November 24
A Call for Volunteers
The mission of The Neighborhood Bridge is to serve individuals and families in our communities by connecting them to high-quality human services to help them thrive. We do that by having our volunteers meet with family members in need and help them obtain the services they need. Ours is a ministry of accompaniment, and we call our volunteers “Advocates.”
The Neighborhood Bridge intends to launch its services early in the new year, with outreach to families in Austin whose children go to St. Catherine-St. Lucy and Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School.
We plan to train our first cohort of volunteer Advocates in January.
To learn more about this volunteer opportunity, check out our Volunteer Advocate handout at
https://bit.ly/3YURSnS Or contact Jeanne Gallo, The Neighborhood Bridge’s Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected].
November 2024
We invite you to come to one of the public meetings The Neighborhood Bridge is holding in November!
Meet the new Executive Director, Prentice Butler, and other leaders who will discuss the nonprofit’s background, describe the services it will soon launch, and call for volunteers to help with the effort. Meetings will be held in various community locations in the coming weeks. Reservations are not required.
Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 – 7:30 pm -Oak Park Public Library Small Meeting Room
Sunday, November 24, 12 noon – 1 pm – St. Giles, McDonough Hall
To learn more about The Neighborhood Bridge and how you can support us, go to theneighborhoodbridge.org
October 2024
The Neighborhood Bridge – Call for Volunteers
The mission of The Neighborhood Bridge is to serve individuals and families in our communities by connecting them to high-quality human services to help them thrive. We do that by having our volunteers meet with family members in need and help them obtain the services they need. Ours is a ministry of accompaniment, and we call our volunteers “Advocates.”
The Neighborhood Bridge intends to launch its services early in the new year, with outreach to families in Austin whose children go to St. Catherine-St. Lucy, Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School, St. Angela, Chicago Jesuit Academy, and Christ the King College Preparatory School.
This month The Neighborhood Bridge’s leadership is undergoing a rigorous program in order to develop a training program for our volunteer Advocates. We plan to train our first cohort of volunteer Advocates in November. Training will involve two separate 2-hour sessions.
To provide more information about our volunteer Advocate program, we intend to hold a brunch in late October, early November for anyone interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer Advocate. If you want more information about the brunch, please contact Jeanne Gallo, The Neighborhood Bridge’s Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected].
September 2024
Call for volunteers coming soon
The Neighborhood Bridge will be hosting a series of public meetings this fall to introduce Prentice Butler, our Executive Director, discuss plans for converting the rectory of St. Catherine-St. Lucy into a Community Services Center, and call out for volunteers to help connect the families we are serving with the services and aid they need. Look for the schedule of public meetings to be posted in the parish bulletin in the coming weeks.
- Check out Prentice Butler’s interview with the Wednesday Journal at https://www.oakpark.com/2024/08/20/neighborhood-bridge-executive-director-vision/
- The Village has approved the zoning changes needed to use the St. Catherine-St. Lucy rectory as a community services center. Work will begin this fall to upgrade the lower level for our base of operation.
The Neighborhood Bridge is hiring!
The Neighborhood Bridge is looking for the following staff to join our team:
- Development Director (part-time, 0.05 FTE) to design and implement a comprehensive Development Funding Plan to raise philanthropic support for the organization and provide financial resources for future growth and expansion. We invite you to review the job posting at https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/development-director-job
- Business Manager (part-time, avg. 10 hours/week) to handle the organization’s financials, manage human resources matters, and oversee facilities management. Check out the job posting at https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/business-manager-job.
- The Neighborhood Bridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is working to connect Austin neighborhood families to existing high-performing human services providers. Visit our website at theneighborhoodbridge.org to learn more about our organization, sign up for our newsletter, or volunteer.
The Neighborhood Bridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is working to connect Austin neighborhood families to existing high-performing human services providers. Visit our website at theneighborhoodbridge.org to learn more about our organization, sign up for our newsletter, or volunteer.
August 2024
The Neighborhood Bridge is Hiring!
- The Neighborhood Bridge is seeking a part-time (0.5 FTE) Development Director to design and implement a comprehensive Development Funding Plan to raise philanthropic support for the organization and provide financial resources for future growth and expansion. This is an exciting opportunity to work collaboratively with the Executive Director and a team of experienced volunteers to help build this organization from the ground up. The ideal candidate will be a superb relationship builder with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills who can cultivate and expand a network of donors, including individuals, institutions, and family foundations.
- We invite you to review the job posting here (https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/development-director-job) or share this exciting news with someone you know.
- Those interested can apply by sending their resume and cover letter to [email protected].
- The Neighborhood Bridge is looking for a volunteer to help set up the IT infrastructure for the small office we are establishing in the former rectory at St. Catherine-St. Lucy. If interested or for more information, please contact the Executive Director of The Neighborhood Bridge, Prentice Butler, at [email protected]
July 2024
Exciting News from The Neighborhood Bridge Welcome to Prentice Butler, Our New Executive Director!
Board President Dan Doody recently announced that The Neighborhood Bridge has hired an Executive Director. “The Board of The Neighborhood Bridge is delighted to welcome Prentice Butler as our first Executive Director. His years of experience working in multiple communities in Chicago and his career-long involvement with social justice initiatives provide a great platform to develop The Neighborhood Bridge as an impactful organization serving the Austin community. We are certain the Catholic community of Oak Park will provide significant support and encouragement to Prentice in his important leadership role.”
“I’m energized to serve as the first Executive Director of The Neighborhood Bridge,” states Prentice. “I’m eager to get to know the families in our partner schools, the many human services organizations in Austin, Oak Park, and the surrounding communities, and the Oak Park Catholic community, which has spearheaded the establishment of The Neighborhood Bridge. It’s exciting to think about the future of our communities as The Neighborhood Bridge begins to actualize its mission.”
You can read Prentice’s complete biography on The Neighborhood Bridge website here.
Help Wanted
- The Neighborhood Bridge is seeking a part-time, salaried Director of Operation (10 hours/week). This is an exciting opportunity to work with our Executive Director and a team of experienced volunteers to help Austin residents connect to the high-quality services they need and deserve
- Qualified candidates must have a business management background, be familiar with accounting practices, and be aligned with the mission of The Neighborhood Bridge.
- To see the full job description and instructions for how to apply go to https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/director-of-operations-job
To learn more about The Neighborhood Bridge, go to our website at https://theneighborhoodbridge.org
May 2024
THERE’S STILL TIME TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAP!
Many thanks to all who have generously donated to fulfill the mission of The Neighborhood Bridge: “To use the St. Catherine-St. Lucy campus as a base for a powerful ministry outreach to our neighbors on the West Side.”
With your help, we are focused on meeting the goal of connecting Austin area residents with needed services by the start of the 2024-2025 school year. But we still need funds to fully cover our operating costs and expenses. This is why we’re thrilled to announce the extension until June 4th of the $50,000
A foundation associated with a longtime St. Giles parishioner will match every dollar donated to The Neighborhood Bridge between now and June 4th up to $50,000!
This is a unique opportunity to double the impact of your donation!
Donate Today!
https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/donate
We are counting on you to help connect our Austin neighbors with the human services that they deserve to reach their full potential and thrive.
March 2024
EXCITING NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD BRIDGE!
We are on track to have an Executive Director of The Neighborhood Bridge in place by July 1.
The Executive Director is key to the success of the mission of The Neighborhood Bridge: to use the St. Catherine-St. Lucy campus as a base to serve individuals and families in the Austin community by connecting them to high-quality human services to help them thrive. The Board is in the process of screening candidates and will be interviewing finalists in the coming weeks. We are gratified by the impressive number of well-qualified candidates who submitted resumes for the position. The Executive Director will be the face of the organization, interacting with Austin area schools, connecting school families and other Austin-area residents with the service providers active in the area to meet their needs.
We are planning on renovating the lower level of the rectory by August 15.
Initially, the lower level of the rectory will house adult education classes and a distribution center for needed supplies, as well as current ministries serving residents in the area. Future plans are to house the offices of The Neighborhood Bridge on the first floor.
We are visiting each of our five partner schools over the next month to discuss the launch of The Neighborhood Bridge.
Before The Neighborhood Bridge was established, volunteers reached out to five schools in the Austin neighborhood (St. Catherine-St. Lucy, St. Angela, Chicago Jesuit Academy, Catalyst Circle Rock, and Christ the King College Preparatory School) to learn firsthand what the critical unmet needs of their school families were. We’ll be visiting each of these schools to update them on our progress and to finalize a communication plan for each one to keep their families informed about the resources available through The Neighborhood Bridge.
We are launching a Spring fundraising appeal to help The Neighborhood Bridge meet the goal of connecting Austin area residents with needed services by the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
With your continued help, The Neighborhood Bridge can fulfill the Renew My Church imperative “to use the St. Catherine-St. Lucy campus as a base for powerful ministry outreach to our neighbors on the West Side.”
How can you help?
Donate: https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/donate
Volunteer: https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/volunteer
Sign up to get our newsletters: https://theneighborhoodbridge.org/
Share the news with your friends!
P.O. Box 1853
Oak Park, IL 60304