Center for NGO Leadership and Development

Is there a success story that is particularly heart-warming and special to Oaken Acres?

Georgy Girl was one of those lost causes. A red fox dragged herself out from under a farmer’s barn and was probably a victim of a car collision. Judging from her condition, she lived underneath the barn for several days, unable to hunt for food.

Dehydrated and on the verge of starvation, she was not difficult to subdue when she was brought to Oaken Acres. She was kept on a heating pad and rehydrated with a glucose and electrolyte solution every hour until she could be seen at Bethany Animal Hospital the next morning.

After a physical exam and X-rays, both hind legs were found to be broken. One femur lay in three pieces. Dr. George Balster was not confident that she would make it through the surgery to repair them, even less confident the legs would ever heal or properly function again.  Although the prognosis for Georgy Girl was not good, Dr. Balster decided to proceed with surgery anyway.

Two hours of orthopedic surgery, two weeks of confined recovery, and three months of rehabilitation later, Georgy Girl, named for George Balster the skillful veterinarian who saved her life, was remarkably well and eager to get out there again.

Georgy Girl’s story appears in a book that Kathy Stelford authored and published in 2008 titled, Every Life Matters: Inspiring Stories of Wildlife Rescues and Releases. Her book is for sale on the Oaken Acres website – www.oakenacres.org.

What does the facility at Oaken Acres look like?

 The facility is housed on 33 acres of extraordinary wildlife habitat – part riparian, part woodlands, part prairie restoration – and the Kishwaukee River cuts through the floodplain acreage. We have over 20 outdoor cages, two smaller buildings for animal care and a large barn that houses two flight cages.

Upon rehabilitation, where are the animals released?

Many of our avian patients are released onsite. It’s such fun to see our ducklings that came in as fluffy, downy balls of feathers, take their first swim in the river on our farm. They LOVE it!

Anything additional we should know about?

How much space do we have J Here are some things that your readers would like to know, in no special order:

·         Oaken Acres, under the direction of Christy Gerbitz, is developing a new educational program using live animals. We have applied for permits for three unreleasable birds so far – turkey vulture, snowy owl and screech owl – and will begin doing presentations for our community after our busy season is over.

·         Oaken Acres operates very frugally. There are very few charities that have as little overhead as Oaken Acres. When you donate to Oaken Acres you can be assured that most of your donation goes directly to animal care. We don’t pay for the property and we normally raise funds separately for large expenses, like a new flight cage.

·         Our website – oakenacres.org – has a wealth of information on our mission, vision and core values, what to do if you find an orphaned or injured wild animal, FAQs, and how to support Oaken Acres with your wisdom, wealth, or work.

Remember, there is no reason for anyone in DeKalb County to turn their backs on a wild animal that needs help. Help and Oaken Acres is just a phone call away.

Since April is all about environmental awareness, it seemed appropriate to highlight a local nonprofit that works to help injured wildlife in DeKalb County. A special thank you to Kathy Stelford, Founder and President, for taking the time to answer our questions!

Who discovered the need for a wildlife rescue center in DeKalb County and why?

I founded Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in 1984 after doing “backyard” rehabbing in suburban Bensenville, Illinois, and volunteering for several years at one of the only wildlife rehab centers at that time, Willowbrook Wildlife Center. I became increasingly convinced that my role in wildlife rehab was to open my own center and devote the rest of my life to this cause. The number of licensed rehabilitators was greater in the more urban counties of northern Illinois and almost non-existent in the more rural areas. So began the search for a piece of land that was within an hour of where my husband worked so he could commute and also a place that needed wildlife rehab services.

While sitting in a dentist’s office one day I picked up one of those real estate listings pamphlets and there was a farm in Sycamore (coming from the suburbs – where in the world was Sycamore?) advertised that had two homes on it. The “two homes” was important because I wanted to make certain that my mother, who had Multiple Sclerosis, could move with me. I visited the farm in rural Sycamore, fell in love with the woods and river and the rest is history.

What kinds of wildlife are typically brought to Oaken Acres and are certain times of year particularly busy? If so, when?

The need was so great in DeKalb County and my deep belief guided the policy of accepting any native Illinois wild animal that was orphaned or injured. “Baby season” is a special and busy time of year at Oaken Acres. Approximately 85% of the animals that we care for are orphans and are admitted between April 1 and August 1. Since 1984, Oaken Acres has cared for almost 12,000 wild patients.

Where does Oaken Acres seek funding?

Oaken Acres is almost entirely funded by private donations. It took over 10 years for us to end a year in the black (just barely!) and we have continued to garner more dedicated financial support from individuals, bequests, and a few grants from small foundations. There is no governmental funding – not local, not State, not Federal – for wildlife rehabilitation efforts. We have to rely on the compassion of our neighbors and communities to support our work.

Who are partners of Oaken Acres?

By donating in-kind services, our partners make it possible for us to spend more money on our patients and less money on other, non-patient care items. These partners are Prairie View Animal Hospital in DeKalb, Trittenhaus Design in Sycamore, Hiatt & Moen (Accountants) in Sycamore, Walsh & Associates (financial planning) in DeKalb, and Hagg Press in Elgin. Many other local businesses contribute to our success but the ones mentioned go above and beyond the usual.

What is the structure of your organizational staff?

Today, Oaken Acres employs a Director of Operations, Christy Gerbitz, and will hire four temporary employees for the “baby season.” Internships are available and have been popular. For the first time since 1984, Oaken Acres put the call out for volunteers. To our surprise and delight, we have had more than 80 people answer that call to action. 

     Ryan Mishler was one of our first CLCE majors. He is actively involved in the LGBTQ Center on campus and devotes a lot of his time to furthering the LBGTQ cause. If you want to learn more about Ryan, visit youtube.com/user/NGOLDCenter to watch some of his videos about why he became a CLCE major.

This past January in Atlanta, Georgia, I had the pleasure of presenting at the 25^th National Conference on LGBT Equality, also known as the Creating Change conference. This conference has been a central hub of ideas and activism for the LGBT rights movement over the past quarter century. During the week-long conference, I learned about new ways to create positive change for LGBT students here at NIU and I was able to network and learn from NGO leaders and staff members who are committed to the fight for LGBT equality. Although there were many NGOs at the conference (too many to name in one blog post), there are three organizations that I feel need to be highlighted right now:  the National Black Justice Coalition (http://nbjc.org/), a national organization that fights for the equal treatment and empowerment of LGBT people of color; the National Center for Transgender Equality (http://transequality.org/), a national organization dedicated to advancing legal equality for Transgender people; and Campus Pride (http://www.campuspride.org/), a national organization that provides leadership skills, support, and advocacy for LGBT student leaders on college campuses.

            These three organizations are just a small taste of the NGOs that were on site at the conference. At the heart of the conference was the idea that people came together to create change in their communities and neighborhoods. The NGOs at the conference were created because people saw that certain problems were not being addressed and certain voices were not being heard, and they wanted to change that. This is why I am so committed not only to the LGBT rights movement but also to the CLCE major here at Northern Illinois University: People in both communities are committed to making sure that the voiceless have a voice and that those with less power have power.

Let me end by saying this: If you want to graduate with a major that gives you the academic tools you need to make the world a better place, please seriously consider becoming a Community Leadership and Civic Engagement major. If you want to make the world a better place for LGBT people, get involved with the three organizations previously mentioned (and/or your local LGBT organization). 

What kind of youth do you serve i.e. what are their backgrounds and how does Adventure Works help them?

We serve youth ages 6-18 who are “at-risk” in some way. The youth in our program are struggling with mental health issues such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, anxiety, depression, social/emotional development deficits, and others. They may also be in the program for preventing mental illness as adults. Many of our youth are at-risk due to homelessness, poverty, or domestic violence exposure.

What does a typical adventure therapy session look like?

Adventure therapy sessions can last from 90 minutes to 8 hours, with the average session being 2-3 hours in length. Some sessions are focused on a specific adventure activity such as archery or rock climbing, and others are focused on a varying assortment of activities.

How often does an adventure group therapy session occur?

Sessions are held on a weekly basis and can last anywhere between six and twelve weeks. Some youth are discharged at the end of a session and others rotate into different sessions depending on their individual needs.

How much planning and preparation work goes into a session? Is any preparation required of the participant?

Each person who begins counseling at Adventure Works receives a comprehensive psycho-social assessment and an individualized treatment plan which takes about two hours to complete. Once a person is enrolled in treatment, we have a comprehensive review process for monitoring progress. This includes a one to two hour weekly clinical planning meeting with all the staff as well as individual clinical supervision meetings for each of the three staff therapists every week. This totals four to five hours of formal clinical planning each week. Additionally there is approximately 90 minutes of preparation for each specific group, which includes transportation.

Around how many youth do you serve?

This is our third year of operation. To date we have served a total of 146 clients.

How does Adventure Works plan around the school year?

Our school year programming is after school and on weekends and we are able to serve some adults or youth in homeschool during the day. We also run groups in the schools, during the school day. During the summer our programming expands to weekdays as well.

How many staff members work at Adventure Works? I noticed the hours are from 8:00 – 8:00, does Adventure Works offer after-school counseling also?

Adventure Works has a full time executive director, a full time clinical groups coordinator/therapist, and two master’s level social work interns who work twenty hours each per week. We also have an additional part time therapist starting in March of this year. After school hours are critical for our population. We run after school/evening groups Tuesday through Friday and we have two groups on Saturdays.

How much does an adventure cost?

All groups are insurance reimbursable under mental health benefits. For those who do not have insurance however, Adventure Works charges on a sliding scale fee schedule based on the 2012 Federal Poverty Guidelines. The sliding scale ranges from $10 per group to $70 per group based on income and number of family members in the household. For those clients referred by Hope Haven Homeless Shelter, the fees are waived.

Around how long do the youth use your services?

Some of our youth have been with us for eighteen months or longer but the average length of stay is approximately four months.

Any other additional information you would like to provide about Adventure Works?

Adventure Works is a full service counseling agency where no one who lives in DeKalb County is turned away for inability to pay. We provide individual, family and group counseling in both traditional and with experiential methods. These methods include, but are not limited to, adventure, nature, and equine assisted psychotherapy. Within the scope of adventure therapy we offer the following activity-based groups: rock climbing, hiking, orienteering, camping, canoeing, kayaking, wilderness survival, and archery.

National Field Study

Northern Illinois Food Bank and its network partners rely on information resulting from the Hunger Study, conducted every four years through Feeding America, to better understand the circumstances facing our clients across our 13 county service area. This vital information can help us better address their needs in working towards our mission to lead the northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships.

Please help us by serving as a Hunger Study volunteer! From April 2013 - August 2013, Hunger Study volunteers will conduct client interviews at our pantries, soup kitchens and shelters at various times throughout the day and all throughout our 13 counties.

This is the first year the survey will be completed on a computer. Once at the site, volunteers will be responsible for inviting clients to participate in the survey, setting up the client with a computer to take the survey and answering any questions that the client might have while taking the survey.

Volunteers will need to be interviewed and are required to participate in a training – in person and a webinar training will be available. Please contact Juana Montalvo, Hunger Study Coordinator, at jmontalvo@northernilfoodbank.org if you are interested in this great opportunity. Provide your name, where you heard about this opportunity, email address and phone number.

Jacob spent his fall semester studying abroad in Southeast Asia. In this picture, he is at an island called Koh Yao Noi which is located northeast of Phuket.

Before I became a CLCE major, I had not decided whether I should study accounting, international relations, or major informally in the library, field house, and season productions put on by the School of Theatre and Dance.

Before my CLCE classes, I had little knowledge of nonprofits in America. I had previously studied the role of NGO’s in East Africa regarding peace and reconciliation in the context of traditional justice systems. I imagined myself working internationally involved in the delivery of direct services to conflict zones, educationally, legally, or otherwise.

Then I discovered the CLCE major and I was impressed by the offering of a global emphasis. Now, I had a practical way to explore my dream.

CLCE offers much more than just flexibility for students crazed about leaving the country. It allows students to specialize in whatever their particular passion is including art, the environment, advocacy on behalf of their favorite cause, entrepreneurship, or any combination of the following.

CLCE should be considered by students who have big dreams that extend above and beyond the confines of other majors or by those students interested in aiding society via non-profits.

Position Description for English/Journalism  Intern— Spring 2013

NIU School of Theatre and Dance

Major Responsibilities

·         Research, conduct interviews, and write press releases for theatre productions and special events and track useage across all news media.

·         Point of resource for publicity writing for students exposed to the craft for the first time.

·         Edit all press releases submitted by THEA 395 Publicity and House Management students and prepare the best, or an all-inclusive version, for final publication.

·         Assist THEA 395 publicity teams with PSAs and publication copy as needed to implement their marketing plan.

·         Assist marketing intern in generating media coverage for productions and special events.

·         Draft letters, generate text for brochures, postcards, handouts, posters/flyers and other publications in order to promote the NIU School of Theatre and Dance and its theatre productions.

·         Track publications and web sites and compile a record of the use of SoTD publicity.

·         Assist marketing director with marketing and research projects, as needed.

·         Develop and edit an online newsletter as a work in progress.

Internship Exposure

·         Opportunities for exposure to large market professional theatre, especially SummerNITE and Organic Theater productions, and Moscow Art School. 

·         Possible high profile exposure to local Chambers of Commerce, including DeKalb with its 300+ members.

·         Publication of work word for word in several local print media.

Alternative Compensations

·         Credit for a one-hour 300 level publicity practicum and for a three-hour 400 level internship course listed with the School are available.

·         Tickets to every mainstage performance ($98 value)

General Requirements

·         Computer literate, with basic knowledge of and experience with word processing, spreadsheet and database programs.

·         Organizational skills that can allow juggling of multiple tasks.

·         Willingness to learn and a strong interest in promoting Performing Arts in general and Theatre specifically.

·         Outstanding people skills and successful experience in a leadership capacity. 

For additional information, please contact:

Instructor: David W. Booth/Marketing Director

School of Theatre and Dance

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb, IL 60115

815-753-1337

dbooth1@niu.edu

INTERNSHIP

Do you want to learn about the business of natural areas restoration and sustainable

landscapes?

Pizzo & Associates, Ltd. is looking for a bright driven individual not afraid to get dirty to

assist in the management of 2 large properties in DeKalb County.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Business

Work with the staff to understand how a sustainable business works from finance to field operations.

Natural Areas Tasks

Pull invasive species in the natural areas

Spray invasive species in the natural areas

Collect seed of the native plants

Install seed in the natural areas

Plant native plant plugs

Stump treat woody plants such as Cottonwood, Willow and Black Locust

Mark the planted trees and shrubs before burn season

Prepare fire breaks

Help in the controlled burn

Sustainable Landscape Tasks

Weed the walks and drive with the weed wacker and herbicide

Weed the gardens around the house

Manage the vegetable garden

General Information

Start – May

End – August

‐October

5 days per week

Pay – Hourly commensurate with experience

The ability to obtain a pesticide operator’s license

Must have a valid Illinois driver’s license and their own transportation to the job site.

Will be required to submit a daily log of all activities

Local housing is readily available if required.

Please send your resume’ to Jack Pizzo by email

jack@pizzo.info

Visit our website

www.pizzo.info

Take advantage of this exciting opportunity!

Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum Internship Announcement, Winter 2013

The Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum is a pre-World War II transportation museum emphasizing topics in the early history of aviation and automobiles.  We strive to communicate this history in a manner that will be engaging and informative to adults and children alike.  Our campus, located adjacent to the Poplar Grove Airport, is comprised of five historic buildings that function as interpretive sites and museum spaces.  We are seeking interns in the following departments for the winter 2013 semester. 

Exhibits:

The curator of the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum is seeking an intern to assist with the design and installation of spring exhibits.  Applicants should have a strong interest in exhibit curation, some experience working with historical archives and research databases and an ability to work independently.  Duties include, but are not limited to:

-          Historical research

-          Deinstallation of existing exhibits

-          Exhibit design

-          Installation of new exhibit materials

To apply please forward resume and letter of intent to Joanna Dowling, Curator, Joanna.vintagemuseum@gmail.com

Communications:

The administrative office of the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum is seeking an intern to assist with marketing, public relations, communications, and follow-up.  

Duties include, but are not limited to:

-          Help maintain and update our website and facebook page

-          Assist with developing marketing campaigns for events

-          Manage communications concerning the donation and loan of artifacts

-          Assist in developing and maintaining a contact list for press release and publicity purposes

To apply please forward resume and letter of intent to Judi Zangs, Administrative Director, j.zangs@thevintagemuseum.com

Archives:

The collections department of the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum is seeking an intern to assist with the accessioning and organization of new donations and currently held artifacts.  The intern will work with the museum’s archivist on an ongoing project to sort and catalog the museum’s collection of artifacts.  The intern will also have the opportunity to work with collection’s digital database.

To apply please forward resume and letter of intent to Leanne Wright, Archivist, collections@thevintagemuseum.com

Green Corps: Field School for Environmental Organizing

UCHICAGO WINTER APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 2

Click here to find out more about Green Corp’s paid training program in environmental organizing

Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the
biggest environmental challenges of our day.

In Green Corps’ year-long paid program, you’ll get intensive training in the skills you’ll need to make a difference in the world. You’ll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems - global warming, deforestation, water pollution, factory farming and many others - with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. And, when you graduate from Green Corps, we’ll help you find a career with one of the nation’s leading environmental and social change groups.

For more information, read below or visit our web site: http://www.greencorps.org/findoutmore.

In your year with Green Corps:

You’ll get great training with some of the most experienced organizers in the field: Green Corps organizers take part in trainings with leading figures in the environmental and social change movements: people such as Adam Ruben, political director of MoveOn.org, and Bill McKibben, author and founder of “350.org”.

You’ll get amazing experience working on environmental issues across the country: Green Corps sends organizers to jumpstart campaigns for groups such as Rainforest Action Network and Environment America in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and dozens of other places in between.

You’ll have a real impact on some of the biggest environmental problems we’re facing today: Green Corps organizers have built the campaigns that helped keep the Arctic safe from drilling, that led to new laws that support clean, renewable energy, that convinced major corporations to stop dumping in our oceans and much, much more.

You’ll even get paid: Green Corps Organizers earn a salary of $23,750. Organizers also have a chance to opt into our health care program with a pre-tax monthly salary deferral. We offer paid sick days and holidays, two weeks paid vacation and a student loan repayment program for those who qualify.

And when you graduate from the program, you’ll be ready for what comes next: Green Corps will help connect you to environmental and progressive groups that are looking for full-time staff to build their organizations and help them create social change and protect our environment.

In the next few months, we’ll invite 35 college graduates to join Green Corps in 2013 -2014. We’re looking for people who are serious about saving the planet, people who have taken initiative on their campus or community, and people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work for change over the long haul.

If you think you’re one of those people, visit www.greencorps.org to apply to join the 2013-2014 class of Green Corps’ Field School for Environmental Organizing.

Green Corps’ year-long program begins in August 2013 with Introductory Classroom Training in Boston, and continues with field placements in multiple locations across the U.S. Candidates must be willing to relocate.

For more information, visit www.greencorps.org or contact Aaron Myran, Recruitment Director, at jobs@greencorps.org.