OUR AMERICAN VOICE® Springfield Summit Celebrates Students' Civic Engagement

OUR AMERICAN VOICE® (OAV) STUDENTS

START GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN 

#OAVsummit2017

OUR AMERICAN VOICE®, a model civics leadership program for elementary and middle school aged students will host its 9th Annual Summit in Springfield, Illinois on May 2, 2017.  Over 250 students representing 23 schools from urban and rural communities across the state of Illinois are expected to attend.  The purpose of the Summit is to share and celebrate their success and accomplishments. 

The OAV students are eager to share their projects with each other, meet their legislators and tour the capitol in Springfield. However, due to the cost of transportation, meals, etc they need your financial support and have created a GO FUND ME page.

The OAV program sponsored by the Barat Education Foundation teaches students the four core principles of civic engagement and gets them immersed in working on projects that matter to them, their school and community.  These school initiatives completed in collaboration with community agencies and elected officials include: Cleaning and beautifying their community center; Creating a Safety program for their school; Implementing a tutoring program for students; Installing filters in all school water fountains; Purchasing a handicap ramp for school library stage; Raising $20K to make their playground handicap accessible; Setting up a free library for students in lower grades; and Starting a recycling program in their community.  

"Our OAV participants with the guidance and support of their teacher/facilitators have worked diligently to make a difference and to positively impact their communities," says Sheila A. Smith, Barat Education Foundation CEO and Chair. "We are pleased to host this summit to recognize their achievements and contributions as young citizens and are indebted to Edward and Chris Kazemek whose generous donation to the Foundation is helping launch the #OAVsummit2017 GO FUND ME campaign. Our OAV students would appreciate your financial support and help in spreading the word." 

The following schools currently participate  in the OUR AMERICAN VOICE®  program: Emerson, Hiawatha, Irving, Komensky, Pershing and Piper Elementary Schools, Freedom and Heritage Middle Schools in Berwyn;  St. Philip Neri and Robert Healy Elementary, Providence Englewood Charter in Chicago;  Clearview Elementary & Cristo Rey St. Martin  College Prep in Waukegan; Prairie Trail in Wadsworth; Hester Jr. High in Franklin Park; DuBois in Springfield, Riddle in Matoon; Oakwood Jr. High in Danville; Arcola Jr. High ; Lester in Downers Grove; Washington Jr. High in Rock Island, Spenser Crossing Intermediate School in New Lenox; and Littlejohn in Dekalb.

OUR AMERICAN VOICE®  students appreciate your support!

“...knowledge and understanding about our system of government is not something that's handed down in the gene pool. You have to learn it." Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

#OAVsummit2017

To learn more about OAV students and their community projects, visit these websites: OUR AMERICAN VOICE® and OAV Facebook Page 

BARAT EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Barat Education Foundation is an independent 501(c) (3) organization that develops and seeks support for innovative scholarships and entrepreneurial educational ventures which reflect the deep commitment to: intellectual, spiritual, and ethical values; empowerment of women; social awareness that impels to action; and the building of community.  For further information and/or to help support the BEF, please visit www.thebaratfoundation.org

Our American Voice Summit Celebrates Students' Civic Engagement

On June 10, 2014 more than 300 Chicagoland middle grade students from 18 different schools convened for the third annual Our American Voice (OAV) Summit at the UIC Forum in Chicago, IL. The purpose of the Summit is to bring together OAV student participants to share and celebrate their successes and accomplishments.

The OAV program sponsored by the Barat Education Foundation teaches students the four core principles of civic engagement and gets them immersed in working on projects that matter to them, their school and community.  These school initiatives completed in collaboration with community agencies and elected officials include: creating safer surrounding environments for students walking to school; cleaning up neighborhoods; putting an end to bullying; assisting and becoming more respectful of others. 

"Our OAV participants with guidance and support of their teacher/facilitators have worked diligently to make a difference and to positively impact their communities," says Sheila A. Smith, Barat Education Foundation CEO and Chair. "We are pleased to host this summit to recognize their achievements and contributions as young citizens." 

The following schools participated in the 2014 OAV Summit: Mary E Courtenay Language Arts Center; John B. Drake Elementary School; Charles W. Earle Elementary School (Earle STEM); Emerson Elementary School; Evergreen Academy Elementary School; Freedom Middle School; Lionel Hampton Fine and Performing Arts Elementary School; Heritage Middle School; Hiawatha Elementary School; Edward N. Hurley Elementary School; Irving Elementary School; Komensky Elementary School; Arthur A. Libby Elementary School; Irvin C. Mollison Elementary School; Pershing Elementary School; John J. Pershing Elementary Magnet School ("Pershing East"); Piper Elementary School and Ida B. Wells Preparatory Elementary School.

The OAV Summit included Opening Remarks by the following: Sheila Smith, Chair, Barat Education Foundation; Suzy Evans, Program Manager, Our American Voice; Dr. Mara Grujanac, Director, Barat Education Foundation and Jacques Agbobly, former OAV participant.  

Throughout the morning and afternoon sessions, the students engaged in four activities:

• Activity 1: Who are We? 
• Activity 2: Most Important Thing About Our American Voice
• Activity 3: Our American Voice in Words: Capturing the OAV Experience
• Activity 4: Our American Voice in Images: Evoking OAV Through History

followed by a Panel Discussion with Our American Voice Civic Capitalism Participants.

In the afternoon, Suzy Evans, Program Manager, Our American Voice called each school up to the podium to be recognized for their project work.  The OAV came to a conclusion when Karina Giraldo, Piper Elementary School introduced the topic: Where Do We Go From Here?.  One of the participants answered: "I pledge to stay involved and find ways to stop the violence in my community".  Never were words so powerfully spoken and meaningful!  This was from just one of over 300 middle grade school students, who have learned how to creatively solve problems in their communities due to their participation in Our American Voice!

Top - Bottom: OAV Registration; participants get settled;
Activities; Jacques Agbobly addresses the audience;
18th Ward Alderman Lona Lane with students; three young participants;
Dr. Allan Gitelson with Sheila A. Smith, BEF Chair

The Our American Voice Program is a nonpartisan, in-school/after-school project based learning initiative that links the basics of American history, government and civics with technology and community involvement to educate, engage and empower elementary and middle-grade students to become participative citizens in their communities.  The Program teaches students critical thinking, collaboration, leadership skills, and that citizenship starts not with the big issues but with issues that are close to home.  More than 1500 young girls and boys across the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as in Roanoke Virginia and southern New Mexico, have participated in Our American Voice.  

OAV is operated and licensed by the Barat Education Foundation and receives partial support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Alice B. Drake Endowment.  For more info about the Our American Voice program, visit www.ouramericanvoice.org

Further reading published on June 13, 2014: "Berwyn kids clue in the adults" by Marlen Garcia, Sun Times Reporter 

Photo Album of the Our American Voice - 2014 Summit
click on center to start slideshow 

BARAT EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Barat Education Foundation is an independent 501(c) (3) organization that develops and seeks support for innovative scholarships and entrepreneurial educational ventures which reflect the deep commitment to: intellectual, spiritual, and ethical values; empowerment of women; social awareness that impels to action; and the building of community.  For further information and/or to help support the BEF, please visit www.thebaratfoundation.org

An Evening of Gratitude - Joan Lueder Coffey Service Award Announced

May 8, 2013 Chicago IVC Evening of Gratitude - more photos here
Left to right: Fr. Brian Paulson, SJ; MER, Sheila Smith, Chair BEF;
Christine Curran, IVC; Ed Coffey and George Sullivan

The night was billed as "An Evening of Gratitude" and the Chicago Ignatian Volunteer Corps hosted their annual Mass and Awards program followed by a reception at the Ignatius House Jesuit Community.  This would also be the evening when the Joan Lueder Coffey Service Award was publicly announced in the beautiful Madonna Della Strada Chapel at Loyola University-Lakeshore Campus on May 8. A number of Sacred Heart alums attended the event.  Click here to read my blog entry dated May 6^th for further details on the award.

The following remarks were made by Joan’s husband Ed Coffey on May 8^th.

Good evening.  It is wonderful to be back in Chicago, and I am honored to be  sharing this event with the IVC, their dedicated volunteers, and all of you.  I am also very pleased to be joining the Barat Education Foundation and the Alumni Association of the Sacred Heart in establishing the Joan Lueder Coffey Service Award to support and advance the mission of the IVC. I am inspired by the profiles that I have read of each of the recipients of the awards to be presented this evening, and the extraordinary work they have and continue to undertake in service to their communities and the good people that they support on a continuing basis.  I hope that the addition of this service award memorializing Joan, a woman who devoted her entire adult life to educating and inspiring others to learn and then serve the needs of their students, families, and the community at large will help to further advance the IVC to serve, educate, improve and inspire those most in need in the Chicago area. 

Both Joan and I have family roots on the North Side of Chicago, she in Transfiguration Parish where her family lived when Joan was born, and my parents’ families in St. Jerome, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Henry.  My brother and I both graduated from St. George in Evanston, and my sister Ann Murray, a Catholic school educator in the Chicago Archdiocese for 40 years recently retired, closing out her service at Queen of All Saints. 

When my beloved Joan died in the summer of 2003, the university newspaper at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas, north of Houston, where she had been a member of the History Department faculty for 13 years, announced her death in an article headlined “Inspirational History Professor Dies after Eight-year Battle with Cancer.”  In a somewhat over the top statement characteristic of many a college student, one student was quoted in the article saying “Dr. Coffey was a teacher who knew everything there is to know about history.”  Another commented “She had high standards.  She expected a lot from her students, but I’m sure they can look back and say they had the best.”  The latter I think was on the mark.  She expected a lot but she gave the students the full measure of her knowledge, including that collected not only from study and research related to the course material, but also that gathered from her own travel, and her extensive collections of art and music.  

Joan took her inspiration for life and her work first from her parents who sacrificed much to ensure both of their daughters had college educations that their parents had not enjoyed.   On a Sunday afternoon in 1961, when Joan and her parents visited the Barat campus and had their first experience with the Society of the Sacred Heart order of nuns who ran the College, the RSCJ’s as we more familiarly know them now, they were greeted and shown around by Sister Burke, then president of the College, but also the chief tour guide.  Joan committed to attending immediately, and the tour that lasted perhaps an hour began Joan’s relationship to the spiritual, moral, philosophical, cultural, and personal values of St. Madeline Sophie Barat and the Sacred Heart order that she founded, values that remained with her and strongly influenced her for the remainder of her life. 

Joan’s relationship with the Sacred Heart, first fostered at Barat, was further strengthened and enriched as she taught at Sacred Heart schools in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Woodlands in Lake Forest. Her work and really her entire life were always a wonderful reflection of the words expressed by St. Madeline Sophie Barat, who said, “Your example, even more than your words, will be an eloquent lesson to the world.” 

Joan’s research and writing focused on French social, cultural, and religious history, consciously chosen because of lessons learned at Barat and the other Sacred Heart schools where she taught.  Her book, Leon Harmel, Entrepreneur as Catholic SocialReformer,  addressed the practices of a late 19^th century French factory owner who was a social reformer and faithful visionary Catholic, far ahead of his time in introducing labor reforms directed at providing workers improved compensation and benefits largely unheard of at industrial facilities in France at that time, and supporting worker pilgrimages to Rome that helped to influence the social teachings of Pope Leo XIII as expressed in his  encyclical, Rerum Novarum.  

When Joan and I established a speaker series at Barat in the late 1990’s to honor Sister Marguerite Green, Joan’s mentor at Barat, and address issues of social justice and concern, the first speaker was Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, whose lifelong objective has been and continues to be abolition of capital punishment.  So moved was Joan by Sr. Prejean’s words that she immediately tried to get her to speak at Sam Houston State, which is located less than a mile from the execution chamber used by the State of Texas Criminal Justice system, by far the most active such facility in the country if not the world.  Sr. Prejean was not able to speak there before Joan died, but the annual symposium at Sam Houston State that gathers in memory of Joan welcomed her as its first speaker where she spoke movingly not only of Joan, but the issue of capital punishment, and her mission to eradicate it, to a packed house of people on all sides of the issue. 

Even after Joan was ill, she continued her work with barely a pause, assuming along with me responsibility for the eucharistic ministry to the sick and homebound in our home parish in Texas, researching and writing, in the term prior to her death, teaching along with another cancer stricken member of her department a course dealing with death and dying, and completing her book, including carefully proofreading each of its more than 1200 research footnotes. But mostly she remained focused on her teaching, and especially those students who were like her first in their families to attend college, or were minorities, or did not have English as their first language, or were often not blessed with good study habits and did not write or test well.   

Let me close by recalling her relationship with one young man in particular.  He struggled mightily and Joan spent a great deal of time with him reviewing and rewriting and resubmitting papers.  He needed a C on a final exam, and he came in very uncertain of his prospects, but when the results of the test that she always reviewed without reference to student identities were in and he passed, he came to Joan and with tears in his eyes and folded hands, and told her that he made it because of her support, and that of Sweet Jesus.  Forever after, he was SJ to us.    

Thank you again for the honor of being with you tonight, and may God bless you in doing His work.  I know Joan will be smiling as she sees all of us here moving forward and continuing to inspire others as she would, making a difference in the lives of God’s people, especially those deeply in need.