"Never doubt that a few committed individuals
can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has"
Margaret Mead
Below are community groups that have
been organized by concerned citizens. If you know of
a community group that is not listed here, please email information
to cac@citizenadvocacycenter.org
Alliance of Residents Concerning O'Hare: http://www.areco.org
AReCO is a grass roots organization and is separate from all other
organizations. We began in June 1994, with just 26 members. Today
AReCO represents over 1200 residents from 41 communities and the City
of Park Ridge that are concerned about O’Hare.
Citizens Against the Tollway 21
N. Northwest Hwy. Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (630) 220-3419. http://www.tollcats.com/index.html
Citizens for Alternative Parking Solutions
(LaGrange, Illinois):http://www.lagrangenogarage.com/
Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation www.glenellynpreservation.org.
Our mission is to safeguard
the distinctive character, history and architectural integrity of
the Glen Ellyn community through historic preservation, planning and
sensible growth. The members of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation
came together because of their concern about the number of teardowns
in the Village of Glen Ellyn, the types of buildings targeted for
teardowns and the size of the structures replacing those buildings.
We believe that Glen Ellyn can preserve its cultural history and built-environment
just as other cities, towns and villages are doing throughout Illinois
and the country. Our goal is not to stop teardowns altogether, but
encourage the Village government to reduce the rate of teardowns of
homes and buildings that are historically and architecturally significant.
Citizens United for Forest Park - http://www.cuinfp.org
Citizens United to Retain Residential Balance:
Judy Barclay, 847.692.4297
Grassroot organization that advocates for adherence to Park Ridge
zoning codes.
Community First (Naperville) http://www.communityfirstinc.org
Across the United States, communities are struggling with the redevelopment
of their established neighborhoods. Community First was formed as
a grass roots initiative made up of a diverse group of citizens from
Naperville, Illinois to establish a process for addressing this important
and emotional issue. The result of our efforts is this Workbook.
DAWN - DuPage Against War Now: http://www.d-a-w-n.org/
DAWN, a grassroots citizens group opposed to the war on Iraq, is
based in DuPage County, Illinois. Formed in October 2002, DAWN has
remained active in networking with other peace groups, both local
and nationally, and has sponsored vigils and protests in and around
the Glen Ellyn area. Meetings are held at the Glen Ellyn Public Library,
400 Duane Street in Glen Ellyn, at 7:30 pm on the first Tuesday of
each month (except May 2003, second Tuesday) and last a little over
an hour.
DuPage Peace Through Justice Coalition:
http://www.dupagepeace.org/oldindex.html
A Citizens' Group based in DuPage County in the Western Suburbs of
Chicago, Illinois The purpose of the DuPage Peace Through Justice
Coalition is multifaceted: to promote nonviolent solutions to terrorism,
to call on members of Congress to protect civil liberties, and to
provide a public forum to present alternatives to war and education
on cross cultural issues. The Coalition is made up of people from
diverse ethnic, racial, religious and cultural backgrounds united
in their belief that war is not the answer to terrorism.
Elmhurst Unites: http://www.elmhurstunites.org/
Elmhurst Unites is a non-profit community organization formed by
a group of Elmhurst residents who discovered common goals while working
on a number of very diverse community issues. Some of the founding
members felt strongly that development in Elmhurst should preserve
and enhance the town's character and identity. Other members wanted
to raise awareness among people of Elmhurst as to the identity and
significance of the historic buildings in our town, in hopes of incorporating
a historic preservation ordinance. Additional members were concerned
about the integrity of the governmental process, while others questioned
the TIF Agreement between the city and District 205. Still other members
were concerned about traffic and congestion.
Pierce Downer Heritage Alliance: http://www.pdha.org/
The Heritage Alliance is a not-for-profit environmental group with
a primary focus on the protection and preservation of open spaces
in DuPage County IL . We work to help local residents appreciate and
enjoy our rich heritage.
REDCOOP (Oak Park): http://www.redcoop.org/
The mission of REDCOOP is to promote responsible economic development
in Oak Park, Illinois. Four factors define responsible economic development.
They are: economically sound, historically sensitive, environmentally
responsible, and consistent with the Village’s official policy on
diversity.
Partners Against Waste
Save Timber Trails: http://www.savethetimber.org/aboutus.htm
Save the Timber is a grass roots movement to preserve open land in
the Western Suburbs of Chicago, Cook County.
VoteTabWatch
West Suburban Faith Based Peace Coalition:
http://www.faithpeace.org/
We are an initiative of faith-based peacemakers from across Chicago's
western suburbs. The West Suburban Faith-based Peace Coalition includes
clergy, congregations, staff, lay persons, faith-based peace organizations,
peace and justice committees, religious communities, and more, spanning
from Oak Park to Aurora and Joliet. WSFPC is committed to sustaining
work of peace through activities such as public action, interfaith
dialogue, peace education, lobbying/legislative initiatives, and humanitarian
relief projects.
Winfield United for a Better Community: http://www.winfieldunited.com/
Winfield United for a Better Community is a not for profit organization
of concerned citizens whose purpose is to keep abreast of, and promote
public awareness of issues that affect the quality of life in and
around Winfield. We are not sponsored by any one individual, political
party, candidate, or company. We are from diverse neighborhoods and
enjoy different lifestyles but are united in our aspiration to preserve
and improve the attributes and quality of life that attracted us to
this community. We are also united by our belief that village government
and management should be respectful and responsive to the opinions
and desires of the residents
53 Neighbors United: http://www.cssforum.org/il53/
53 Neighbors United is a group of residents living along route 53
dedicated to promoting context-sensitive solutions for Route 53. We
are organizing and educating stakeholders and lobbying IDOT to apply
CSS principles to the design of Route 53. We have been holding meetings
among neighbors to discover the stakeholder's needs and have been
holding meetings with IDOT and local politicians to share those needs
and work together to develop designs that meet the needs of stakeholders
and the motoring public. We have published a document that itemizes
the resident's concerns and design requests for Route 53.
-
Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation Our mission is to safeguard the
distinctive character, history and architectural integrity of the Glen
Ellyn community through historic preservation, planning and sensible
growth. The members of Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation came together
because of their concern about the number of teardowns in the Village
of Glen Ellyn, the types of buildings targeted for teardowns and the
size of the structures replacing those buildings. We believe that Glen
Ellyn can preserve its cultural history and built-environment just as
other cities, towns and villages are doing throughout Illinois and the
country. Our goal is not to stop teardowns altogether, but encourage
the Village government to reduce the rate of teardowns of homes and
buildings that are historically and architecturally significant. We
believe that citizens joining together can make a difference and that
we can bring another point of view to the Village government. More details
about the group can be found at www.glenellynpreservation.org.
