Caucus: Winter 2015
The Center for Conflict Resolution
In This Issue of Caucus
Congrats to Jennifer Plagman
New Faces at CCR
Warm Welcome to New Members of the CCR Family
Good Luck, Tina Cooper!
Upcoming Trainings
A Letter from Cassie Lively
Conflict Resolution Day Recap
Help Support our Annual Appeal
Volunteer Holiday Party Celebration
Save the Date - CCR's Annual Gala Celebration
Congratulations!
Jennifer Plagman

 
 
Jennifer, a CCR Auxiliary Board member, was named to the 2016 Illinois Rising Stars list,  which will be featured in the Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine in February 2016 and Chicago magazine in February 2016. Congratulations Jennifer!

New Faces at CCR

 
Erin Novak
 
 
 
Before joining CCR, Erin Novak was an AmeriCorps attorney at LAF (formerly, Legal Assistance Foundation) in the public benefits practice group. Most of her time there was spent representing individuals on food stamps, TANF, and medicaid cases, as well as training partner agencies and community members on public benefits regulations, advocacy techniques and financial literacy.
 
While advocating for clients was an inherently adversarial process, finding ways to incorporate conflict resolution techniques in trainings as well as representation was a constant goal. Erin is deeply excited  to be working with CCR to further our mission of responding to community needs through conflict resolution as our new Training Associate!

Brittany Bartholomew
 

Britt Bartholomew is a recent DePaul University graduate and comes to us from Illinois JusticeCorps. During her term of service there, she acted as a leader and mentor for a group of volunteers. Alongside her volunteers, she worked to make the Daley Center a more accessible place for pro se litigants by providing them with legal information, moral support, and help finding the resources they needed to work through their legal problems.
She is most proud of the work that she has done in service to her community, both in her professional endeavors and through volunteerism. She enjoys finding new ways to solve problems, cooking, kayaking in Lake Michigan, and is an avid bookworm. She is looking forward to being a part of our team, and she is very excited to continue to serve through support.
 
Please join us in welcoming Britt as CCR's new Foreclosure
Case Manager.

  Maia Buess
 


Maia was born in the great state of Illinois. She attended Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina where she studied Community and Justice Studies and Ceramics. After working on several farms she moved to New York where she trained with the New York Peace Institute. She is extremely excited to be back in Chicago working with the Center for Conflict Resolution as the Assistant Programs Manager and spending as much time as possible by Lake Michigan.

A Warm Welcome to the Newest Members of the CCR Family
 
  Leighton and Nehemiah Putnam
Born July 25, 2015

 
Henry Francis Lancaster
Born August 19, 2015


Good luck, Tina Cooper!



Former CCR staff member and volunteer Tina Cooper has moved to Arizona with her husband, Dan. During her time at CCR, Tina was instrumental in the creation CCR's piece of the Circuit Court of Cook County's Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program. She also served as a volunteer mediator, assisted in the development of the Volunteer Council, served as a coordinator for our annual gala event and assisted us in thinking through improvements to our programs. We are very grateful for all of her contributions. She is loving Arizona! Please join us in wishing her well.
 
 
UPCOMING MEDIATION SKILL S TRAINING:

February 2016 MST
(2/22, 2/23, 2/29,
3/1, 3/2)
 
    Nights & Weekends   

2016 MST

  • March 15, 22, 29 (5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.)
  • April 2 (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
  • April 5 (5:30 p.m-9:00 p.m.)
  • April 9 (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
  • April 12 (5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.)
  • April 16 (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)

       April 2016 MST         

(4/29, 4/30, 5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

 

       June 2016 MST         

(6/13, 6/14, 6/20, 6/21, 6/22)


LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CASSIE LIVELY   
  
Dear CCR Community:
 
Happy Holidays!
 
It's been a very busy fall, and thanks to the efforts of our entire community, we continue to make strides toward achieving our strategic goals. Our new One Party Session program is in the pilot stage and we intend to roll it out on a broad scale in the coming months. CCR programs staff and volunteers have been busy across the board; to date, we've opened more than 1,800 mediation cases this calendar year, thanks to the hard work of our programs and foreclosure staff.
 
There is much to report on the funding front! CCR has received a new grant for our Juvenile Victim-Offender Mediation Program. Thanks to the support of our funding partner, the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, under the Office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, we have expanded our services to new program sites in Bridgeview and Skokie.
 
Additionally, CCR is pleased to announce that the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to approve continued funding for the Circuit Court of Cook County's Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program for the next year. We are grateful to the Board of Commissioners for recognizing the value of the program, to the Circuit Court and The Chicago Bar Foundation for their leadership on behalf of the program, and to our partner organizations.
 
CCR would also like to thank the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF), for their continued support - at an increased level this year thanks to a gift provided by Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office. Funds from the IEJF provide vital general operating support for CCR's programs.
 
Demand for our training services continues to grow, and in November we delivered nine conflict management workshops for employees of the Forest Preserves of Cook County - more workshops will take place in 2016. Additional training workshops have taken place with the Illinois Attorney General's office, AVODAH, Habitat for Humanity, Chicago Theological Seminary and Housing Action Illinois.
 
Lest anyone think we're all work and no play, just last week we celebrated the season with our annual Volunteer Holiday Party on December 9. Please make sure to check out the pictures below!
 
As we take this time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, one of the things I'm most grateful for in looking back over the past year is our volunteer community. Whether you serve as a mediator, trainer/coach/mentor, Board or Auxiliary Board member, Volunteer Council member, community partner, contribute in other ways - or if you do some combination of all of these things! - know that service makes an impact and is appreciated.
 
Cheers,
Cassie



Celebration of Conflict Resolution Day 2015
 
We recognized Conflict Resolution Day on October 15, 2015 with a celebration hosted by Much Shelist. At the reception, CCR honored the following judges for being "our" Champions of Mediation;
 
E. Kenneth Wright, Jr.
Martin Moltz
Stanley Hill
Camille Willis
William R. Jackson, Jr.
James Gavin
Maureen Feerick
Christopher Lawler
Robert Clifford
Martin Kelley
Sandra Tristano
Leon Wool
Jim Ryan
 
 
 Judge William R. Jackson, Jr. and Cassie Lively
 
Judge Camille Willis and Cassie Lively

Judge Leon Wool and Cassie Lively
Help Support our Family Mediation Programs and Donate to our Annual Appeal

 
 
CCR helps hundreds of families each year to craft parenting and financial plans that preserve relationships. Families thrive and children are supported and nurtured when parents can maintain healthy relationships with regard to caring for their children. Without productive communication and planning, parental relationships unravel.

I urge you to join me in giving people in Chicago an opportunity to participate in mediation and strengthen families by making a special year-end donation today.
 
Volunteer Holiday Party Celebration
December 9, 2015

CCR kicked off the holiday season with a festive celebration to recognize the great work being done by all of our CCR volunteers. The time and talent devoted by our volunteers is truly appreciated!





SAVE THE DATE
CCR's 15th Annual Gala
 
Cocktails for Communities: A Celebration for Conflict Resolution
 
Thursday, April 21, 2016
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
300 N. LaSalle
Chicago, IL