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Legal Assistance Foundation 02/23

The Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF) provides pro-bono help for civil cases. A presentation on the areas LAF works in will include a survey to better understand legal issues that are important to you. Join us for this valuable resource, covering information about LAF's services such as:

- Family Problems; Domestic Violence
- Housing; Evictions
- Public Benefits; SSI; Social Security; Food Stamps; Health Law
- Home Ownership; Foreclosure
- Migrant Worker Problems
- Immigration
- Elder Law
- Crime Victims
- Consumer Problems; Bankruptcy; Medical Debt
- Special Education; Suspension and Expulsion
- Employment Problems; Unemployment Compensation
- Children's Law
- HIV/AIDS
- Representing Groups
- Veteran's Problems
- Nursing Home Problems

This presentation will be held at Benton House, February 23 at 7:45 pm. Call or email us for more information.

Posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Green Corps Volunteer Day

Green Corps and other volunteers came to visit Benton House to help us winterize our community garden. Volunteers built hoop huts over our garden beds, planted bulbs for next spring, and cleared up both our outdoor stage area and garden space.

Posted on Friday, November 18, 2011

One Bridgeport Bonanza!

Bridgeport residents, youth, seniors, families, community organizations, artists, teachers and businesses are coordinating a unique community event, One Bridgeport Bonanza. On August 13th in Bosley Park from 2pm to 6pm friends and neighbors will be gathered for live entertainment, a talent show, raffle, engaging activities and sharing information and resources from the surrounding community.

The goal of One Bridgeport is to get information out to our neighbors about the great community programs, social services, businesses, and advocacy projects available to them! This is an incredible opportunity for ALL residents to receive information about local resources, address issues of concern and learn how they can get involved!

In addition to accessing a wealth of information, One Bridgeport will have activities for all ages and a barbecue open to the public! Bring items to grill!

ONE BRIDGEPORT COMMUNITY PHOTO
Be sure to arrive promptly at 2pm to be a part of the aerial view One Bridgeport community photo!

FOR MORE INFO:
Organizations, businesses, and residents that would like to learn more about the event or how to get involved are welcomed to contact Kristina at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at (773) 927-6420.

One Bridgeport

Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Lettuce Grow and Share!

Our community garden has come along way since its roots as a garden of little seeds, waiting to root themselves! Now with a lush abundance of lettuce, swiss chard and cabbage springing forth, our hard work even from months in the cold has contributed to every green leaf reaching out to its solar source of life and energy.

With help from high school volunteers, we were able to load up a garage load of rock, soil and good manure (even the cows have helped!) into our newly constructed garden beds.
The tomatoes were called for the challenge of taking on the outdoors, while the peppers and herbs were transplanted to their new tanning beds for growth. Just as these vegetables have been growing stronger from their wiry starts, so to has our community of gardeners! Our Sunday tradition of working and eating earth has been a source of peaceful productivity and knowledge shared amongst ourselves regarding more than just the seeds around us.

The Backyard

Benton House was also blessed with the services of our friends at UPS (www.ups.com), who dedicated their time till the job was done, and done well.... building the N for our now BEN BEDS!

They also helped by painting the BH logos in the gym, running electric for the food Pantry fridges, hanging the doors in our Faurot Hall and donating $10,000 to Benton House. We greatly appreciate you for all you have done to help us on our way!

To the summer's heat and thundershowers - we say cheers for helping our seeds flourish into what we have previously taken for granted in our grocery isles and for bridging the members of OUR Bridgeport community! Come unite in light.

Monday - June 6th Minutes
GARDEN PLANTING/SOIL : We can order more soil! Woohoo! Once the soil is ordered, we can work on getting some new plants out. Also, save your plastic bottles - we use these to create little greenhouses around the plants.
CONSTRUCTION: We now have plans for a bench, plant signs and a sign encouraging our visitors and selves to keep the garden clean.
VOLUNTEERS: Benton House will be having volunteers from M-T for 9 weeks! That means our plants will get some regular watering and upkeep.
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Kristina and Kristin will be speaking with our Alderman to inform about our garden and our goals of helping Bridgeport be a model for urban food development through community gardens. Stella will be working on creating us a page on Tumbler while seeing if we could get further publicity/donations through Whole Foods. We can also work with Benton House web designers to further develop our page.
EVENTS/ACTIVITIES: EVERY Sunday is a fun work day, so come on over! We'll keep you updated with more food workshops possibly including Zaytune and Pleasant House. Also, we're looking into a fun mixer at Simone's soon with the possibility of movies in the garden in July/August.
NEXT MEETING: MONDAY JUNE 20th at 7 PM. Hope to see you then!

Posted on Friday, June 10, 2011

Benton House: A Community of the Future

SUNDAY, MAY 1

Benton House: A Community of the Future
Benton House (3052 S Gratten)
12pm
Admission: Free

12pm
Benton House is an independent, volunteer-run social service agency in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago that focuses on addressing need and providing recreation and education. Continuing the settlement house tradition, we thrive on community members' involvement. Come by and get a look at the ways we are working to cultivate investment in our neighborhood's people and places. We will have presentations, discussions and work groups for our youth programs, food pantry and community garden. Our house is your house. Stop by for program highlights, tours and histories of the place, to get involved or just hang out.

Panel Discussion: Come Together, Bridgeport!
4pm
People of Bridgeport are banding together and making accessible, direct action for regular folks to address issues like crime, business development and government. Come for a lively discussion of different ways people are shaping the future of a safe, vibrant community.

Panelists Include an array of community activists:

Maureen Sullivan - Co-Founder of Save the Ramova Foundation and Bridgeport Business Association

Joe Trutin - Everywhere Man and owner of The Video Strip

Esther Wong - Executive Director, Chinese American Service League

Moderated by Joyce Fernandes - Executive Director, Architreasures

Posted on Monday, April 25, 2011