A Conversation With Our Newest Volunteer Advocates
“I thought it was a fantastic idea and something long overdue,” said advocate Annemarie Kill when asked why she volunteered. “I thought, someone is finally doing something about this!”
“This” is helping families on the West Side of Chicago access the services they need.
Those services might be affordable housing, health care, or employment support. What The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB) has discovered is that these services exist, but Austin residents often do not know who to call or else they face hurdles like extensive paperwork or red tape.
“The Neighborhood Bridge’s Advocate Program is unique,” said Jeanne Gallo, TNB’s Advocate Volunteer Coordinator. “It’s designed to support individuals and families by pairing them with trained volunteers for partner problem-solving in navigating and accessing essential services.”
According to Gallo, “We have volunteers from the South Side, from the West Side, from all over Chicago. Yes, we have retirees, but we also have volunteers who work full time.”
However, the program needs more volunteers to work with all the families that need help.
We spoke to three recently trained advocates about their experiences with the program: Tavares Williams, a grants manager; Annemarie Kill, an attorney; and Linda Dunne, a retired educator and high school counselor.
What was the training like?
Kill: “It was organized and interesting, and a mixture of learning and different partner exercises. When you have a bunch of people in a room who are all like-minded, trying to do something good in our local community, how can that not be great?”
Williams: “I found it well put together and very effective. The training included talks, visuals, and a guidebook that you could take home, which reinforced it. I liked that the training was with a small group, which allowed you to feel more comfortable and ask questions easily. There were multiple sessions, and the training was handled in a step-by-step format.”
Dunne: “I liked that it was a diverse group, including many men from the West Side who were looking to do something for somebody else in their community.”
Do you feel the training adequately prepares you for this role?
Kill: “Yes. And it’s not just the training, but the support network that became so evident. I feel like even if there’s something I don’t know, the [mentors] are going to be right there with you for anything you need.”
Dunne: “Agreed. There are great people to support you.”
Williams: “We also learned a spectrum of issues that we might encounter, which I think will be helpful.”
What are you looking forward to in your experience working with the Advocate Program?
Dunne: I’m looking forward to helping families that are struggling [to] connect with the right services.
Kill: I’m looking forward to changing my perspective. Not just being the person who’s going to come in to fix all the problems, but to help someone get what they need and empower them. To really step back and allow that person to grow and support them in that.”
Williams: I’m looking forward to the opportunity to train advocates in the future. This is a program I believe in and would like to help take it to the next level.
What is your biggest takeaway from the Advocate Program training?
Williams: “This program allows us to connect people in our area to the services they need, but it takes a lot of hands on deck to make a difference.”
Kill: “This program allows one-on-one contact — to walk along with someone and be able to help them in a very tangible, practical way.”
Dunne: “It feels like this is a place where students and families are of the utmost importance and that TNB is working very hard to connect them so that they can live their best lives.
To learn more about our Advocate program and sign up for a Bridge Breakfast Info Meeting, go to our Volunteer page.