and more than 7,000 restaurants.
The world’s longest street is Chicago’s Western Avenue.
The Chicago Post Office at 433 W. Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world which you can drive a car through.
Chicago is home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is one of the only remaining free zoos.
Chicago is home to the Harold Washington Library, the world’s largest public library.
Nabisco, the world’s largest cookie and cracker factory, is located in Chicago.
The world’s largest ice cream cone factory, Keebler, is also located in Chicago.
Chicago’s McCormick Place, our host site, has the largest amount of exhibit space of any convention center in the country at 2.2 million square feet.
The William Wrigley, Jr. Company is the world’s largest gum manufacturer, producing more than 20 million packages a day.
The Art Institute of Chicago holds the largest collections of Impressionist paintings in the world outside of the Louvre in Paris.
The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 110 stories high.
Chicago is home to 11 Fortune 500 companies, while the rest of the metropolitan area hosts an additional 21 Fortune 500 companies.
The term “jazz” was coined in Chicago in 1914. The city’s native musicians include band leader Benny Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa.
The largest Latino cultural institution in the nation is Chicago’s Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.
The Chicago Cultural Center is the first free municipal cultural center in the U.S. and home to the world’s largest stained glass Tiffany dome.
Chicago’s central water filtration plant, located on the lakefront north of Navy Pier, is the largest in the world.
America’s highest indoor swimming pool is on the 44th floor of the “John Hancock Center.”
Wrigley Field has hosted more professional football games than any other stadium in the nation.
Chicago’s Oceanarium is the world’s largest indoor marine mammal pavilion and doubles the size of the John G. Shedd Aquarium, which is the largest indoor aquarium in the world.
Deep dish pizza. Need we say more?
Make your travel plans to be in Chicago. Be sure to register for conference soon. This is an event you won’t want to miss.
What do you love about Chicago? Let us know in the comments below.
My Time As A 5-Year-Old International Drug Runner…
Today’s Turning Point story is written by Kimberly Boyd, Vice President of Mobilization and Impact at Points of Light.
I am privileged to make a career developing opportunities that bring together members of a community to achieve changes they seek. It is a unique and remarkable opportunity to “volunteer for a living.”
Recently, I reflected with a new class of national service members on their first experiences of service. We were in fact discussing the “Turning Points” in their lives. One asked me about my earliest memory of serving. As I started to recount my story, a member of my staff commented “so essentially you were a 5-year-old international drug runner,” I realized he wasn’t wrong.
My story begins in southern California in the early 1970s. I attended a large preschool program run by Franciscan nuns. They were wonderful women in full habits who ran this exceptional school in order to fully fund both a free hospital and orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. This tireless group of women was supported by another group of dedicated women, a group of mothers of children enrolled in the preschool who took on the task of procuring needed resources to support the orphanage and hospital, NOT your typical PTA. They made connections with doctors, hospitals, suppliers, donors and skilled-volunteers and generated a remarkable set of resources.
After a major earthquake in 1971, these women convinced government officials to retrieve slightly damaged medical equipment from the rubble of what had been our local hospital. Then these women, their volunteer crew, and yes their children, worked to clean, fix and pack this equipment to equip a hospital that had never had x-ray machines, surgical tables, etc.
After the success of the earthquake retrieval, the group got more creative. They began to work with nursing homes throughout the valley, organizations with extensive amounts of pre-purchased medications that went unused each month following the passing of an individual or a change in medication assignment. The nursing homes were to destroy the medication each month, perfectly good antibiotics, insulin, etc. These ladies, my mom, convinced them to hold onto it. Then they would drive around in the middle of the night, pull up to the loading doc and pick up these meds. Twice a year we would load up the trucks and drive it all – medical equipment, medicine, food, toys, clothing, etc. to Mexico.
It never occurred to my parents that we should not be a part of this. We did not call it volunteering, we were just “doing our part.” The trips were a turning point for me, remarkable poverty and yet the most remarkable spirit of kindness, the kids we visited seemed so much like us.
Here is the best part… we brought back tequila – lots and lots of tequila. Because our wonderful nuns, in full habits, hosted the biggest Cinco de Mayo party in the valley. It was their biggest fundraiser for the orphanage and hospital. Sr. David, my kindergarten teacher, was in charge of margaritas.
So those were my role models… beautiful, strong, dedicated and selfless women who were not afraid to break a few rules (or in this case international law) in order to care for these very vulnerable children. They overcame daunting obstacles and achieved remarkable results. I look back and see so many of those ladies in the work I now do. I carry their feisty spirit with me. My Turning Point… “everything I needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten!”
News Flash: Act Now for “Early Bird” Rates for National Conference on Volunteering and Service
Early bird registration rates end on Friday, April 27, at 11:59 p.m. After that, prices go up and you could miss an opportunity to join leaders from the service sector to learn and cultivate new ideas, discuss the challenges we all face and work together to create the next generation of service.
This year’s Conference, convened by Points of Light June 18-20 in Chicago, will create solutions to reignite civic spirit, nurture real change and channel the combined resources of the public and private sector to coalesce communities around national service and volunteerism like never before.
Marquee speakers include former first lady Barbara Bush; U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; Gen. George W. Casey, former chief of staff of the U.S. Army; Joshua DuBois, executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Laura Ling, journalist, host, E! Investigates, co-author, “Somewhere Inside”; Stan Litow, vice president, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs and president, IBM International Foundation; Eboo Patel, founder and president, Interfaith Youth Core; Paul Schmitz, CEO, Public Allies and White House Council for Community Solutions; Mark K. Shriver, senior vice president for U.S. Programs, Save the Children; and Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
We’ll trade current practices for new ideas that lead to a brighter path for the future. Our goal is to activate 21st century volunteers, helping them use their time, talent, voice and money to build healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.
The Conference is supported by Chase, the official economy and military track sponsor, and Target, the official excellence in education sponsor.
Today’s post is written by Ken Tran, the current External Relations Coordinator with 
Anita Yip, 26, is the assistant director of corporate and foundation relations at her alma mater, Wellesley College. For the past two years, she served at Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as part of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship (AmeriCorps). Anita holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and media arts and sciences from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication from Northeastern University.
Ryan Sarafolean is a community organizer, educator and proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied issues of privilege, power and identity in and outside of the classroom. For four years he worked at an after-school program that served the at-risk and homeless community in Madison and implemented a structured, educational program focused around youth empowerment. Upon graduation, Ryan became an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with Project SUCCESS, a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis. There, Ryan worked as the civic engagement coordinator, working with middle school and high school youth to address local issues including gun violence.
Today’s guest post is written by Eric Roache, a yoga teacher, blogger and founder of 
connected with another person on such a deep level with no effort and no need for words. Himal changed me, he inspired me and he helped become the person I always wanted to be but never knew I could before I met him. 
Laura Ling, Journalist, E! Investigates host, co-author, “Somewhere Inside”
Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Global Ambassador, chairman and president of the 
Jenné Myers, Chief Service Officer, City of Chicago
Craig Newmark, founder, craigslist and craigconnects
Neil Nicoll, president and CEO, 
Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light
Eboo Patel, founder and president, 
Brian Reich, author, “Shift and Reset: Strategies for Addressing Serious Issues in a Connected Society”
Mark Shriver, senior vice president for U.S. Programs, Save the Children
Wendy Spencer, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
The National Conference on Volunteering and Service has a legacy of active engagement with its host cities’ communities. This year’s service program, Seeds for Change sponsored by Chase, showcases the Chicago motto Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden) as a model for how environmental and economic success can be achieved through service.
Kevin Bacon, actor, musician, founder of 
J.R. Martinez, veteran, actor and winner of Dancing with the Stars
Barbara Bush, Former First Lady of the United States, founder, 
Bryan Anderson, veteran, author, actor
General George W. Casey, Jr., Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army
Carol Cone, Global Vice Chairman, 
Sec. Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of 
We are excited to be in Chicago this year for our 
Today’s Turning Point story is written by Kimberly Boyd, Vice President of Mobilization and Impact at Points of Light.
After a major earthquake in 1971, these women convinced government officials to retrieve slightly damaged medical equipment from the rubble of what had been our local hospital. Then these women, their volunteer crew, and yes their children, worked to clean, fix and pack this equipment to equip a hospital that had never had x-ray machines, surgical tables, etc.
create the next generation of service.