A meal to support kids in care.

Join LYDIA Home for Plates of Hope® 2019, an evening of delicious food, wine pairings, and culinary surprises. The evening will include a seven-course degustation dinner artfully prepared by seven Chicago area Executive Chefs.

This unique dining experience is coupled with the opportunity to tangibly support LYDIA Home.

Join them on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 5:00pm. The event takes place at Eddie Merlot's Lincolnshire which is located at 185 North Milwaukee Ave, Lincolnshire, IL 60069.

Please consider family members, friends, and business colleagues who would enjoy this special event and also have the desire to help support children in our community who are in crisis situations.

They look forward to seeing you at there! Purchase tickets here.

Wildlight Yoga will partner with Quil Studio to offer a yoga and acupuncture event for the mind and body. Kelli will lead participants in a 45-minute gentle yoga class to engage the breath, relax the body, and quiet the mind. Hillary will then administer an ear acupuncture treatment that promotes healing for the entire body. During acupuncture, participants will be offered a 45 minute meditation.

No experience necessary. Mats + props provided by Wildlight Yoga. Acupuncture supplies and administration provided by Quil Studio. Participants will be required to sign waivers prior to class and treatment.

Admission is $40 per person. Pre-registration required. Members receive 10% off. No refunds or credits.

About us:

Kelli Wefenstette is a rural-rooted, urban-planted community organizer who engages neighborhood revitalization through the cultivation and promotion of arts, placemaking, urban agriculture, and economic development. She earned a BA in Psychology from Monmouth College and a MA in Social Justice and Community Development from Loyola University. She is a registered Hatha yoga teacher and owns Wildlight Yoga in Portage Park.

Hillary Catrow is a licensed acupuncturist who focuses on using tiny needles as a tool to reduce the impact of trauma on the body, mind and lives of survivors. She advocates for the use of trauma-informed, affordable and accessible treatments as a method of social justice and community building. Catrow is the owner of an acupuncture clinic, called Quil Studio on Chicago’s north side and works closely with nonprofits and corporations to develop acupuncture and self-care programing for their clients and employees.

Register Here.

Let's face it: if you're human, you are no stranger to anger. Yogis included. Anger is a secondary emotion that signals that something is amiss. In Buddhist teaching we learn that we have to sit in the fire of that anger to deal with the pain. In doing so, we burn clean. In this two hour workshop led by Dr. Kate Lassiter, RYT-200, yogis will have the opportunity to burn clean through a yin yoga practice and guided inquiry designed to tap into the places in our body where anger and pain are stored. Come get yourself clean. 

No experience required. Mats, props, and materials provided by Wildlight Yoga. Admission is $30. Pre-registration required. Members receive 10% off. No refunds or credits.

Register Here.

Distinct Bath & Body is hosting their second annual Earth Day event in their shop! They will have continuous programming throughout the day (see poster below) with healthy lifestyle demos, hands-on activities, coffee, tea and beer tastings, story times for the kids, special Earth Day seed bomb giveaways, sales on their Gardener’s Gift Set and Botanical Soap Trios and a raffle.

Minimize your ecological footprint and reduce household waste by letting worms eat your garbage! Red wigglers consume their weight in fruit and veggie scraps every day and can double their population in as little as three months.

In this class, students will begin with a gentle yoga flow before engaging in conversation regarding simple living and constructing their own urban worm bins specifically geared for apartment and condo dwellers. Students will leave with a basic understanding of vermi-composting, why worms are "vegetarian," and how to implement a household composting system without leaving the city.

Each student will be provide a 10-gallon plastic tote with lid and Red Wigglers that students will get to take home. Bring old newspaper and gardening gloves (optional).

No experience required. Mats, props, and materials provided by Wildlight Yoga. Admission is $30. Pre-registration required. Members receive 10% off. No refunds or credits.

Kelli Wefenstette is a rural-rooted, urban-planted community organizer who engages neighborhood revitalization through the cultivation and promotion of arts, placemaking, urban agriculture, and economic development. She earned a BA in Psychology from Monmouth College and a MA in Social Justice and Community Development from Loyola University. She is a registered Hatha yoga teacher and owns Wildlight Yoga in Portage Park.

Register Here.

Special Service Area 28 meetings are open to the public and are held at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Join Cassie Zehren, Yoga Teacher & Reiki Master/Teacher, for a Crystal Healing Workshop!

Holding crystals or placing them on your body promotes physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Crystals help heal by positively interacting with your body’s energy field, or chakras.

In this informative and hands on workshop, you will learn about identifying different crystals, their properties, including how to cleanse, charge and utilize for optimal health benefits. The second part of the workshop, you will be welcomed to receive a reiki guided meditation where you can put into practice the healing benefits of crystals.

Cassie believes in the powerful healing properties of crystals and is passionate about helping to heal others through holistic practices. She strives to provide you with the tools to unlock your own inner magic.

Feel free to bring your own crystals to be cleansed, identified, and practiced with.

No experience necessary. Mats and props will be provided at Wildlight Yoga, 4140 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Admission is $30. Pre-registration required. Members receive 10% off. No refunds or credits.

Click here to register.

The fourth annual Forward March Pub Crawl is back. This is our fourth annual pub crawl and each year we get bigger and better. Join us on the trek down Milwaukee Avenue as we celebrate Spring, support our local businesses, raise funds for a good cause and socialize with each other.

This year, we will be raising money to support efforts to fund and enhance the Community Stage that Jefferson Park Forward sponsors at this year’s Jeff Fest. Additional funds from Forward March will be donated to Jefferson Memorial Park as part of an upcoming project between JPF and the Park District.

Food will be available as part of the ticket at various points along the crawl as part of your ticket price.

Cost: $25, Food and a JPF souvenir included

Schedule: Forward March starts at Weston’s Coffee & Tap Co. at 2:00 PM. We will be at each bar for one hour, with a 15 minute break for travel between each bar.

Weston’s Coffee & Tap Co.: 2:00-3:00pm
Rex Tavern: 3:15-4:15pm
The Windsor Tavern: 4:30-5:30pm
Babe’s Bar: 5:45-6:45pm
Hops & Barley: 7:00-8:00pm

BUY TICKETS AT www.JeffersonParkForward.com

Deep dive into the yogic tradition by joining Wildlight's Book Club with Sarah Landicho.

Our first selection will be "The Living Gita" by Sri Swami Satchidananda

As this commentary is specifically written for modern Western readers, this ancient Eastern text of the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) comes to life for us here in the States. The Gita is the story of Arjuna, who is struggling with an epic war against family and friends, and his charioteer Krishna. Krishna, the Cosmic Lord, offers Arjuna insight into rising above his own humanity and frailties and teaches him how to tap into his inner guide: his Self.

Together we will break down the tale, the commentary, and the yogic terminology and discuss how the story is an allegory for everyday life. Additionally, we'll learn a lot about yoga.

There will be assigned reading for each of the four meet ups (sanghas) so please come prepared to discuss and ask questions.

First assignment: read through Chapter 5 before the first club meeting. Taking notes and preparing for discussion is highly recommended.

Cash donations will be freely accepted and forwarded to the Irving Park Food Pantry as seva (service) to our neighbors.

Register here.

Reiki is the Japanese art of energy healing that works to heal physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Reiki Master and Wildlight Yoga teacher Cassie Zehren will lead this experiential-based discussion and workshop in the introduction to Reiki. She will answer questions about the benefits of energy healing, what to expect in a Reiki session, and the process for becoming a Reiki practitioner. 

She will share her experience using Reiki to support healing around chronic illnesses such as cancer, emotional traumas including abuse and loss, mental blocks regarding patterned fears, depression, stress and anxiety, and spiritual development like enhancing intuitive and psychic abilities.

A brief overview of the chakra system of the body will support the understanding of Reiki and how this healing modality can balance and clear energy centers. Information about becoming a Reiki practitioner and what is involved in each level of Reiki training will be covered as well as the use of Reiki for self-treatment. The evening will conclude with a guided meditation with Reiki for attendees to experience the effect of energy work.

By attending this class, you will gain:

• An understanding of Reiki energy healing and what happens during a session

• What ailments Reiki can heal and how

• How Reiki works with the chakra system of the body

• How Reiki strengthens spiritual connection and enhances intuitive abilities

• What happens during Reiki training and what it means to become a Reiki Master

• How to use Reiki for self treatments

• Experience a Reiki demonstration

  No experience necessary. Mats and props will be provided at Wildlight Yoga, 4140 N. Milwaukee Ave.
  
  Admission is $25. Pre-registration required. Members receive 10% off. No refunds or credits.

  Purchase tickets here.

The Jefferson Park Sunday Market – winter version, will be held at the Copernicus Center Annex (5214 W Lawrence Ave); only 0.2 miles from the Summer Sunday Market location.

For events in the ANNEX, please use the separate door just off Lawrence Avenue rather than the main entrance. [5214 W Lawrence] A coat check is available in the foyer.

The WINTER market will feature Produce, Crafts and more. Come for BRUNCH and ready to eat food. {Cash Bar} A STORY TIME with Barefoot books will be held at noon.

See the Sunday Market Website for more information & vendor lists.

Is your Business interested in Becoming a Sunday Market Vendor?

This is a great opportunity for you to sell your products and to gain additional exposure for your business, hand made crafts, or products. Please review the vendor information on the Jefferson Park Sunday Market website – Becoming a Vendor. If you have not been a vendor before, please reach out for preliminary approval; not all vendor types can be facilitated. You may either phone 847-902-2961 or (preferred) email: JeffersonParkSundayMarket@zoho.com .The Vendor Application is available at this link.

About the Jefferson Park Sunday Market

We started out as the merger of a crew of people wanting to have a Jeff Park market that started a discussion on Everyblock, plus a couple of us from JPNA with some connections to help get year one off to the quick start it needed, considering that original discussion was in March—after when many submissions, etc. are usually already in.

With the help of our friends at the Copernicus Foundation who gave us space that first couple of years, we started a tradition. But that black asphalt in the parking lot made it rough to be out there. So with that experience under our belt, and some new friends over at the park in the form of the Jefferson Memorial Park Advisory Council, we renewed our start by moving into the park, where we got welcome shade and added foot traffic. We been noted by some of our vendors the friendliest market they’ve participated in. That’s something that we love to hear as organizers.

We are a 501c3, and are staffed exclusively by volunteers.

Check out this great free community event hosted by Senator Iris Y. Martinez!