Two Summers on Hayes Avenue Documentary Viewing and Refuge High: Coming of Age in America by Elly Fishman Book

While I was taking teacher certification classes at Northeastern Illinois University in spring 2026, we were asked to do an asset mapping group exercise where we were assigned different neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area by our professor to profile and list assets to the community.

Asset mapping has different names in different professions, but it is a technique commonly found within social work where members of the community are asked to find the resources available to that community. The purpose is to look at communities with a fresh set of eyes and to view more of the assets of a neighborhood rather than the deficits.

Our neighborhood was Rodgers Park. The school we were assigned as Sullivan High School. I was introduced to a book called, Refuge High: Coming of Age in America by Elly Fishman. This book was a collection of sparking profiles of both the students and the staff at Sullivan High School, in which 43 languages are spoken. Many are coming here to America for asylum and have found a close knit, supportive community within Rodgers Park.

My graduate group and I were introduced to Tess Lacey, a recent graduate from Sullivan High School in Rodgers Park. We interviewed her on Saturday, April 11^th, 2026 at the Common Cup coffee shop in Rodgers Park, the same day that the Whitney Young High School 50^th anniversary yarn bombing was revealed at the Whitney Young High School Sneaker Ball and Yarn Con was taking place and Windy City Knitting did a knit-a-thon to raise money for our local food bank. That was a big day (whew!)!

However, even bigger things were coming forward, such as the filming and release of

Tess Lacey’s upcoming documentary. Through the Roman Susan Art Foundation during the summers of 2024 and 2025, Tess Lacey created a documentary titled, Two Summers on Hayes Avenue, a visual summary of her blog entries in The Kidler with interviews of local Rodgers Park residents and employees. Tess Lacey also is a part of the One Northside organization.

The Kidler blog site address is https://kidler.webnode.page  

The One Northside website is www.onenorthside.org

The crowd was diverse in ages, races, religions during the documentary viewing on Thursday, May 24^th, 2026. Everyone was happy that Tess and her friends were able to get this project off the ground.

Congratulations Tess Lacey! I wish nothing but the best for you and all of your future endeavors!

Sunflower Crochet Class

To treat myself for having completed my first semester of my teacher certification program at Northeastern Illinois University (whew!), I went to a sunflower crochet class at Sister Arts Studio in Chicago. I always look forward to taking classes here. On the corner is Wow! Pizzaria. They have some of the most oversized pizza slices in all of Chicago. I usually get one and then walk down the street to Sister Arts Studio. I have seen Toni of TL Yarns here as well as Krista Suh who wrote DIY Rules for a WTF World: How to Speak Up, Get Creative and Change the World. Fabulous book, by the way.

My maternal great grandmother was a master at crochet. I still have her afghans and doilies. I aspired to her greatness, but always felt disappointed by not asking her more questions when she was alive about what she was doing and my lack of success. I am forever indebted to the Whitney Young High School 50th anniversary yarn bombers who were much better at crochet than I was and gave helpful suggestions of YouTube videos to watch, such as TL Yarns, Crochet Crowd and Crochet Guru.

Before my class, I practiced my single, double and triple crochet stitches. Much like knitting, I found I was a loose crochet stitcher, as well. This meant that moving forward, I would need to drop down a crochet hook. This is what I thought.

However, there were other opinions about my crochet work:

“That looks good”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Oh keep going! You’re doing great!”

I admit it didn’t look too bad. I used the Whitney Young High School colors of blue and orange in acrylic yarn because I am a yarn bomber through and through. Actually, I liked my crochet stitch a little loose. It would be different, though, if I were placing it on car for a yarn bomb, though…

I Finished My First Semester of Teacher Certification at Northeastern Illinois University This Week and Switched My Major

I finished my first semester of teacher certification program at Northeastern Illinois University this week (Whew!) and switched my major. My undergraduate degree is in English. My graduate degree is in creative writing. I even have my own blog, if you hadn’t already noticed, where I write to all of my fellow humans out there who take time out of their busy schedules to read my blog posts and I graciously thank you.  

However, I was told two days ago that my degrees were “ineligible” to receive any funding reserved for teachers. Wait! I thought people said they needed teachers!??! I thought that the basics do not change and people needed English majors?!?!

Apparently not.

After I got over my initial shock, I consulted with AI about my dilemma. AI suggested that I switch my major. I did not grow up with AI. However, I noticed this past semester that a lot of these younger, newer students frequently run to AI for problems they may have. The new digital revolution has taken some time for me to get used to, but I will admit that in the middle of the night as I worried about my current circumstance, it was most comforting to have my problem solved by AI as well.

I then spoke to fellow classmates who had undergone the same issues and shared their experiences with me. I must add that it was better talking to humans who went through an experience similar to my own than computer software that is supposed to simulate human intelligence for guidance with my most decidedly human issue.

So, I switched my major to special education, which seemed to please the financial aid staff at NEIU as well as the U.S. Department of Education. At least for now anyways. .  .It is just as well with my background as a nurse and my work with my Whitney Young High School patient/student.

I know this is coming late, but Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate it. And not only that, but I’ve had extensive conversations with people regarding this holiday. There are people who do not have mothers for various reasons. There are caregivers, both professional and personal. There are single fathers. There are single mothers. There are grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles who are doing the work of parenting. There are mothers and fathers of furbabies.

Whatever your situation, Happy Mother’s/Caregivers Day!

I am a professional caregiver. I have elderly family members. I have friends. I have friends who have furbabies that are my surrogate furbabies. I still get presents on Mother’s Day anyway. So I tell people, Happy Mothers/Caregivers Day.

I saw my mother all weekend, even though school is about to end for me this week. My parent’s church has brunch on both Saturday and Sunday of Mother’s Day. I was present for all of it, including church. Any other time, it is not unusual for me to work on Mother’s Day and take my mother out at a separate time, but this is part of why I took this job with my Whitney Young High School student: To have more time with my elderly parents.

It was nice. I took the time to put some makeup on my face, which, although I enjoy these things, I generally do not do these things. I have patient care the majority of the time, after all, but I made time yesterday and today.

Happy Mother’s/Caregivers Day!

The Principal of Whitney Young High School Was Almost Shot and Killed and I am Making Him a Quilt

The principal of Whitney Young High School was almost shot and killed on Friday and I am making him a quilt. They are saying it was random. Needless to say, everyone wishes him well that he is unscathed. He went on the overhead intercom and thanked his well wishers today.

I have a lot to say about the lack of gun control and mental health services that contribute to situations like this, most especially the with the scenarios I have seen having been a nurse for 25 years. I had a discussion with one of my coworkers who is also a Northeastern Illinois university student in education. She felt I had seen a lot as a nurse. I had to tell her that we will all see a lot more of what healthcare workers observe in their jobs because of the lack of mental health services. Those responsibilities are being given to schools, churches and, unfortunately, law enforcement, who do not have the training to handle it. 

My major is English. Ironically, I had to give a group presentation in one of my teacher certification classes on Monday on “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In group discussions, I shared that as a nurse, I happened to come into contact with a forensic psychiatrist who refused a high profile crime case because he felt the person was guilty, but he did not want that to cloud his judgment. He felt Even though in the end, this person was found guilty by a court of law, I felt this forensic psychologist was a real life Atticus Finch. This is America. Everyone deserves a fair trial. 

The children have their own way of handling it. Ironically, they are giving a presentation on the innocence project today. And I do agree, regardless of guilt or innocence, this is America and everyone is supposed to have a fair trial. 

At times like these, I sew because I honestly don’t know what else to do, so I am making him a quilt to wish him well.

My Patient is Graduating High School, and I am Making a Graduation Quilt

My Whitney Young High School patient is graduating, and I am making him a graduation quilt. His family was told he would never live past the age of five, but obviously the doctors were wrong.

I love it when that happens!

My patient and I were told we were considered a “unit” in terms of obtaining tickets to the graduation. I thought it was super cute. My family made quilts for all types of occasions: graduations, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, funerals, anytime in a person’s life milestone, really.

His family does not know I am doing this. It is supposed to be a surprise, but all of you look like trustworthy individuals, so I’m sure you’ll keep it to yourself (smile!).

The University of Chicago Lab School Community Quilt Project

My coworkers who knew about my job as a one-to-one nurse at Whitney Young High School, the 50^th anniversary yarn bomb and my volunteer work with school children involving community quilt projects that I had done for nearly 20 years told me, “Apply to Northeastern Illinois University for their teacher certification program.” I started the program in January 2026.

I found that my volunteer work with the University of Chicago Lab School was considered a service learning project in one of my teacher certification classes. I did my first presentation last night on Monday, April 20th, 2026 after I worked with my Whitney Young High School patient.

My 2026 service learning project was done at the University of Chicago Lab School. I am a member of numerous sewing circles and creative organizations, including, but not limited to, the Lakeside Quilt Guild. The Lakeside Quilt Guild donated fabric, sewing supplies and sewing books.

The University of Chicago Lab School decided in September 2024 that they wanted to do a community quilt project that was also an interdisciplinary lesson plan involving 1. math/geometry (tessellations), 2. visual art of quilting half square triangles and 3. English/writing.

Their first community quilt project took place from January 2025 to April 2025 and I also volunteered at the school during this time helping out with their community quilt project as I was still working as a one-to-one nurse at Whitney Young High School.

This was a volunteer project. I was not paid. I have done projects like this with school children in

Chicago for nearly 20 years. It was more important to me that the children have this experience. The only job I worked where I was paid was as a one-to-one nurse for my Whitney Young High School patient.

The first exhibition took place in May 2025 at the Gordon Parks Art Gallery. The University of Chicago Lab School decided to do their community quilt project again in 2026. It ended a couple weeks ago. The exhibition has not taken place yet as of the posting of this blog.

We worked with the students to create a community quilt project. The math teachers taught geometry. The visual art included equilateral triangles, which are triangles with three equal sides and each measuring 60 degrees.

We helped the students to create 6 inch by 6 inch half square triangle quilt blocks. These quilt blocks could be drawn over, painted over, hand embroidered over, applique placed on top or just left alone.

The class started with positive affirmations about being polymaths, which is a person with vast knowledge across multiple fields, hence an interdisciplinary unit lesson plan for a community quilt project comprised of geometry, visual arts and writing. The students were encouraged to use their knowledge to solve larger issues. They were told that two and sometimes three heads were better than one to come to the solution to a problem and that time and love conquers all because it does.

The students were then shown video profiles of deceased and living textiles artists. Music was played in the background. There was a hand quilting station, an embroidery station and a sewing machine station. The students were also encouraged to make a practice piece of a quilt block and a rough draft before creating a final quilt block and piece of writing.

Local textile artist Robert Earle Paige did come to the school and even created special fabric for this project through Spoonflower. I was taking an art class down the hallway from him when he was an Artist-in-Residence at the Hyde Park Art Center in Fall 2022.

I did create videos at my local library about how to sew a scant quarter of an inch, how to use a seam ripper as these were issues that came up with the teachers regarding the student’s progress. These videos were placed on the student’s padlets so they could view the information anytime they wanted.

When the community quilt exhibition is viewed, it is supposed to look like repeating tessellations of equilateral triangles.

The intended goal of this project, aside from teaching geometry, was the use of creativity to solve a problem. I shared with the class that there is a section of publishing known as medical writing. Years ago, I read in an anthology which contained personal essay titled “Dance and Medicine” by Dr. Danielle Ofri. The anthology contained personal essays written by doctors who shared how creativity helped them on the job to solve problems. Dr. Danielle Ofri was a dancer and doctor who was working during the beginning of the AIDS crisis in New York. Down the street from where she worked was a dance studio.

She noted that there was a large number of people coming into her job sick, but they simply did not know from what. She would go to this dance studio, dance in her classes, come back to work and said, “You know, this looks like a virus. We need to contact the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to see if some medication can be created.”

It is not necessary to be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine or even to win big awards. Art does help people solve real world problems.

I love my volunteer work.

At the end of the University of Chicago Lab School community quilt project, I was given a plaque with a half square triangle quilt block that had handwritten expression, “Thank you for your service!”

Saturday, April 11^th, 2026 Sneaker Ball Venue West Chicago: The Big Reveal of the Whitney Young High School 50^th Anniversary Yarn Bombing

When I woke up that morning, I couldn’t even believe we made it this far and I thanked God for every part of it. I had to get up super early because I started school at Northeastern Illinois University in their teacher certification program in January 2026. I had to meet with one of my graduate group members for a project that was due in a couple weeks. Two of my coworkers who were Whitney Young High School teachers wrote letters of recommendation for me mentioning the yarn bombing. I spent most of the late evening and early morning emailing, texting and making social media posts about the yarn bombing to family, friends, coworkers, quilting circles, knitting circles and anyone I knew.

I was told to get to Venue West in Chicago for the Whitney Young High School sneaker ball by 5 pm. I left early, but Chicago traffic is brutal. I arrived at 5:12 pm, but I did call and leave a voicemail message letting them know I was on my way. I had to park right outside the entrance to Venue West. The yarn bombing matched the front door entrance.  

I received help from a current schoolteacher who crocheted granny squares that went on the trunk. She also has her own long arm sewing machine business that she runs from her home. I am in numerous sewing and knitting circles. She and I are members of Needles and Threads Quilt Guild on the South Side of Chicago. A picture of our quilt guild is in the book, “Communion of the Spirits” by Roland L. Freeman who curated the “Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebrating the Inauguration of Our 44th President” for the Smithsonian Museum.

“Try folding the yarn bombing like a quilt,” she offered. “It will make it easier to install.” And her suggestions proved to be invaluable.

Thank you.

We spread the yarn bombing across my car. People’s reactions were incredible:

“WHAT THE !*@#?”

“HA HA HA HA!!!!!”

“That’s nice!”

“OH MY GOD! My mother knits! She’s going to be so excited to see this!”

“That is hilarious!”

I walked around the car, channeling my inner “Wheel of Fortune” Vanna White persona (no pun intended), explaining the story behind the yarn bombing, showing people the design that was made and the art quilt I made on my iPhone, then pointing out who knitted, crocheted and/or weaved which section of the car. People took pictures, video, and mostly laughed hysterically, which, aside from fundraising for the school, was exactly the point. The food was great. The student jazz band was mesmerizing. Park and Ride Band, the band comprised of Whitney Young High School parents, was amazing. I loved the Frankie Beverly and Maze cover song. In the end,  learning is fun. Fundraising should be fun as well.

The kids are worth it.

Eight Days Leading Up to the Whitney Young High School 50^th Anniversary Yarn Bombing

A member of Studio Art Quilt Associates opened up her home to me to finish the Whitney Young High School 50^th anniversary yarn bombing. My logic brain said, “What are you doing?1?! There are serial killers in Chicago!” My heart and spirit said, “This is fun! Okedoke!”

She found out about it through one of her neighbors who was a quilter and had also done the exact same thing. We literally put the last stitch in at 6 pm the night before the installation.

People had seen us in the street, placing an oversized orange and blue afghan on my car, measuring it out. People slowed down to a near stop in the middle of rush hour traffic to watch us. We heard people say, “That is so pretty!”

People have asked me, “Where did you do all of this?” First, I was not the only one who did this. Whitney Young High School opened its doors on Wednesday, September 3^rd, 1975. Technically, 50 years was Wednesday, September 3^rd, 2025. We had until September 2026 to make good on this project. In June 2025, I sent inquiries to local yarn shops, quilt and knitting circles, and I placed postings on the internet. I asked for 10-inch by 10-inch knitted, crocheted, woven, embroidered and/or quilted in orange, blue and/or in the image of a dolphin. I worked with Friends of Whitney Young, the fundraising committee, who informed me that the big reveal was Saturday, April 11^th, 2026.

My yarn bombers were relieved.

There were a lot of retired teachers, current schoolteachers, school bus drivers, librarians, retired lawyers who had volunteered with Barack and Michelle Obama when they lived in Chicago, city workers, high school students who responded and participated. For the people who graciously opened their homes, their kitchen tables were the perfect size for a good old-fashioned knitting circle. Their kitchen chairs held the parts of the afghan that we had finished knitting and/or crocheting.

The driving dolphins on the windshield was done by a retired French teacher and president of Windy City Knitting. She had also yarn bombed a car and offered advice. There was a famous yarn bomber who lived out of state out East and learned about it. I sent orange, blue and variegated blue yarn to her in the mail. She crocheted the hood in orange and blue granny squares and sent them back to me in the mail. Those who were comfortable knitting or crocheting a part of the car did so.

Initially, the trunk, hood, back doors, front doors, back windshield, front windshield and roof were either knitted and/or crocheted. Those who were more reserved and/or overwhelmed (and understandably so!) did a 10-inch by 10-inch squares. Some people did one 10-inch by 10-inch square. Some people did 20 or more 10 inch by 10-inch squares. We had one person weave her 10 inch by 10-inch square.

In the end, every effort was helpful and more than appreciated.

Whitney Young High School alumni, their families and their friends were very involved. Some of them were not aware that Whitney Young High School was celebrating their 50^th anniversary. I let them know there was still time to be involved in the yarn bombing festivities. One person ate lunch with Michelle Obama in high school when she was a student at Whitney Young High School. There was a Whitney Young High School parents who owned her own yarn shop and had yarn bombed a car before. She was a treasure trove of information.

Secondly, there was never a real designated place where the Whitney Young high School 50^th anniversary yarn bombing took place. People did this in their homes, on the street, in knitting, crochet and sewing circles, and, like I said, out of state.

This was my very first-time yarn bombing a car! Yikes!

I will admit I didn’t know what I was doing, even when I had a book about yarn bombing in front of me. This is more of a reflection about me and not the authors of the book. I will say I learned as I went along. As mostly a quilter, I had a “The Gees Bend Quilters go yarn bombing” type of idea in mind.

Considering I did not use a gauge swatch, and my knitting was very loose, and I needed to drop down a needle size OR get thicker yarn, but I didn’t, this threw a lot off in terms of measurements (and I am so sorry about that!) but, I think I may have gotten the effect I wanted.

YES! I can hear the knit, crochet and quilt police coming for me!

Still, for 10 months, I knitted at home, in my car, at work between classes with my patient, in sewing circles, in doctor’s offices, and in restaurants. Many people walked up to me and asked, “What are you doing?” I explained what yarn bombing was, showed them pictures on my iPhone, shared profiles of famous yarn bombers and stated this was for charity. Even the art department at Whitney Young High School gave presentations about yarn bombing to the students. I placed the administrations capital “W,” capital “Y” and number “50”design right on top of the knitting that I did. The other parts I knitted draped so much that we used them over our bodies as afghans when we were trying to measure the yarn bombing against the car. Did I mention it is cold in Chicago? My afghan contributions helped when we were measuring the yarn bombing on my car!

I lived. I learned. If nothing else, I found the process to be very relaxing.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENDED WITHOUT ANY OF YOU!!! THANK YOU!

The Whitney Young High School 50^th Anniversary Design Started as an Art Quilt Banner

I took the drawing and made an art quilt banner first. There are a lot of banners in the gymnasium of Whitney Young High School. I felt it would be befitting to make the quilt look more like a banner.

The background was orange. The capital “W” and capital “Y” were blue. The number “50” had to be in either yellow or gold as I had been instructed. On the border of the quilt was dolphin fabric. The back of the quilt also had dolphin fabric and fabric resembling water. It looked like there was a school of dolphins swimming from the back of the quilt to the front of the quilt and into the orange background with the blue capital  “W,” the blue capital “Y,” and the gold number  “50.”  I received a ton of help from one of my sewing circles, Quilter’s Plus, from a woman who worked for years in a furniture store. She helped me center the letters and numbers.

The quilt was fun to make, but I felt there was something missing.

The Hubbard Street dance troupe gives art workshops around the city of Chicago. They suggest, as did my art quilt teacher, Sheila Frampton Cooper, writer Elizabeth Gilbert and late science fiction writer, Octavia Butler, to change your artistic medium or genre if you find yourself stuck or stymied in a project.

I felt the design would transfer from drawing to fabric to fiber quite easily, making a ton of artistic movement forward as a yarn bombing.