- Carried out in March our first ever Cabin Fever event at Oak Park Friends School, featuring musician Mark Dvorak. SEOPCO collaborated with two important organizations, Beyond Hunger and Music & Potlucks.
- Initiated a meeting with neighbors and five leading Oak Park officials to discuss the proposed Taco Bell at Roosevelt and Austin in February. Neighborhood concerns were aired, the role of the Village in the development was clarified and mitigations to traffic and noise issues were discussed.
- Kept the community informed about Zoning Board meetings and changes to the Taco Bell proposal.
- COVID 19 –
- Communicated village news via Facebook and our email list regarding the SIP from the village, parking,
- Promoted the restaurants that were open and how they were accommodating customers
- Helped publicize their efforts as Oak Park Porchfest was forced to become Couchfest, moving their stellar music series from our porches to Zoom.
- Inaugurated our series SEOPCO Stories, sharing some of the narratives of our neighbors in South East Oak Park.
- Represented the neighborhood in the hiring process for new Police Department’s Resident Beat Officers and Neighborhood Resource Officers.
- Worked with our Neighborhood Resource Officer, Derrick Verge, as the monthly meetings he hosts with John Rumoro moved from Barrie Center to online. Each month Officers Verge and Rumoro gather to discuss how to increase safety in South East Oak Park.
- 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.
- Reimagined our annual BarrieFest as a moving musical feast by partnering with Fitzgeralds. Five musicians performed short sets in seventeen locations, offering a socially distanced good time for many appreciative South East Oak Parkers.