East St. Louis Action Research Project

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | College of Fine and Applied Arts

SPOTLIGHT

Larine Y. Cowan
Make a Difference Award

The Larine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Award was presented to ESLARP Director Laura Lawson and FAA Dean Robert Graves earlier this month during the 24th Annual Celebration of Diversity breakfast on November 11, held at the I Hotel. Presenting the award to ESLARP was Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Robert Easter, and Menah Pratt-Clarke, Interim Assistant Chancellor and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access.

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Enriching young minds through community engagement

Outreach Weekend Report - November 14-15, 2008

Weekend Summary

FAA 199 works with City of Centerville, 41st Street Pullman Porter Park, Village Theatre, Catholic Urban Programs, Katherine Dunham Museum, and Project HEAVEN

Twenty-two FAA 199 worked at several work sites over the weekend. Students worked in the City of Centerville with their city planner to transfer police reports into electronic format. This information will be used by the planner to create GIS maps that will allow the City of Centerville to visually see the locations of crime, and the types of calls their police department receive. Other students helped Catholic Urban Programs preserve historic gravestones at one of the oldest cemeteries in East St. Louis. Eight students worked at 41st Street Pullman Porter Park to shovel 20 tons of gravel into a walkway in the park. And a few students helped Christina Fisher, Director of Village Theatre, to organize supply closets in the theatre and their tool shed. Due to the chilly weather on Saturday, most of the students worked indoors with the Katherine Dunham Museum to catalog their library, decorate the museum for the holidays, and clean and sort historic materials at two of Katherine Dunham's homes. Also on Saturday, 15 eight students worked with Project H.E.A.V.E.N.’S director, Carole Mayhall to raise awareness for an upcoming ceremony. The students distributed flyers to businesses and patrons along State Street in East St. Louis. Students also worked to address invitations for the upcoming ceremony recognizing victims, survivors and their family members Later in the afternoon the students worked in Project H.E.A.V.E.N.’S office to sort supplies and assemble emergency bags for people in transition. The bags are part of Saint Clair County’s Project Homeless Connect which helps support the needs of homeless individuals and families.

Freedom By Design and Opal's House

Freedom by Design completed the work they had started at the September Outreach Weekend. Twenty-four students constructed an American Disability Association approved ramp for the back door of Opal's House.

FAA 391

FAA 391 students and Martha Watts hosted a community meeting. This meeting was the culmination of the class's community outreach efforts over the last month to get the community informed about and involved with The Eagle's Nest project. We had a small but significant turnout, and one community member in particular took a leadership role in the meeting and is looking forward to working with Eagle's Nest in the future. Students also met with Martha in small groups to discuss ongoing class projects. One group of students has been working on a review of homeless empowerment literature to inform Eagle's Nest programming, while another group researched youth programming to inform how Eagle's Nest can engage youth in the neighborhood to take part in Eagle's Nest projects. During these small group meetings, Martha and the students collaborated on a list of spring semester projects.

UP 474: Neighborhood Planning

Twenty-five students in UP474: Neighborhood Planning worked with various organizations in the greater East St Louis area to identify potential brownfield sites. Our partners include East St Louis Public Housing Authority, Illinois EPA and the Brownfield Office, City of East St Louis, City of Centreville, Emerson Park Development Corporation and Dayton Wedgewood Neighborhood Organization. Students visited the area twice over the course of the semester. During each visit student meet with our community partners, interviewed other local stakeholders as well as spent time at local libraries to gather historical land-use information. In addition, students identified visual clues by walking and driving around several neighborhoods and major commercial corridors.