2019 Accomplishments

Friends and neighbors – here’s a sample of what we did together as a board and as a neighborhood in 2019

  • Organized our annual BarrieFest, which took place on a picture-perfect Saturday Sept. 7. Bands played throughout the afternoon as approximately 500 neighbors visited our business fair and enjoyed the bounce houses and climbing wall. The Oak Park Fire Department stopped by, as well as representatives from the police department and Legacy Sports. Carnivore and Opportunity Knocks catering were busy throughout the day selling delicious sandwiches. It was a wonderful afternoon to visit with friends and meet neighbors!
  • Informed our neighborhood about local events, communicating via Facebook, our email list and Twitter.
  • Worked with our Neighborhood Resource Officer, Derrick Verge as he hosted monthly meetings at Barrie Center. Each month Officers Verge and Rumoro gather to discuss how to increase safety in South East Oak Park.
  • Participated in the Art’s District’s What’s Blooming on Harrison fest in May, passing out some cool highlighters and spreading the message about our organization.
  • Partnered with Park District of Oak Park to bring “Movies in the Park” to our neighborhood, with an evening showing of Paddington 2. This same event was shared with Washington Irving Elementary for their Back to School event.
  • Monitored developments on the Eisenhower Transportation Corridor. There was no significant movement this year, but SEOPCO continues to stay in touch with this important issue, with the help of Citizens for Appropriate Transportation.
  • Assisted local business It’s A Sign in their efforts to move from Madison Street to a new space on Roosevelt Road. 
  • Publicized the first season of Oak Park Porchfest and contributed safety equipment for their excellent concert series.
  • Initiated a collaborative partnership with Oak Park Friends School, who will have an ongoing presence on our board. We’re also making plans to hold an event at OP Friends in early 2020.
  • Partnered with the Rotary Club of Oak Park and River Forest to make donuts for the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. It’s a fun morning and a great way to raise funds for Pilgrim Congregational and both of our organizations.