Events Calendar

Join Yale Chicago For a Reuse & Recycle Pop-Up, in partnership with Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st Ward).

Volunteers will help residents who drop off materials that are not accepted by the city’s Blue Cart program. Reduce Waste Chicago will distribute items to other organizations, local nonprofits, artists groups and recycling companies – all of which improves landfill diversion.

It is also possible that a surprise Yale Alumni Celebrity Guest will join Yale Chicago at this event! Stay tuned for more information!

REGISTRATION:
Attendees must register using the Registration button on the Yale Chicago website AND Registration is also required on the Reduce Waste Chicago website.

Please indicate which tasks you'd like to do during the volunteer hours. Please contact Yale Chicago and Reduce Waste Chicago with any questions about registration.

THANK YOU to Yale alum Erica Beutler '93 and Sharon Gaietto from Reduce Waste Chicago for helping to organize this volunteer project!

Join Yale alumni and Yale Blue-Green Chicago in the greater Chicago area for ECO day remove invasive garlic mustard plants from areas in the Lake County Forest Preserves' Oriole Grove.  

Alumni and their families are all welcome. Recommended age is 10+

• Long sleeves, pants, work gloves, and closed toed shoes are required
• Hat, sunglasses and water bottle are recommended
• Event will happen rain or shine - dress accordingly
• You can park at 201-299 MacLaren Ln. Look for YALE DAY OF SERVICE sign

Who's Coming?

Contact: Martha Arroyo '91

*Please note the date change due to weather: Event is now May 14*

Gwendolyn Brooks: The Oracle of Bronzeville in Gwendolyn Brooks Park and Ida B. Wells: The Light of Truth Monuments honor two truthful Chicago writers with their life stories forged into sculptural forms. Michelle Duster will speak at the monument in her great-grandmother's name. Sculptors, Richard Hunt and Margot McMahon portrayed the writers' lives in interactive three dimensional tributes.

Please join us for caring for saplings at the Gwendolyn Brooks Monument and hearing from Michelle Duster at the Ida B. Wells Monument. For sapling care, please wear comfortable shoes, gloves, a hat, and bring a water bottle. (We will be walking nine blocks between parks.)

Schedule:
11:00- 12:30 ASAP! Adopt Sapling Project Workshop with Yale Blue Green-Green Blocks Initiative: Alumni Sharing Ecological Actions  

12:30-1:30 Little Black Pearl Carver 47 Café at 47th and Greenwood. Bring cash for lunch

2:00-3:00 Michelle Duster, Ida B Wells Monument 37th and Langley

Contacts:

YaleBlueGreen Chicago-Green Blocks Initiative, Yale Chicago: Judith Singleton '00 MA

YaleBlueGreen-Green Blocks Initiative, YaleWomen, YChicago: Margot McMahon '84 MFA

Join Yale Chicago and other community members to help create a cleaner Chicago!

All Yale Alumni and friends are invited to participate! Volunteering is also open to families with children ages 8+.

Informal brew pub after-party to follow for participants aged 21+ (details TBD).

REGISTRATION:
Please register with Yale Chicago AND you also must email Cleanup Club Chicago directly prior to the event. They will then send you an EventBrite link and a waiver form for you to complete. Cleanup Club Chicago will also provide further details about the precise event location, supplies, attire, and so forth.

Contact:
Alexandra Newman '05

Clean Up Chicago 

Thank you to Yale alum Erica Weeder '87 for helping to organize this Yale Day of Service 2022 event!

Restock & Cleaning @ The Hub

Please join your Yale Chicago friends for a day of volunteering with Lakeview Pantry!

We will be unloading and sorting through donations of food arriving at the Lakeview Pantry warehouse. We will also inventory items and put them away. We will pull orders to be sent to other pantry locations and load them into vans. We will provide additional warehouse support tasks as needed.

After the volunteering event, our Yale Chicago alumni group may go to a local restaurant or bar for a social outing if there is enough interest in doing so.

Attire:
Closed-toed shoes are required. Volunteers are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing (something that can get a little messy). Gloves will be provided on site.

Covid-19 Protocols:
To help keep volunteers and staff safe, Lakeview Pantry requires all volunteers to submit proof of vaccination. Face coverings are required at all volunteer shifts. 

Registration:
This event is limited to 10 volunteers. Please sign up in advance using the "Registration" button above. Please do not register unless you are sure that you will be able to participate, since volunteer spots are limited. Please contact Yale Chicago with any questions about this event. 

Contact: Alexandra Newman '05

All Yale alumni are welcome to join this Habitat for Humanity Chicago Team Build Day hosted by the Yale Black Alumni Association Chicago Chapter!

This is your opportunity to help make a difference for the 1 in 10 Chicagoans currently living in inadequate housing. Our team will be working alongside Habitat staff and future Habitat homeowners on a house currently under construction in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on our city's South Side. Our projects for the day may include anything from framing to painting, and Habitat staff will be available to teach you anything you need to know. No construction experience or skills needed, just a positive attitude and a willingness to learn!

Lunch will be provided.

Each member of the team must pledge to fundraise or donate at least $50 to contribute to the team's fundraising goal. All donations will support Habitat for Humanity Chicago, a nonprofit committed to building a city where every resident lives in a healthy home in a stable community.

Email Cynthia Okechukwu '08, '13 JD if you are interested in joining the team or have any questions. Once you are added to the team, you will receive a link to register and set up your fundraising page. Please note that the team size is limited to 15 people.

Join Yale alumni and Yale Blue-Green Chicago in the greater Chicago area for ECO day to remove invasive garlic mustard plants from areas in the Middlefork Savana. 

Driving/Parking Instructions:
The entrance is on Waukegan Road (Route 43), north of Route 60 and south of Route 176. Turn west onto Middlefork Drive. Proceed to the end of Middlefork Drive, bear left at the fork to enter the preserve parking area.

Alumni and their families are all welcome. Recommended age is 10+

• Long sleeves, pants, work gloves, and closed-toed shoes are required
• Hat, sunglasses and water bottle are recommended
• Event will happen rain or shine - dress accordingly

Contact: Martha Arroyo '91 224-475-2203

Join Yale Chicago and other community members to help create a cleaner Chicago! Cleanup of Humboldt Park followed by After-Party!

• For the cleanup, we will meet up at the north end of the park close to the Food Puerto Riquena stand at 1547 N Humboldt Blvd.
• All Yale Alumni and friends are invited to participate! Volunteering is also open to families with children ages 8+.

REGISTRATION:
Please register with Yale Chicago AND with Cleanup Club Chicago directly prior to the event. Cleanup Club Chicago will also provide further details about the precise event location, supplies, attire, and so forth.

SUPPLIES
We will provide grabbers, bags, and some protective gloves. We recommend that everyone please bring their own 5 gallon bucket, water, and gloves (if you have your own).
 

Afterparty: We will grab lunch at a nearby eatery after the cleanup. Location TBD.

Contact:
Alexandra Newman '05

Thank you to Yale alumni and Yale Day of Service Regional Coordinators Erica Weeder, Sara Deeter, and Alexandra Newman for organizing this Yale Day of Service 2023 event!

Please join Yale Chicago to volunteer at Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry)!

• Unload and sort through donations of food arriving at the warehouse.
• Inventory items and put them away.
• Pull orders to be sent to the other pantry locations and load them into the vans.
• Additional warehouse support tasks as needed.

Closed-toed shoes are required. Volunteers are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing - something that can get a little messy. Gloves provided on site. Additional FAQ's available online.

Children ages 9 and older are welcome. Please review the guidelines for minors.

Registration is first-come, first-served, with an event capacity of 15 volunteers. Please register directly with Nourishing Hope by following the instructions on the Events page of yalechicago.org.

Who's Coming?

Contact: Alexandra Newman '05