#7 - Put in 52 Hours of Service to My Community

Post-meal at LPCS

A few years ago, I learned how much I didn't know about board service from my former classmate Dr. Jennifer Jones. It inspired me to join a few boards, and now I'm the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Steep Theatre, Chair of the Associate Board for 826CHI, and on the Auxiliary Board for the Rebuilding Exchange (RX).

Steep: Steep is the quintessential storefront theatre – that iconic breed of Chicago theatre that makes our cultural landscape unlike that of any other city. Steep is committed to producing new and under-produced plays that tell the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary situations – small stories that illuminate larger societal issues. 

826CHI: 826CHI is a non-profit creative writing, tutoring, and publishing center dedicated to amplifying the voices of Chicago youth.

Rebuilding Exchange: Rebuilding Exchange invests in our communities by reusing building materials, reducing construction waste, and training, supporting, and connecting people seeking careers in the building trades.

One of the bands at RX's RE:fest, our annual summer festival

Each of these experiences has taught me a ton. I've been able to learn about nonprofit structures and functions, theater operations, planning fundraising events, grants, navigating city of Chicago permitting procedures, constructing a new theater, maximizing budgets, planning street fests, in-kind donations, workforce training for the trades, table saws, environmentally friendly deconstruction, soliciting donations, and all kinds of things I'm not thinking of right now.

I've also been trying to organize a bi-annual meal provision with Lincoln Park Community Services, which is an opportunity the organization offers to have groups bring groceries and cook a meal for their residents. I love cooking with others, and I believe cooking for others is a really special way to care for others. It's really fun to do a little work in the kitchen and to provide residents with something a little different. You can just sign up on their website! You can also donate items listed on their Amazon Wish List, work the front desk, or offer an educational opportunity. So many ways to contribute to this organization that helps people transition to secure and stable lives.

Lincoln Park Community Services: Lincoln Park Community Services brings communities together to empower individuals facing homelessness and poverty to secure stable housing and make sustainable life changes.

The mighty lunch squad

I also tried to do regular volunteer service with Care for Real, but once I injured my knee, that became difficult to follow through on, especially since the volunteer positions that most appeal to me require being on your feet. Plus, they moved from a quick 5-minute walk from my place to a location that's about a 30-minute walk.

Care for Real: Through locations in Edgewater and Rogers Park, Care for Real (CfR) provides food, clothing, referrals, and additional services with compassion to improve the health and well-being of low-income residents to foster a stronger, healthier, equitable, and more stable community.

If you're curious about board service in general, check out Jenny's work!

We're actively recruiting members for 826CHI's Associate Board, so if you're interested in that, hit me up!

I'm also happy to share more about my experiences with Steep and the Rebuilding Exchange!

And Steep is soon going to start massive renovations to create what will be a beautiful new theater space in Edgewater. I'd love to catch a show with you!

That all said, I am still unlearning a lot of harmful capitalistic practices, and nonprofits can contribute to that harm by providing short-term relief instead of fighting the systems that lead to the problem they claim to be fighting. They also often replicate harmful capitalistic structures, further harming their staff and the people they serve. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the role I take up in serving my communities. I found the book Mutual Aid by Dean Spade a short, helpful guide in thinking about how to push for liberation and good for all.

Here's a quick log of my hours, sprinkled with a few photos of some fun times.

January (9 hours; 9 hours total)

1/15/25 - Steep Theatre: Board Meeting (1.5 hours)

1/17/25 - Steep Theatre: Dress Rehearsal (1.5 hours)

1/18/25 - Rebuilding Exchange: TA for Table Saw 101 (3.5 hours)

1/25/26 - Shopping for Lunch Provision at LPCS (1 hour)

1/26/25 - Lunch Provision at LPCS (1.5 hours)

February (5 hours; 14 hours total)

2/3/25 - Rebuilding Exchange: Monthly Meeting (1 hour)

2/18/25 - Rebuilding Exchange: Summer Planning Meeting (0.5 hour)

2/19/25 - Steep Board Meeting (1.5 hours)

2/25/25 - Rebuilding Exchange: Summer Planning Meeting (0.5 hour)

2/26/25 - 826CHI Associate Board Meeting (1.5 hours)

March (3 hours; 17 hours total)

3/4/25 - 826CHI Trivia for Cheaters Committee Meeting (0.75 hours)

3/11/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (1 hour)

3/18/25 - 826CHI Trivia for Cheaters Committee Meeting (0.75 hours)

3/25/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

Bowling Fundraiser for RX

April (5 hours; 22 hours total)

4/1/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

4/4/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Kick Off Party (1 hour)

4/7/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Monthly Meeting (1.5 hours)

4/15/25 - 826CHI Trivia for Cheaters Committee Meeting (0.75 hours)

4/15/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.75 hour)

4/29/25: Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

May (5.25 hours; 27.25 hours total)

5/9/25 - RX Meeting (0.5 hour)

5/13/25 - 826CHI Trivia for Cheaters Committee Meeting (1 hour)

5/13/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

5/20/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.75 hour)

5/21/25 - Steep Board Meeting (2 hours)

5/27/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

June (14 hours; 41.25 hours total)

6/1/25 - RX Fundraiser: Bowl-o-Rama (3 hours)

6/3/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (0.25 hour)

6/18/25 - Steep Countdown to Lights Up Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

6/18/25 - Rebuilding Exchange Summer Committee Meeting (1 hour)

6/18/25 - Steep Board Meeting (1.25 hours)

6/22/25 - RE:fest (8 hours)

Dan trying to take down Danny at RE:fest

July (7.5 hours; 48.75 hours total)

7/7/25 - Rebuilding Exchange: Monthly Meeting (1 hour)

7/16/25 - Steep Countdown to Lights Up Committee Meeting (0.5 hour)

7/16/25 - Steep Board Meeting (2 hours)

7/22/25 - Call (0.5 hour)

7/24/25 - Steep Board Meeting (2 hours)

7/31/24 - Steep New Member Welcome Happy Hour (1.5 hours)

August (3 hours; 51.75 hours total)

8/20/25 - Steep Board Meeting (2 hours)

8/29/25 - Steep project (1 hour)

September (3.5 hours; 55.25 hours total)

9/8/25 - RX Auxiliary Board Meeting (2.5 hours)

9/10/25 - Steep CLU Meeting (1 hour)