See the events and group development from 2004-2005

NEXT WAVE is coming to Chicago! In 2004 the emerging professionals in aging Chicago began as Next Wave.

Young Professionals in the Field of Aging?We Want your Opinion

After attending this years ASA-NCOA conference, we have found that there is an interest to get a Next Wave group started here in Chicago.  If you are unfamiliar with Next Wave, it is a networking group based in the San Francisco Bay area with a mission to cultivate leadership among generation X professionals in the field of aging by providing opportunities for personal and professional development, networking and support.

We are sending out a preliminary email to get an idea of what everyone?s interests are and what would be the best approach to starting a group.

We will be organizing an initial social/planning event later this summer.  Please answer the following questions, so that we can get an idea of the what, when and where for the Chicago Next Wave contingency.

Survey QUESTIONS
What would you like to get out of the Chicago Next Wave? (Check all
that apply)

____Social Group

____Networking

____Professional development (e.g. speakers about aging issues)

____Creating projects or working toward a common goal

____Other, Explain:

Geographic location where would be the most convenient place to meet

____Chicago, Specific neighborhood

____Suburbs,  Which one?

Transportation Which option works best?

____Public Transportation

____Parking

____Doesn?t matter

Any other ideas/comments?

Contact information:

Name_____________________________________

E-mail ____________________________________

Phone_____________________________________

Do you know of anyone else that would be interested in the Chicago Next Wave?  Please feel free to forward this e-mail on to them, or you may include their name and e-mail address with your response, and we will contact them directly.

Thank you!  We will compile the results of this questionnaire and send a follow-up invitation to an event.  We look forward to getting together with you soon.

RESULTS COMPILATION:

(17 respondents, everyone responded):
What would you like to get out of the Chicago Next Wave? (Check all that apply)

11/17 Social Group

15/17 Networking

15/17 Professional development (e.g. speakers about aging issues)

10/17 Creating projects or working toward a common goal

1/17 Other, Explain: create a job/informational interviewing fair so companies/agencies are interested in members? talent

Geographic location- Where would be the most convenient place to meet?

13/17 Chicago, Specific neighborhood: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Bucktown/Wicker Park, Andersonville, Rogers Park

4/17 Suburbs,  Which one? Skokie, Evanston, Oak Park, highland Park, anywhere along Rte 41/I 94, west or south suburbs

Transportation-Which option works best?

1/17 Public Transportation

6/17 Parking

10/17 Doesn’t matter

Next Wave  event: Monday, October 20, 2003
7:00 PM
Gerri Fitterman-Persin’s Place

Come prepared for a fun and productive meeting.  Here’s what we have planned for the meeting:

* Opening Thoughts
o Share a story or thought about your work with the group
* Business Card Networking
o Bring your business card to exchange with the other members of the group
*  Future Plans-Discussion
o Looking for interested members to plan the next meeting
o Process in deciding upon leadership of the group

14 RSVPs:

Recap of 10/20 meeting
Great sharing of older adult stories including a 92 year old man who finished the Denver Marathon!

Congratulations to our 4 walkers in the Alzheimer’s Walk this year, together they raised over $700!  Way to go – Dannie Hall, Heather Jones, Erin Wright, and Debbie Markowitz.

We had a business card exchange and decided to rotate meetings with different hosts for each bi-monthly meeting.  We will need a host for February if anyone’s interested.

We also decided to sign up for a Yahoo Group Litserve to enable everyone access to each others contact information and calendar events.  You should have received an email from Yahoo Groups.  If you didn’t, please reply to this message with the subject:  “add me to Yahoo Groups”

Next Wave  event: Sunday, December 14, 2003 at 1:00 pm
Chicago Next Wave Holiday Pot Luck
Host:  Sheila Quirke

Goal for this meeting:  Making a Next Wave New Year’s Resolution and sharing a personal goal we’d like to accomplish for the new year.  Bring your thoughts and ideas with you.  We will also pick some speakers for future meetings.  Some suggestions include a representative from the Pioneer Network, Life Services Network, Donna Pezzuto and/or Anna Ortigara.  Feel free to bring more suggestions!

Next Wave  event: April 26, 2004, 7:00 PM
Special Guest Speaker: Bill Keane, Pioneer Network
Topic: Pioneer Network and Values
Changing the Culture of Aging for the 21st Century: How do we fit in?

Where: Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, 355 North Ashland Avenue

Agenda
7:00 – 7:30 Review progress on mission statement and discuss student involvement
7:30 – 8:30 Bill Keane
8:30 – 9:00 Questions and Wrap-Up

Refreshments will be provided.

17 RSVPs

Next Wave  event: Monday, June 28, 2004
Mission Statement Development
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
We will continue discussions of our Mission Statement.  Jennifer Coffey with SF Next Wave will join us for the discussion via phone.

Suburban Area Agency on Aging
1048 Lake Street, 3rd Floor in Oak Park(above the Bank One on the corner of Lake and Marion)
Located 2 blocks north of the Harlem Green Line Stop
Parking is available behind the bank or in a garage off Lake Street (turn left at the Chipotle off Harlem)

12 RSVPs

Next Wave  event: Sunday, August 22, 2004 at 3:00 p.m.
Summer BBQ
Angie Johnson’s residence

Next Wave  event: September 2004
Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk
Organizer: Debbie Markovitz
At our last meeting we discussed forming our own team to participate in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk in Chicago. Since our group’s inception, we have talked at length about the passion that fuels our motivation in the field of aging. So I am writing to ask that you kindly take that extra step to help fight one of the cruelest diseases that afflicts nearly 50% of Americans over age 85. PLEASE JOIN OUR TEAM! It will be a lot of fun, and we can make (an even greater!) difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease.

Here are the details:
When: Sunday, September 19th, 9 am
Where: Montrose and the lakefront, 4400 north, just East of Lake Shore Drive
How: Go to www.alzheimers-illinois.org/memorywalk (click online recruitment/ participant registration) and join the Chicago Next Wave team. You can also print out walker pledge forms from the home page (take them with you everywhere!), email your friends, family, neighbors, talk up the event with co-workers, and ask if your company has a matching gift program.

Next Wave  event: October 21, 2004
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Holiday Gift Drive
Organized by Angela Johnson, MPH, CHES
I just wanted to let you all know about an opportunity that I have participated in for the past couple of years with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.  As you know, Little Brothers is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization committed to relieving loneliness and isolation among the elderly. They offer to people of good will the opportunity to join the elderly in friendship and celebration of life.  What sets Little Brothers apart from other elder care organizations is their philosophy of “Flowers before Bread.”  What is meant by “Flowers before Bread” is that everyone, especially the elderly, deserves to have the special touches that make life worth living.  Little Brothers recognizes that hearts can starve as well as bodies and that along with the “Bread” everyone needs the “Flowers.”

During the holiday season, Little Brothers gives personalized gifts to the 800+ elders they serve.  For these gifts, they count on volunteers to provide them.  Each old friend is asked what they would like for a holiday gift-it can range from a black purse to a cooking stool to a dog.  Then, volunteers decide what gift they want to give and go out and shop for it.  On the holiday, the gift is delivered to the older adult by Little Brothers staff or other volunteers.

If any of you are interested in shopping for an old friend, please let me know by Friday, Oct. 29th and I will give you the “gift assignment” as they become available.  It would also be helpful if you could give me a price range you would like to spend.  Last year, when a bunch of us did it, the price ranged from $10 to $20.  Some individuals even received thank you’s from the old friend they bought for.

Next Wave  event: Tuesday, October 26 2004 at 7 p.m.
Guest speaker: Robyn L. Golden, LCSW
Organized by Anna-Liisa LaCroix, MPH
Host: Beth Welch, The Admiral, 909 W. Foster, Chicago
Robyn is Director of Older Adult Programs at Rush University Medical Center. She spent the last year in Washington, DC as the Heinz Fellow in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s office. Robyn has tremendous experience in the field. We are sure to have an informative, engaging discussion.

Year 2005

Next Wave  event: January 18, 2005
Steering committee meeting
(Please see Minutes January 2005 for outcomes!)
This meeting is open to anyone who is interested in helping with the planning and promotion of Nextwave events.  We will be meeting at 7:00 at the Ann Sather on Belmont (off the red line, parking available in the rear of the restaurant).  Prominent ASA members in the Chicago area have expressed an interest in attending this meeting, Robyn Golden and Daniel Kuhn will be joining us and discussing future plans of Nextwave.

Next Wave  event: February 22, 2005
Guest Speaker: James Vanden Bosch from Terra Nova Films
“Images of Caregiving: The dance of belonging”
Please join us for an informal presentation with video clips and discussion.
7:00pm
Host: Dave Scott, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, located at 355 N. Ashland Ave.  Parking is available and it is close to the Green Line El.  Snacks will be provided.

Next Wave  event: February 24, 2005
Alzheimer’s Association Wine & Roses
Organizer: Anna-Liisa LaCroix
You and your friends are cordially invited to join Chicago NextWave at our table at the Alzheimer’s Association Wine & Roses event on Thursday, February 24, from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Wine & Roses event is a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. It features a wine tasting along with food stations, a martini bar, a live and silent auction, and live jazz. The event will be in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker Dr. Reservations are $50 per person.

Next Wave  event: March 15, 2005
Steering committee meeting

This meeting is open to anyone who is interested in helping with the planning and promotion of NextWave events.  We will be meeting at 7:00 at the Winberie Cafe at 151 N. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park (at the corner of Oak Park Ave. and Lake St.).  The restaurant is a block north of the green line “Oak Park” stop.  Reasonably priced metered street parking and garage parking one block away are readily available.

Next Wave  event: Monday, April 18, 2005
Guest Speaker: Tina Stretch, Executive Director of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly
Lieberman Geriatric Health Center, 9700 Gross Point Road , Skokie .
There will be a brief business discussion starting at 7 PM, and our guest speaker beginning at 7:30 PM.

Next Wave  event: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 at 7 p.m.
Steering committee meeting
We’ll meet at Costello’s, a sandwich shop at 4647 N. Lincoln. Costello’s phone number is 773 989-7788 and they are just steps from the Western stop on the Brown line. Ample parking nearby in Lincoln Square’s pay lots or on the streets. Bring your appetite for sandwiches and your ideas for NextWave.
We’ll discuss:
* Our connection to the San Francisco group and the pros and cons of continued affiliation
* Whether we are interested in being a constituent group of ASA
* Formalizing assignments/positions for our group, for instance, outreach, management of the email list, secretary, organizer for speakers, etc.
* Dates for future meetings, and
* Any new topics that are brought forward

Next Wave  event: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 at 7:00.
Join us for an
ART THERAPY WORKSHOP!
At the Home of Deb DelSegnore

We will have an Art Therapy based experience led by Art therapist Deb DelSignore.
Through the art therapy we will:
* Get to know each other better
* Look at what we do in the field of aging
* Explore our passion for what we do.

Feel free to bring Munchies to share

3 RSVPs

Next Wave  event: July 20, 2005
Steering Committee Meeting
(Please see Minutes July 2005 for outcomes!)
We have been having discussions with ASA about our future directions and about leadership and mentorship opportunities that could be made available to us.  ASA is anxiously awaiting to hear from us!  We hope to give them feedback from as many people as possible!

Feel free to join us even if you are new to the group, we value your opinion as someone trying to find their nitch in the field of aging!  Discussion topics will include future directions of the group, involvement in local and national organizations, and opportunities for mentorship, professional growth and development, and leadership.

A Taste of Heaven
5401 N. Clark Street
Street Parking is available, you could also get there on the red line or Clark Street bus.

The meeting will begin at 7:15, entrees, sandwiches, and desserts are available at the restaurant.

10 RSVPs

Next Wave  event: Sunday, October 2nd, 2005
NextWave Social Meet & Greet
Where:  John Barleycorn (Lincoln Park location)
658 W. Belden, Chicago, (773) 348-8899
For more information: www.johnbarleycorn.com/
Parking on the street
Time:  3:00 p.m.
What: Join us for our first fall meeting! Chicago Next Wave is looking for individuals who are interested in the area of aging. This meeting is an opportunity to learn more about this group and to meet other Chicago Next Wave members.

Next Wave  event: November 15, 2005
Steering Committee Meeting
2nd Membership Survey  (1st done in July 2003)
(See Minutes November 2005 for survey results!)
Chicago NextWave’s steering committee meeting is Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m. We’ll plan to meet at the offices of Suburban Area Agency on Aging, 1048 W. Lake St, Suite 300 (in the Chase Bank building) in Oak Park.  The office is just steps from the Harlem Ave. stop on the Green line. Ample free (for the 1st 2 hours) parking nearby in the Holley Court Parking Garage across the street. Bring your ideas for NextWave.   Light refreshments will be available.  We’ll discuss future ideas and plans for upcoming NextWave events and activities.

Also, please fill out and return the attached survey if you have not already done so, Thank you!

SURVEY:
If you are unfamiliar with Next Wave, it is a networking group for emerging professionals in the field of aging that originated in the San Francisco Bay area and has spread throughout the country. The Chicago Next Wave contingency has been active since the fall of 2003. The mission of Chicago Next Wave is to strive to improve the quality of life of elderly persons though advocacy, education, leadership, and community service and to cultivate professional development and the passion of its members.

We are sending out this survey in order to ensure that we are continuing to meet the needs and interests of emerging professionals in the Chicagoland area.  Please answer the following questions, so that we can get an idea of the ‘what, when and where’ for the Chicago Next Wave contingency.

What would you like to get out of the Chicago Next Wave? (Check all that apply)

____Social Group

____Networking

____Professional development (e.g. speakers about aging issues)

____Creating projects or working toward a common goal

____Other, Explain:__________________________________________

Geographic location-where would be the most convenient place to meet?

____Chicago, Specific neighborhood?_____________________________

____Suburbs, Which one?_____________________________________

Transportation- Which option works best?

____Public Transportation

____Parking

____Doesn’t matter

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for events or speakers:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any other ideas/comments are welcome ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to be a member of the Chicago Next Wave Planning committee?

If so, please include the following information:

Name: ___________________________

Phone: ___________________________

E-mail: ___________________________

Do you know of anyone else that would be interested in the Chicago Next Wave? Please feel free to forward this e-mail on to them, or you may include their name and e-mail address with your response, and we will contact them directly.

Thank you! We will compile the results of this questionnaire and send a follow-up e-mail shortly. We look forward to getting together with you soon.

the Chicago Bridge Event: June 21, 2007
Summer Social
Organizer: Karen Kolb
Please join your colleagues on June 21 2007, the first day of summer, for a celebratory happy hour.
6 pm
Where: Plymouth Restaurant and Bar on the Rooftop deck
327 S Plymouth Ct
Chicago, IL 60604

5 RSVP

the Chicago Bridge Event: October 2, 2007
An Evening with Robyn Golden
Director of Older Adult Programs, Rush University Medical Center
Please join us as Robyn discusses her inspiring career path and ways to make your mark in the field of aging.
Tuesday, October 2
6:30 pm-7:00 pm Networking and refreshments
7:00 pm-8:30 pm Interactive discussion
Community Meeting Room of Sulzer Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.

Robyn Golden, MA, LCSW, serves as the Director of Older Adult Programs at Rush University Medical Center. Robyn has worked in the field of aging for more than 20 years. She has been actively involved in service provision, program development, education, research and public policy aimed at developing innovative initiatives and systems integration to improve the health and well-being of older adults and their families.   In 2003-04, Robyn was the John Heinz Senate Fellow based in the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington, D.C. In addition, she is the chair of American Society on Aging and is adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

ATTENDANCE: 12/19 RSVPS, plus 5