Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome to the weekly show here on iHeartRadio
on ninety three nine LIGHTFM on A three five kis
Up Them and Rock ninety five to five. This week,
we are chatting with our friends at PAS Chicago talking
about their fur Ball twenty twenty five. And we're also
talking to our friends at the YWCA and a special
someone who will actually be recognized at their annual luncheon.
(00:21):
And we're talking to our friends at the Chicago Urban
League as well to talk about their sixty fifth annual gala.
So let's kick off the show. Hi, It's Paulina here
with iHeartMedia Chicago, and today I get to talk to
a friend of the show. We are talking with our
friends at the Chicago Urban League, and of course we
(00:41):
get to talk to the president herself.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
How are you today, Karen.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm doing great, Paulina. It's so great to be on
with you.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It's great for you to be here too. It's so
amazing to hear your voice. Karen Freeman Wilson. I'm excited
to chat with you. So first things first, I would
love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself,
and you know, obviously being the president and CEO of
the Chicago Urban League. I'd love to chat more about
that as well and kind of dive into your story.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Sure well.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
I am the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban
League and have been in this role since January of
twenty twenty. Prior to that time, I served as the
mayor of my hometown of Gary, Indiana. But I've got
a new spot in Chicago and I'm loving it. The
(01:32):
Chicago Urban League has been in existence for over one
hundred and nine years. It was an organization that was
founded out of the migration of blacks from the South
to the North, and it helped them get acclimated to
(01:54):
their new homes. So whether they needed housing or employment,
or wanted it advice about education or starting a business,
the Urban League was here. Now, almost one hundred and
ten years later, we are engaged in that same business.
We have programs in housing and financial empowerment, entrepreneurship, in
(02:19):
workforce development.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
We have added leadership.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
To our programming, and we are still one of the
organizations that serves as a primary advocate and policy organization
for the black community here in Chicago and in surrounding cities.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Absolutely, and Karen, you've been on the show before. So
it's pretty amazing to see, you know, year after year
sort of what the Chicago Urban League is is really
doing here in the city, in our city of Chicago.
So I definitely want to dive into, you know, the
Golden Fellowship Dinner that is a sixty fourth annual that
is Chicago Urban League, the Golden Fellowship Dinner Saturday, November eighth.
(03:07):
Can you tell us about just historically what is the
Fellowship Dinner and what is so special about this year?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Well, the Golden Fellowship is an opportunity to really celebrate
the accomplishment of the League over the last year, to
celebrate what our clients have accomplished, and also the work
that we have done in the community, but also to
(03:37):
look ahead and think about what we have yet to do.
The importance of really providing the outlet that we provide, the.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Catalysts that we provide in the community.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
It's important this year because of all of the challenges
that we have faced, the attack against diversity, equity and inclusion,
the effort to destabilize our community by bringing in the
(04:15):
National Guard and Ice and really not just enforcing laws
but making them enemies almost against residents, whether you're talking
about documented or undocumented residents of our community. The way
(04:40):
that they have come in and almost like a militaristic
occupation is a challenge.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It's a problem.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
And then to think about the government shut down and
the peril that the loss of snap benefit it's, or
the loss of healthcare or the loss of all of
those things that is represented by not just the government
(05:11):
shut down, but some of the policies that we've seen
at the federal level. That is something to one ensure
that people are aware of and to devise strategies and
plans to address that so that the community is not
(05:34):
left literally holding the bag.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Absolutely agree with that, and I think right now more
than ever, it is extremely important to recognize everything that
you mentioned, especially with somebody in your role, like I
am pretty confident that you probably can agree that this
year has to be for Tony Tony five at least
speaking of has to be probably somewhat more previous years,
(06:01):
even though we had COVID, right, even though we had
major challenges, I feel throwing our way right here in
our city and there's been, you know, other situations, I
still feel like this one's got to be difficult.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Karen Oh it's absolutely difficult, and I'll tell you why,
because during COVID there was at least a sense that
we were all fighting against the same thing that does
not exist in twenty twenty five. And I'm not even
talking about politics. I'm talking about the assault on civil
(06:34):
and human rights.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
There are I would.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Say the majority of us understand that it's not right,
but there are different categories of people who are willing
to say that, and some who may agree, but they
are uncomfortable because they are concerned about economic retaliation. They
(07:00):
are concerned about other forms of retaliation because what we've seen,
and we saw it most recently earlier this week, when
people exercise their constitutional rights, there's a chance they'll be indicted,
there's a chance that they'll be retaliated against in ways
(07:23):
that we've never seen before, at least not in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Absolutely, and I think that is very valid across the
board for so many of us. And you know, I absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Agree with you on that.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Karen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Thank you so much for being here with us today,
for being you know, a leader in our community, and
of course thank you for everything you do with the
Chicago Urban League. Where can we get more information and
tickets about the sixty fourth annual Golden Fellowship Dinner.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
As always, you can get more information about the Urban
League and the Golden Fellowship Dinner at chi you l
dot org.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
That is our website.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here with us today.
We appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 6 (08:08):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
It's Paulina here with iHeartMedia Chicago and today we are
chatting with our good friends at Pause Chicago. We're chatting
with Carrie Sahaski, director of Events and Community Engagement. How
are you today?
Speaker 7 (08:20):
I'm doing well. How are you, Paulina.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I'm so good, Carrie, thank you for being here. We
love Pause. We love everything that you guys do. I
mean from everything from like the just obviously saving animals, cats, dogs,
being able to you know, help with the I would
just say, like just help rehome right with when it
comes to fostering, and it comes to adoption, and it
comes to just caring for our animals and even teaching
(08:45):
the community right about neuter or spee you know all
of that. You guys do so much and we're really
excited to be able to chat with you today. We
are talking Furball twenty twenty five and We're going to
dive into that in second Carrie, but tell us a
little bit about yourself and your current role.
Speaker 7 (09:02):
Yeah, I'm the director of Events and Community Engagement, So
basically I oversee all of the fundraising events that Pause
puts on throughout the year. So we don't receive any
government funding and we're entirely dependent on donations from individuals,
companies and fundraising events like the fur Ball. So my
(09:22):
role is to make sure that we're putting on the
good parties for everyone that they come back year after
year with their pets and raise such critical funds to
help POT Chicago continue its life saving your work.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
All of your events. Can you give us a little
bit of a description, just a brief one about some
of the events that you know we can expect during
the year and that we've even been a part of
too here at Kiss FM.
Speaker 7 (09:49):
Yes, we love our friends at Kiss FM. You guys
have been wonderful partners to us throughout the year and
promoting our events. But we really have a little something
for everyone we need in the year with our Animal
Magnetism event, which is our Young Professional Gala, we have
a golf opening, a beach party, a PAUSE five k
walk run marathon program, and we end the year with
(10:12):
our for ballgala.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yes, absolutely, and even throughout the year though, I see
on social and just how active you know, you guys
are in the community, and I think that is so
incredible and I love the community support too. And you
guys also have a like a volunteer program, right.
Speaker 7 (10:33):
Yes, we have a very robust volunteer program. With all
of the volunteer hours that we have that's the equivalent
of over seventy five full time employees. So it helps
us save money and also continue and do more work
on the community. So we have volunteers that do everything,
whether it's volunteer at our office, walk our dogs, play
(10:56):
with our kittens and cats, help o our medical center,
transport animals, and even doing some really high level work
with helping us in the office, helping us manage other
volunteers fosters. So the volunteer program at PAU Chicago is
really the backbone and allows us to do so much
more work than we can do with just staff alone.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Yeah, no, absolutely, I think it's so incredible. And today
we're talking also for Ball twenty twenty five, just like
you mentioned, and this one is such an exciting event.
It's on November fourteen, that'll be happening here in Chicago
at the legendary Drake Hotel. Can you tell us about
this gala and what to expect and who's invited.
Speaker 7 (11:36):
Yes, it is our largest fundraising event that we have
the year, so we're closing off twenty twenty five, but
the bank this year is the twenty fourth annual and
it is Chicago's largest black tie for a pet friendly event.
So it's so much fun to see the people who
bring in their dogs, who will color coordinate and they'll
have matching dresses and tuxedos, and so it's a really
(12:00):
posh event, especially with the pups there. And we have
a wonderful dinner, open bar, a live program featuring an
amazing live auction. We also have a silent auction that
anyone if they can't go to the event, they can
support by bidding on those items, a wonderful jewelry, wrathle,
and all sorts of activities for not only the humans
(12:22):
but for the pups, including our red carpet, and we
actually have food for the dogs that we serve in
little crystal goblets. So it's it's very adorable.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
That is so cute. I love it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
No, this is exciting. And can you just give us
a quick kind of just a quick quick description right
of exactly, like you know how important it is to
not only support Paschaicago, you know at fur Ball and
throughout the year, but kind of show us and give
us a little bit of an insight look into why
and who we are helping when we do support, like
at four Ball twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
That's a great question because I like to say, while
fundraising is all that we do, all that we do
depends on fundraising, and a lot of that really helps
us do the life saving work we have in our community.
So we have everything from we do free and low
cost spay and neuter surgeries for the community, which helps
control over pet population. We work very closely with Chicago
(13:19):
Animal Care and Control that we are their largest transport
partner in terms of bringing animals from caacc to PA
Chicago to get them adopted. We do natural disaster relief,
so if there's hurricanes or tornadoes, will help those shelters
who are located there out with supplies or if they
(13:39):
need the space, bringing animals that they already had there
at the shelter here to Chicago, and so we have
a very robust program and all of it is designed
to create a no kill Chicago where we're saving as
many dogs and cats from youth in Asia as we
possibly can. So there's such a wide variety of work
that needs to get done behind that. And while I've
(14:01):
just highlighted, anyone can go to PA Chicago dot org
so just get the more in depth information or follow
us on our social media channels at Pause Chicago where
we're always highlighting this life saving work that we're doing
in the community.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Absolutely, well, thank you Carrie for being here with us today.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
We really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
And one more time, where can we go to either
donate or purchase tickets for fur Ball twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
So the first step for anything, whether you want to volunteer, foster, donate,
or support the fur Ball will be PAS Chicago dot org.
So for the fur Ball, we still have tickets available.
Our silent auction will launch on Thursday, November six, and
there's fabulous prizes. You don't need to be at the
event to bid and win, and we same thing with
our Raffle tickets as well, So if you can't make
(14:44):
it to the event. There's other ways that you can
support the fur Ball or PA Chicago in general.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Three two one, Hi, It's Pauline here with iHeartMedia Chicago
and today I am chatting with a new friend of
the show. I am so excited to have you here
with the I have youveg Cardona? How are you today?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
I'm doing really well this morning. How are you?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm doing well. Thank you so much for being here
with me today. Thank you for being a part of
the community affairs family. First and foremost, can you tell
us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Sure, I'll try to make it in a quick nutshell.
I'm a native Chicagoan, born and raised in the Bucktown
Logan Square community, product of the.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
Catholic school system. Cut my teeth.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Organizing and doing social work in the Bucktown community with artists,
and that road sort of led me to going back
to grad school. And my first year internship was at
the y w c A, which is, you know, very
amazing that they are now honoring me, you know, nearly
thirty years later with an award, and so I'm newly
(15:48):
retired as of the end of May, and you know,
kind of enjoying this transition is a strange time to
be retiring from a great job at the Polk Brothers Foundation.
I was their twenty seven years. It's where I actually
did my second year graduate internship in grad school. So
in a very short time in the I guess late nineties,
(16:09):
I had some pretty transformative opportunities happened that that have
given me a very full life. And I'm going to
take a little break and then kind of get back
into this struggle of what's going on, you know, in
in Chicago and in the country.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Absolutely so with your role with the Pope Brothers, what
was sort of like your day to day or just
what kind of issues did you seem like, you know,
you were facing individually, but also like as a community, right,
like as an organization, what what what kind of battles
are we facing?
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (16:40):
Absolutely so, you know, I was very very fortunate that
when I got the internship at the Pope Brothers Foundation,
you know, I could be my full authentic self there.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Right, I'm a Latina lesbian.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
I was out organizing, you know, working with LGBT organizations,
and they affirmed and acknowledged that part of me, and
you know, pull Brothers as a foundation for Chicago families.
They really want to help get the resources out to
communities that are impacted by poverty and inequity. And so
I did an internship there from graduate school, and twenty
(17:12):
seven years later, you know, I was the VP of
Programs and kind of oversaw most of the grant making
that they were doing, working with the program officers, you know,
with an amazing CEO. Couple of CEOs, the long time
one and then when when she retired, then the new
one that came in, and you know, they really are
about helping chicagoans access the resources they need so that
(17:34):
they can live, you know, their lives to the fullest.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Absolutely. And what kind of made you step away during
this time? I mean was it more of like it
was time just personally for you? Did you see yourself
moving into a different role, like a different capacity, Like
what do you see yourself doing?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Yeah, you know, I call myself a late bloomer.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
I kind of came into organizing and social work late
probably late twenties, early threies, and so you know, I've
had twenty seven years of being at the Polk Brothers Foundation,
and you know, I'm sixty three years old now, and
it was just time to take a break and pass
the torch on to kind of the next generation of
(18:14):
philanthropists that are going to, you know, do some good
work in the field.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I just I just needed a break.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
And you know, but as a Latina in Chicago, as
you know, as a crowd member of the LGBT community,
there is a lot going on that just keeps pulling
me back, and so I will always be involved in
doing something to kind of address, you.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Know, the inequities that are kind of affecting the city.
I love Chicago.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely. And you mentioned too that you're being honored.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Yeah, well I'm very Yeah, isn't that, I know, so amazing.
I feel like it's a lifetime, lifetime achievement award. Yeah,
I'm being honored with the y w C as Outstanding
Leader in Community Impact Award. And that's November seventh, November,
I'm sorry, November sixth at the Hilton Towers.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
And again it's it's you know, very.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
Just poignant that you know, I did my first year
internship in grad school where I really kind of honed
my clinical skills, worked with some badass women there who
really helped right kind of strengthen those values that I
brought being a native Chicago and right about community and
justice and equity, and then, you know, twenty seven years later,
(19:34):
to be you know, honored for my work since then,
it's just a it's a very humbling.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
And wonderful experience.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
And I've been saying, you know, when you are given flowers,
you say thank you when you hold them tight.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Absolutely, and that is incredible and extremely well deserved. So
congratulations again. So do you mind giving us info on
the luncheon where it's happening, and of course how we
can attend for those listening.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
Yeah, So the luncheon is happening on Thursday, November sixth.
I believe the doors open at eleven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
You can.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
Probably just google and why do Lucia Metropolitan Chicago. It's
right on their website to see if tickets are available.
I mean, they're filling the Hilton Towers and you know
that is a big place. This luncheon has been going
on a long time. Even my mom used to attend
those luncheons. So I think the best thing is to
go on their website and get some tickets, and you know,
(20:33):
if you come, if you see me, say hello.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Absolutely will do well. Thank you so much for being
here with us today.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
We appreciate you, thank you, celebrate you.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Yep, thank you, thank you. Hi.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
It's Paulina here with iHeartMedia Chicago, and today I get
to talk to a friend of the show. We are
talking with our friends at the Chicago Urban League, and
of course we get to talk to the president herself.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
How are you today, Karen.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
I'm doing great, Paulina. It's so great to be on
with you.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
It's great for you to be here too. It's so
amazing to hear your voice. Karen Freeman Wilson. I'm excited
to chat with you. So first things first, I would
love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself,
and you know, obviously being the president and CEO of
the Chicago Urban League, I'd love to chat more about
that as well and kind of dive into your story.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Well, I am the president and CEO of the Chicago
Urban League and have been in this role since January
of twenty twenty. Prior to that time, I served as
the mayor of my hometown of Gary, Indiana. But I've
got a new spot in Chicago and I'm loving it.
(21:46):
The Chicago Urban League has been in existence for over
one hundred.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And nine years.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
It was an organization that was founded out of the
migration of blacks from the South to the north, and
it helped them get acclimated to their new homes. So
whether they needed housing or employment, or wanted advice about
education or starting a business, the Urban League was here. Now,
(22:20):
almost one hundred and ten years later, we are engaged
in that same business. We have programs in housing and
financial empowerment, entrepreneurship, in workforce development. We have added leadership
to our programming, and we are still one of the
(22:43):
organizations that serves as a primary advocate and policy organization
for the black community here in Chicago and in surrounding cities.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Absolutely, and Karen, you've been on the show before, so
it's pretty amazing to see, you know, year after year
sort of what the Chicago Urban League is is really
doing here in the city, in our city of Chicago.
So I definitely want to dive into, you know, the
Golden Fellowship Dinner that is a sixty fourth annual that
is Chicago Urban League, the Golden Fellowship Dinner Saturday November eighth.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Can you tell us.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
About just historically what is the Fellowship dinner and what
is so special about this year.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Well, the Golden Fellowship is an opportunity to really celebrate
the accomplishment of the League over the last year, to
celebrate what our clients have accomplished, and also the work
that we have done in the community, but also to
(23:51):
look ahead and think about what we have yet to do.
The importance of really provide the outlet that we provide,
the catalysts that we provide in the community. It's important
this year because of all of the challenges that we
(24:15):
have faced, the attack against diversity, equity and inclusion, the
effort to destabilize our community by bringing in the National
Guard and Ice and really not just enforcing laws but
(24:41):
making them enemies almost against residents, whether you're talking about
documented or undocumented residents of our community.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
The way that they have.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Come in and almost like a militaristic occupation is a challenge,
it's a problem. And then to think about the government
shut down and the peril that the loss of snap
benefits are, the loss of healthcare or the loss of
(25:19):
all of those things that is represented by not just
the government shutdown, but some of the policies that we've
seen at the federal level.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
That is something to one ensure.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
That people are aware of and to devise strategies and
plans to address that so that the community is not
left literally holding the bag.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Absolutely agree with that, and I think right now, more
than ever, it is extremely important to recognize everything you mentioned,
especially with somebody in your role, like I am pretty
confident that you probably can agree that this year has
to be for Tony twenty five at least speaking of
has to be probably somewhat more difficult than previous years,
(26:15):
even though we had COVID, right, even though we had
major challenges, I feel throwing our way right here in
our city, and there's been, you know, other situations, I
still feel like this one's got to be difficult.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Karen, Oh, It's absolutely difficult, and I'll tell you why,
because during COVID, there was at least a sense that
we were all fighting against the same thing that does
not exist in twenty twenty five. And I'm not even
talking about politics. I'm talking about the assault on civil
(26:48):
and human rights. There are I would say the majority
of us understand that it's not right, but there are
different category of people who are willing to say that,
and some who may agree, but they are uncomfortable because
(27:09):
they are concerned about economic retaliation or they are concerned
about other forms of retaliation. Because what we've seen, and
we saw it most recently earlier this week, when people
exercise their constitutional rights, there's a chance they'll be indicted.
(27:32):
There's a chance that they'll be retaliated against in ways
that we've never seen before, at least not in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Absolutely, and I think that is very valid across the
board for so many of us. And you know, I
absolutely agree with you on that. Karen, Thank you so
much for being here with us today, for being you know,
a leader in our community, and of course, thank you
for everything you do with the Chicago Urban League. Where
can we get more information and tickets about these sixty
fourth annual Golden Fellowship Dinner.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
As always, you can get more information about the Urban
League and the Golden Fellowship Dinner at chiul dot org.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
That is our website.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here with us today.
We appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Thank you for listening, and thank you for always sitting
into the weekly show. Here on iHeartRadio. You can find
this episode and all previous episodes up on our free
iHeartRadio app. Just simply search for the weekly show. Thank
you so much, and we'll talk to you again next weekend.
Hello, and welcome to the weekly show here on iHeartRadio
on ninety three nine LIGHTFM on A three five kis
Up Them and Rock ninety five to five. This week,
we are chatting with our friends at PAS Chicago talking
about their fur Ball twenty twenty five. And we're also
talking to our friends at the YWCA and a special
someone who will actually be recognized at their annual luncheon.
(00:21):
And we're talking to our friends at the Chicago Urban
League as well to talk about their sixty fifth annual gala.
So let's kick off the show. Hi, It's Paulina here
with iHeartMedia Chicago, and today I get to talk to
a friend of the show. We are talking with our
friends at the Chicago Urban League, and of course we
(00:41):
get to talk to the president herself.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
How are you today, Karen.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm doing great, Paulina. It's so great to be on
with you.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It's great for you to be here too. It's so
amazing to hear your voice. Karen Freeman Wilson. I'm excited
to chat with you. So first things first, I would
love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself,
and you know, obviously being the president and CEO of
the Chicago Urban League. I'd love to chat more about
that as well and kind of dive into your story.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Sure well.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
I am the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban
League and have been in this role since January of
twenty twenty. Prior to that time, I served as the
mayor of my hometown of Gary, Indiana. But I've got
a new spot in Chicago and I'm loving it. The
(01:32):
Chicago Urban League has been in existence for over one
hundred and nine years. It was an organization that was
founded out of the migration of blacks from the South
to the North, and it helped them get acclimated to
(01:54):
their new homes. So whether they needed housing or employment,
or wanted it advice about education or starting a business,
the Urban League was here. Now, almost one hundred and
ten years later, we are engaged in that same business.
We have programs in housing and financial empowerment, entrepreneurship, in
(02:19):
workforce development.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
We have added leadership.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
To our programming, and we are still one of the
organizations that serves as a primary advocate and policy organization
for the black community here in Chicago and in surrounding cities.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Absolutely, and Karen, you've been on the show before. So
it's pretty amazing to see, you know, year after year
sort of what the Chicago Urban League is is really
doing here in the city, in our city of Chicago.
So I definitely want to dive into, you know, the
Golden Fellowship Dinner that is a sixty fourth annual that
is Chicago Urban League, the Golden Fellowship Dinner Saturday, November eighth.
(03:07):
Can you tell us about just historically what is the
Fellowship Dinner and what is so special about this year?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Well, the Golden Fellowship is an opportunity to really celebrate
the accomplishment of the League over the last year, to
celebrate what our clients have accomplished, and also the work
that we have done in the community, but also to
(03:37):
look ahead and think about what we have yet to do.
The importance of really providing the outlet that we provide, the.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Catalysts that we provide in the community.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
It's important this year because of all of the challenges
that we have faced, the attack against diversity, equity and inclusion,
the effort to destabilize our community by bringing in the
(04:15):
National Guard and Ice and really not just enforcing laws
but making them enemies almost against residents, whether you're talking
about documented or undocumented residents of our community. The way
(04:40):
that they have come in and almost like a militaristic
occupation is a challenge.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
It's a problem.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
And then to think about the government shut down and
the peril that the loss of snap benefit it's, or
the loss of healthcare or the loss of all of
those things that is represented by not just the government
(05:11):
shut down, but some of the policies that we've seen
at the federal level. That is something to one ensure
that people are aware of and to devise strategies and
plans to address that so that the community is not
(05:34):
left literally holding the bag.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Absolutely agree with that, and I think right now more
than ever, it is extremely important to recognize everything that
you mentioned, especially with somebody in your role, like I
am pretty confident that you probably can agree that this
year has to be for Tony Tony five at least
speaking of has to be probably somewhat more previous years,
(06:01):
even though we had COVID, right, even though we had
major challenges, I feel throwing our way right here in
our city and there's been, you know, other situations, I
still feel like this one's got to be difficult.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Karen Oh it's absolutely difficult, and I'll tell you why,
because during COVID there was at least a sense that
we were all fighting against the same thing that does
not exist in twenty twenty five. And I'm not even
talking about politics. I'm talking about the assault on civil
(06:34):
and human rights.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
There are I would.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Say the majority of us understand that it's not right,
but there are different categories of people who are willing
to say that, and some who may agree, but they
are uncomfortable because they are concerned about economic retaliation. They
(07:00):
are concerned about other forms of retaliation because what we've seen,
and we saw it most recently earlier this week, when
people exercise their constitutional rights, there's a chance they'll be indicted,
there's a chance that they'll be retaliated against in ways
(07:23):
that we've never seen before, at least not in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Absolutely, and I think that is very valid across the
board for so many of us. And you know, I absolutely.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Agree with you on that.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Karen.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Thank you so much for being here with us today,
for being you know, a leader in our community, and
of course thank you for everything you do with the
Chicago Urban League. Where can we get more information and
tickets about the sixty fourth annual Golden Fellowship Dinner.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
As always, you can get more information about the Urban
League and the Golden Fellowship Dinner at chi you l
dot org.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
That is our website.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here with us today.
We appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 6 (08:08):
Hi.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
It's Paulina here with iHeartMedia Chicago and today we are
chatting with our good friends at Pause Chicago. We're chatting
with Carrie Sahaski, director of Events and Community Engagement. How
are you today?
Speaker 7 (08:20):
I'm doing well. How are you, Paulina.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I'm so good, Carrie, thank you for being here. We
love Pause. We love everything that you guys do. I
mean from everything from like the just obviously saving animals, cats, dogs,
being able to you know, help with the I would
just say, like just help rehome right with when it
comes to fostering, and it comes to adoption, and it
comes to just caring for our animals and even teaching
(08:45):
the community right about neuter or spee you know all
of that. You guys do so much and we're really
excited to be able to chat with you today. We
are talking Furball twenty twenty five and We're going to
dive into that in second Carrie, but tell us a
little bit about yourself and your current role.
Speaker 7 (09:02):
Yeah, I'm the director of Events and Community Engagement, So
basically I oversee all of the fundraising events that Pause
puts on throughout the year. So we don't receive any
government funding and we're entirely dependent on donations from individuals,
companies and fundraising events like the fur Ball. So my
(09:22):
role is to make sure that we're putting on the
good parties for everyone that they come back year after
year with their pets and raise such critical funds to
help POT Chicago continue its life saving your work.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
All of your events. Can you give us a little
bit of a description, just a brief one about some
of the events that you know we can expect during
the year and that we've even been a part of
too here at Kiss FM.
Speaker 7 (09:49):
Yes, we love our friends at Kiss FM. You guys
have been wonderful partners to us throughout the year and
promoting our events. But we really have a little something
for everyone we need in the year with our Animal
Magnetism event, which is our Young Professional Gala, we have
a golf opening, a beach party, a PAUSE five k
walk run marathon program, and we end the year with
(10:12):
our for ballgala.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yes, absolutely, and even throughout the year though, I see
on social and just how active you know, you guys
are in the community, and I think that is so
incredible and I love the community support too. And you
guys also have a like a volunteer program, right.
Speaker 7 (10:33):
Yes, we have a very robust volunteer program. With all
of the volunteer hours that we have that's the equivalent
of over seventy five full time employees. So it helps
us save money and also continue and do more work
on the community. So we have volunteers that do everything,
whether it's volunteer at our office, walk our dogs, play
(10:56):
with our kittens and cats, help o our medical center,
transport animals, and even doing some really high level work
with helping us in the office, helping us manage other
volunteers fosters. So the volunteer program at PAU Chicago is
really the backbone and allows us to do so much
more work than we can do with just staff alone.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Yeah, no, absolutely, I think it's so incredible. And today
we're talking also for Ball twenty twenty five, just like
you mentioned, and this one is such an exciting event.
It's on November fourteen, that'll be happening here in Chicago
at the legendary Drake Hotel. Can you tell us about
this gala and what to expect and who's invited.
Speaker 7 (11:36):
Yes, it is our largest fundraising event that we have
the year, so we're closing off twenty twenty five, but
the bank this year is the twenty fourth annual and
it is Chicago's largest black tie for a pet friendly event.
So it's so much fun to see the people who
bring in their dogs, who will color coordinate and they'll
have matching dresses and tuxedos, and so it's a really
(12:00):
posh event, especially with the pups there. And we have
a wonderful dinner, open bar, a live program featuring an
amazing live auction. We also have a silent auction that
anyone if they can't go to the event, they can
support by bidding on those items, a wonderful jewelry, wrathle,
and all sorts of activities for not only the humans
(12:22):
but for the pups, including our red carpet, and we
actually have food for the dogs that we serve in
little crystal goblets. So it's it's very adorable.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
That is so cute. I love it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
No, this is exciting. And can you just give us
a quick kind of just a quick quick description right
of exactly, like you know how important it is to
not only support Paschaicago, you know at fur Ball and
throughout the year, but kind of show us and give
us a little bit of an insight look into why
and who we are helping when we do support, like
at four Ball twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
That's a great question because I like to say, while
fundraising is all that we do, all that we do
depends on fundraising, and a lot of that really helps
us do the life saving work we have in our community.
So we have everything from we do free and low
cost spay and neuter surgeries for the community, which helps
control over pet population. We work very closely with Chicago
(13:19):
Animal Care and Control that we are their largest transport
partner in terms of bringing animals from caacc to PA
Chicago to get them adopted. We do natural disaster relief,
so if there's hurricanes or tornadoes, will help those shelters
who are located there out with supplies or if they
(13:39):
need the space, bringing animals that they already had there
at the shelter here to Chicago, and so we have
a very robust program and all of it is designed
to create a no kill Chicago where we're saving as
many dogs and cats from youth in Asia as we
possibly can. So there's such a wide variety of work
that needs to get done behind that. And while I've
(14:01):
just highlighted, anyone can go to PA Chicago dot org
so just get the more in depth information or follow
us on our social media channels at Pause Chicago where
we're always highlighting this life saving work that we're doing
in the community.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Absolutely, well, thank you Carrie for being here with us today.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
We really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
And one more time, where can we go to either
donate or purchase tickets for fur Ball twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
So the first step for anything, whether you want to volunteer, foster, donate,
or support the fur Ball will be PAS Chicago dot org.
So for the fur Ball, we still have tickets available.
Our silent auction will launch on Thursday, November six, and
there's fabulous prizes. You don't need to be at the
event to bid and win, and we same thing with
our Raffle tickets as well, So if you can't make
(14:44):
it to the event. There's other ways that you can
support the fur Ball or PA Chicago in general.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Three two one, Hi, It's Pauline here with iHeartMedia Chicago
and today I am chatting with a new friend of
the show. I am so excited to have you here
with the I have youveg Cardona? How are you today?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
I'm doing really well this morning. How are you?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm doing well. Thank you so much for being here
with me today. Thank you for being a part of
the community affairs family. First and foremost, can you tell
us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Sure, I'll try to make it in a quick nutshell.
I'm a native Chicagoan, born and raised in the Bucktown
Logan Square community, product of the.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
Catholic school system. Cut my teeth.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Organizing and doing social work in the Bucktown community with artists,
and that road sort of led me to going back
to grad school. And my first year internship was at
the y w c A, which is, you know, very
amazing that they are now honoring me, you know, nearly
thirty years later with an award, and so I'm newly
(15:48):
retired as of the end of May, and you know,
kind of enjoying this transition is a strange time to
be retiring from a great job at the Polk Brothers Foundation.
I was their twenty seven years. It's where I actually
did my second year graduate internship in grad school. So
in a very short time in the I guess late nineties,
(16:09):
I had some pretty transformative opportunities happened that that have
given me a very full life. And I'm going to
take a little break and then kind of get back
into this struggle of what's going on, you know, in
in Chicago and in the country.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Absolutely so with your role with the Pope Brothers, what
was sort of like your day to day or just
what kind of issues did you seem like, you know,
you were facing individually, but also like as a community, right,
like as an organization, what what what kind of battles
are we facing?
Speaker 5 (16:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (16:40):
Absolutely so, you know, I was very very fortunate that
when I got the internship at the Pope Brothers Foundation,
you know, I could be my full authentic self there.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Right, I'm a Latina lesbian.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
I was out organizing, you know, working with LGBT organizations,
and they affirmed and acknowledged that part of me, and
you know, pull Brothers as a foundation for Chicago families.
They really want to help get the resources out to
communities that are impacted by poverty and inequity. And so
I did an internship there from graduate school, and twenty
(17:12):
seven years later, you know, I was the VP of
Programs and kind of oversaw most of the grant making
that they were doing, working with the program officers, you know,
with an amazing CEO. Couple of CEOs, the long time
one and then when when she retired, then the new
one that came in, and you know, they really are
about helping chicagoans access the resources they need so that
(17:34):
they can live, you know, their lives to the fullest.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Absolutely. And what kind of made you step away during
this time? I mean was it more of like it
was time just personally for you? Did you see yourself
moving into a different role, like a different capacity, Like
what do you see yourself doing?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Yeah, you know, I call myself a late bloomer.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
I kind of came into organizing and social work late
probably late twenties, early threies, and so you know, I've
had twenty seven years of being at the Polk Brothers Foundation,
and you know, I'm sixty three years old now, and
it was just time to take a break and pass
the torch on to kind of the next generation of
(18:14):
philanthropists that are going to, you know, do some good
work in the field.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
I just I just needed a break.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
And you know, but as a Latina in Chicago, as
you know, as a crowd member of the LGBT community,
there is a lot going on that just keeps pulling
me back, and so I will always be involved in
doing something to kind of address, you.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Know, the inequities that are kind of affecting the city.
I love Chicago.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely. And you mentioned too that you're being honored.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Yeah, well I'm very Yeah, isn't that, I know, so amazing.
I feel like it's a lifetime, lifetime achievement award. Yeah,
I'm being honored with the y w C as Outstanding
Leader in Community Impact Award. And that's November seventh, November,
I'm sorry, November sixth at the Hilton Towers.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
And again it's it's you know, very.
Speaker 6 (19:11):
Just poignant that you know, I did my first year
internship in grad school where I really kind of honed
my clinical skills, worked with some badass women there who
really helped right kind of strengthen those values that I
brought being a native Chicago and right about community and
justice and equity, and then, you know, twenty seven years later,
(19:34):
to be you know, honored for my work since then,
it's just a it's a very humbling.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
And wonderful experience.
Speaker 6 (19:43):
And I've been saying, you know, when you are given flowers,
you say thank you when you hold them tight.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Absolutely, and that is incredible and extremely well deserved. So
congratulations again. So do you mind giving us info on
the luncheon where it's happening, and of course how we
can attend for those listening.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
Yeah, So the luncheon is happening on Thursday, November sixth.
I believe the doors open at eleven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
You can.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
Probably just google and why do Lucia Metropolitan Chicago. It's
right on their website to see if tickets are available.
I mean, they're filling the Hilton Towers and you know
that is a big place. This luncheon has been going
on a long time. Even my mom used to attend
those luncheons. So I think the best thing is to
go on their website and get some tickets, and you know,
(20:33):
if you come, if you see me, say hello.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Absolutely will do well. Thank you so much for being
here with us today.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
We appreciate you, thank you, celebrate you.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Yep, thank you, thank you. Hi.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
It's Paulina here with iHeartMedia Chicago, and today I get
to talk to a friend of the show. We are
talking with our friends at the Chicago Urban League, and
of course we get to talk to the president herself.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
How are you today, Karen.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
I'm doing great, Paulina. It's so great to be on
with you.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
It's great for you to be here too. It's so
amazing to hear your voice. Karen Freeman Wilson. I'm excited
to chat with you. So first things first, I would
love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself,
and you know, obviously being the president and CEO of
the Chicago Urban League, I'd love to chat more about
that as well and kind of dive into your story.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Well, I am the president and CEO of the Chicago
Urban League and have been in this role since January
of twenty twenty. Prior to that time, I served as
the mayor of my hometown of Gary, Indiana. But I've
got a new spot in Chicago and I'm loving it.
(21:46):
The Chicago Urban League has been in existence for over
one hundred.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And nine years.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
It was an organization that was founded out of the
migration of blacks from the South to the north, and
it helped them get acclimated to their new homes. So
whether they needed housing or employment, or wanted advice about
education or starting a business, the Urban League was here. Now,
(22:20):
almost one hundred and ten years later, we are engaged
in that same business. We have programs in housing and
financial empowerment, entrepreneurship, in workforce development. We have added leadership
to our programming, and we are still one of the
(22:43):
organizations that serves as a primary advocate and policy organization
for the black community here in Chicago and in surrounding cities.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Absolutely, and Karen, you've been on the show before, so
it's pretty amazing to see, you know, year after year
sort of what the Chicago Urban League is is really
doing here in the city, in our city of Chicago.
So I definitely want to dive into, you know, the
Golden Fellowship Dinner that is a sixty fourth annual that
is Chicago Urban League, the Golden Fellowship Dinner Saturday November eighth.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Can you tell us.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
About just historically what is the Fellowship dinner and what
is so special about this year.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Well, the Golden Fellowship is an opportunity to really celebrate
the accomplishment of the League over the last year, to
celebrate what our clients have accomplished, and also the work
that we have done in the community, but also to
(23:51):
look ahead and think about what we have yet to do.
The importance of really provide the outlet that we provide,
the catalysts that we provide in the community. It's important
this year because of all of the challenges that we
(24:15):
have faced, the attack against diversity, equity and inclusion, the
effort to destabilize our community by bringing in the National
Guard and Ice and really not just enforcing laws but
(24:41):
making them enemies almost against residents, whether you're talking about
documented or undocumented residents of our community.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
The way that they have.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Come in and almost like a militaristic occupation is a challenge,
it's a problem. And then to think about the government
shut down and the peril that the loss of snap
benefits are, the loss of healthcare or the loss of
(25:19):
all of those things that is represented by not just
the government shutdown, but some of the policies that we've
seen at the federal level.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
That is something to one ensure.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
That people are aware of and to devise strategies and
plans to address that so that the community is not
left literally holding the bag.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Absolutely agree with that, and I think right now, more
than ever, it is extremely important to recognize everything you mentioned,
especially with somebody in your role, like I am pretty
confident that you probably can agree that this year has
to be for Tony twenty five at least speaking of
has to be probably somewhat more difficult than previous years,
(26:15):
even though we had COVID, right, even though we had
major challenges, I feel throwing our way right here in
our city, and there's been, you know, other situations, I
still feel like this one's got to be difficult.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Karen, Oh, It's absolutely difficult, and I'll tell you why,
because during COVID, there was at least a sense that
we were all fighting against the same thing that does
not exist in twenty twenty five. And I'm not even
talking about politics. I'm talking about the assault on civil
(26:48):
and human rights. There are I would say the majority
of us understand that it's not right, but there are
different category of people who are willing to say that,
and some who may agree, but they are uncomfortable because
(27:09):
they are concerned about economic retaliation or they are concerned
about other forms of retaliation. Because what we've seen, and
we saw it most recently earlier this week, when people
exercise their constitutional rights, there's a chance they'll be indicted.
(27:32):
There's a chance that they'll be retaliated against in ways
that we've never seen before, at least not in my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Absolutely, and I think that is very valid across the
board for so many of us. And you know, I
absolutely agree with you on that. Karen, Thank you so
much for being here with us today, for being you know,
a leader in our community, and of course, thank you
for everything you do with the Chicago Urban League. Where
can we get more information and tickets about these sixty
fourth annual Golden Fellowship Dinner.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
As always, you can get more information about the Urban
League and the Golden Fellowship Dinner at chiul dot org.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
That is our website.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here with us today.
We appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Thank you for listening, and thank you for always sitting
into the weekly show. Here on iHeartRadio. You can find
this episode and all previous episodes up on our free
iHeartRadio app. Just simply search for the weekly show. Thank
you so much, and we'll talk to you again next weekend.
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