Preparing for Computers at Jones Park Community Center

We're picking up steam getting the Jones Park Community Center ready for a new computer lab. On April 1st and 2nd UP291 students joined forces with LIS451 students to assemble, prime, and paint 12 computer desks.

Saturday afternoon a group began replacing baseboard trim around the building, starting in the main entryway. Getting some of the old trim off turned out to be quite a challenge, but we were pleased with the results as the aging green trim was replaced with the new black trim. We look forward to future outreach weekends when we can get the rest of the trim replaced.


LIS451 students returned to East St. Louis on April 8 & 9 to continue preparations and to do a wireless survey in advance of a wireless network design proposal for the park. At a minimum, we need to find a way to get the broadband available at the Administrative building over to the Community Center. But we're also looking into whether one or more wireless hotspots might be created within the park for resident use. The final plan will be presented to the park district on our last visit April 29th and 30th.

No trip is complete without a stop at Pirtle's. On the 9th that stop not only included our getting some ice cream, but also in our adding two computers to the public access lab at the shop.

September 10-11th, 2010 Outreach Weekend

ESLARPers gathered outside of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall at 7am on the crisp Friday September 10th, 2010.Drivers arrived in their respective vehicles and met with their students. Students received their information and driver/project assignment packets. We would not let the pending rain stop us from kicking off the Fall 2010 ESLARP Outreach Weekend effort! 68 UIUC students/faculty/staff departed for a weekend of participatory action research and service learning in ESL. The participating UIUC Courses were: FAA 291, FAA 391, LIS 451 & RST 393.

Upon arrival to East St. Louis, the group split up and headed toward their project sites. However, a small group of FAA 291 and RST 393 students, new to East St. Louis, were taken on a tour of the city, led by ESLARP Community Liason, Billie Turner. She stopped downtown, at the Emerson Park Metrolink/Parson’s Place and
Pullman Porter Park, amongst passing by many other important sites, before arriving for a tour of The Joseph Center/Eagle’s Nest of St. Claire County.



Returning FAA 291 students promptly began work at Opal’s House, where the end goal of the weekend was to have constructed the remainder of the privacy fence. 30” holes needed digging, 4x4” posts needed leveling and setting, quikcrete needed pouring. Under the guidance of Mike Andrejasich, Chip Dana and myself, Jenna Goebig,
the students braved the mud and poison ivy and pushed toward setting the stage for panel installation on Saturday. Roadblocks in the form of meeting an all‐too‐shallow gas‐line and thick tree roots were encountered, but
we pressed forward. On the other side of town, FAA 391 and 291 students began to dig the hole that will become a Koi Pond outside the entrance of the Joseph Center/Eagle’s Nest of St. Claire County. Residents and “Put Illinois to Work” employees helped in the morning hours with the digging efforts!



Everyone convened for the Eagle’s Nest’s traditional Friday Fish Fry for lunch. The East St. Louis Job Corp Culinary Team assisted Chef JR to provide our team with the most delectable lunch! After lunch, the work resumed. Friday projects included a privacy fence build at Opal’s House, Koi Pond construction at the Eagle’s Nest,
landscaping at Pullman Porter/41st Street Park, painting at the Mary Brown Center and CTC work at the ESL Park District Office, the Word Café and the Soul Food Café.

Friday night, the 68 attendees gathered at the HomeTown Buffet in Fairview Heights. We were graced with the presence of three of our ESLARP Community Partners: Martha Watts (The Joseph Center/Eagle’s Nest), Willie Beard (41st St/Pullman Porter Park) and Leverne Backstrom (Olivette Park Neighborhood Association). Per usual, I initiated a dinner reflection session whereby a student from each project was asked to brief everyone on their Friday accomplishments. Everyone was revitalized after a hearty dinner. The students had free time after dinner. Some went shopping, others went to a movie.



8am wake‐up calls came early Saturday morning! The students were treated to a delicious breakfast at the Sheraton in preparation for an intense WORK DAY! Everyone departed the Sheraton in Fairview Heights at 9am sharp! We had a total of seven sites: 41st Street Park, Eagle’s Nest, Opal’s House, Jones Park Community Center,
ESL Park District, the Mary Brown Center & Pirtle’s Variety. Check out the photos to see what the teams were up to all day! The ESLARPers and students worked so hard! We were lucky that the rain avoided us for the better half of the day. After the teams finished up their project tasks, ESLARP treated everyone to Pirtle’s Ice Cream!!



At around 5pm, we all loaded up and headed back to Champaign. I imagine some listened to the Illinois—SIU‐Carbondale football game, and some may have made it in time to see the last half of the game! A sincere thank you to the ESL community for your continued support and partnership! We look forward to our upcoming Outreach Weekend in October ‐JG

April 9-10th Outreach Weekend kicks off Spring 2010!!!

The Outreach Weekend Team gathered in the atrium of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall at 7am on Friday April 9th, 2010. Drivers picked up their vehicle and received their clipboards. Students received t-shirts, information and driver/project assignment packets. The stage was set. The sun was shining. East St. Louis called. 73 UIUC students/faculty/staff departed for a weekend away in ESL. The participating UIUC Courses were: ARCH 472/473, FAA 291, FAA 391, LA 336/338 & RST 218/393.

This time we took a slight detour to ESL. We stopped in Collinsville, IL to learn about and climb Monks Mound, the tallest of the 120 surrounding mounds that create Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (a UNESCO Heritage Site). Inhabited by the Cahokia sub-tribe of the Illiniwek from A.D. 700 to 1400, Cahokia Mounds was once a thriving civilization, whose disappearance remains a mystery. The students enjoyed the breeze and the view of East St. Louis and St. Louis!!

Everyone arrived at the Mary Brown Center in the heart of East St Louis to join a Community Partner Forum hosted by Billie Turner (ESLARP Community Liaison), Christina Fisher (Village Theatre) and Martha Watts (Eagle’s Nest). The students had the opportunity to learn a little bit about some of the projects that ESLARP has dedicated its efforts toward in the past years. After lunch with our partners, the first-time students embarked on an Interactive Tour of East St. Louis, led by our own staff expert: Billie Turner. The tour stopped at four establishments in East Metro SL: Village Theatre, where Christina gave the students a comprehensive tour of the facility; Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, where the students experienced the riverfront from ESL using the brand new river overlook structure. They also witnessed the power of the Gateway Geyser shooting as tall as the arch itself! The third stop was Emerson Park/EP Metrolink. Billie gave the students a walking tour of the neighborhood. The final stop along the tour of the city was at the Eagle’s Nest to visit Martha Watts and her Veteran residents. All and all, the students got to see every facet of East St. Louis in an effort to paint, for them, the city’s picture.

Those returning students worked on projects with our community partners during the afternoon hours on Friday. Trees were cut and stacked at the Village Theatre. Leaves and brush were raked at Lincoln Park.

Later that evening, everyone reconvened for our dinner/reflection conversation. Our dinner guests included: Reverend and Mrs. Freeman, Laverne Backstrom, Christina Fisher, Barbara Levin and some students from Washington University in St. Louis. We enjoyed an Italian dinner and the students were prompted to converse and share their experiences of the tour.

Saturday was WORK DAY! Our students headed to their sites at 9am. We had a total of five sites: 41st Street Park, Eagle’s Nest, Illinois Ave Playground, Jones Park/Lincoln Park Horseshoe Pits, Jones Park Greenhouses, Opal’s House, Pilgrim Temple Church and a South End Alley Clean-up. Check out the pictures to see what everyone was up to!!! The teams worked so hard, enjoyed a delicious lunch courtesy of Charlie Poweel and SENDO, ESLARP and the East St. Louis Park District. After the teams finished up their project tasks, ESLARP treated everyone to Pirtle’s!! As the sun began to set, we all loaded up and headed back to Champaign. A sincere thank you to the ESL community for your continued support and partnership!

Check out the weekend's photos!!

-JG