Self-Care In Service: NLEN’S All-Staff Self Care Week!
- nlenonline
- May 7
- 6 min read
North Lawndale Employment Network, Sweet Beginnings LLC and the beelove® café closed all operations from Monday, April 21st through Friday, April 25th for our annual All Staff Week of Self-Care. We took this time to rest, rejuvenate, and re-set so we could best serve the community this Spring!
We took this time because we know that burnout can post major challenges across social impact and human services organizations, and we know that a public commitment to self-care helps reframe the narrative around the work we do and the resources we need to do this work. When we amplify the importance of time to care for ourselves, and that this self-care is critical for our ability to care for others, we can inspire change and better advance our missions!
Writer Audre Lorde chronicled her experience with breast cancer, and the pain and isolation she felt as a Black lesbian woman navigating the healthcare system in 1979’s Cancer Journals. In that book, she wrote “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Lorde would continue to write about care as a form of resistance throughout the rest of her life.
NLEN, Sweet Beginnings and the beelove® cafe staff spent our self-care week in a variety of ways including:
Travel Near and Far
Multiple staff spent Self-Care Week traveling across the Midwest, United States, and world!
NLEN’s Executive Administrator Alesia McCrary enjoyed a visit to West Palm Beach Florida and deluxe Margaritaville cruise to the Caribbean, with a stop in Nassau, Bahamas featuring a visit to Fort Beach, Grayscliff Chocolate Factory, and the Rum Cake Factory! Alesia enjoyed the cruise and the opportunity to soak up the sea and sun and savor deluxe chocolates, flavored rum cakes, and to bring these sweet treats home as gifts for family and friends! “Overall, I'm so grateful that I had an opportunity to experience Self-Care Week out of state and out of the country. I will definitely continue to embrace self-care in every area of my life”, says McCrary.
NLEN Community Engagement Specialist Richard Lawrence spent the week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he prioritized patronizing local Black-owned businesses. Richard visited local gems including Honeybee and Sage Wellness, a serene space focused on holistic healing, and the vibrant Brownstone Social Lounge. Richard also explored the Sherman Phoenix Center, a local Black entrepreneurship business incubator that features everything from food to fashion, all under one roof. Richard rounded out his trip to a visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum and a Milwaukee Bucks playoff game! “This trip was a powerful reminder of how important it is to celebrate Black excellence, experience art and culture, and invest in community spaces wherever you travel”.
NLEN President & CEO Brenda M. Palms travelled to Savannah, Georgia, where she enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city and savored poolside tropical drinks. Palms described the excursion as “good for the soul” and the perfect opportunity to recharge before delving into a busy spring back in Chicago.
NLEN Chief Development and External Relations Officer Jessica N. Butler spent the week traveling to Houston to spend time with family and then enjoying a 3-night staycation at the WindCreek Casino-Southland, where she enjoyed indulgent spa treatments, delicious food, and pure relaxation. Jessica also prioritized health and well-being by attending her annual doctor’s visit, attending her uncle’s celebration of life, and spending time with her husband and children. Jessica found the week beneficial because “I made sure to take time for myself to do some visioning and goal planning for my future. This week was just what I needed, and I am grateful for the peace and rejuvenation that self-care brings".
Community Engagement and Service
Multiple NLEN Staff, spent the week giving back to communities across Chicago.
NLEN Staff including NLEN President and CEO Brenda M. Palms and NLEN Lead Facilitator Sadie Joseph, joined local community leaders for the grand opening of Lawndale Christian Legal Center’s new Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center on Sunday, April 27th! NLEN is proud to partner with LCLC and the Deer Center to provide our best-in-class workforce training programs to Der Center residents! “It was a distinct honor to celebrate the opening of the Deer Center with the North Lawndale Community. This center will change so many lives in North Lawndale and is the perfect tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Deer” says Palms.
NLEN Development & Communications Manager Elena Gormley spent Self-Care week speaking to law and social work students about ethics in community social work practice and child welfare system reform to students at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, and University of Chicago Law School! “Being able to speak and listen to the next generation of social justice advocates was incredibly invigorating and reminded me of why I do this work”, according to Gormley.
Reflecting on Social Justice Legacies
Five staff on NLEN’s Impact and Innovation team spent the week traveling to Montgomery, Alabama to visit historic Civil Rights movement sites and to tour The Legacy Museum.
The museum, operated by the Equal Justice Initiative, provides a detailed history of more than 400 years of history on the impact of the chattel slave trade in the United States, and its direct connection to mass incarceration today. NLEN Director of Facilitation and Organizational Learning Jose Wilson organized the trip and plans to host a session for staff reflecting on the visit. “When you spend your day immersing yourself at the museum, you see the straight, direct link from slavery to mass incarceration”, according to Wilson. “Having to see the painful, violent legacy of slavery and mass incarceration up close is difficult but knowing that history is vital in order to do the work charting a new history. The tough road ahead we know we can conquer, because at the Legacy Museum, we saw and stand on the strength and sacrifices of those who came before us.”
Carrying Self-Care Week Into Our Work
We have now returned to work, and all programs and services and beelove café operations have resumed. As we returned to our regular schedule, we received insights on self-care from Equity and Transformation Program Director Alonzo Waheed during our Global Staff Meeting at the end of April. Waheed spoke about physical, mental, spiritual, and financial self-care, and the importance of not “pouring everything out of your cup” as human services and social impact professionals. Waheed shared additional resources for staff to incorporate self-care in their day-to-day activities.
Connect with Us this May!
We hope you find ways to center care this Spring, and we invite you to join us at several upcoming events! Find all of our events on our website.
Join us Thursday, May 8th at our 1111 S. Homan Ave campus from 4-7PM for a free event to celebrate the café’s new menu! Mix and mingle while enjoying samples from our new vendors Laos to Your House, Mabe’s Sandwich Shop, Uncle Earl’s BBQ, and Sugar Bliss Bakery alongside café favorites from Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream and Treats and Trini’s Tasty Pastries! RSVP at may8party.eventbrite.com and contact the café at thebeelovecafe@nlen.org for more information.
Senator Lakesia Collin’s 5th Annual Mother’s Day Block Party!
We are proud to once again support State Senator Collin’s annual Mother’s Day Block Party. We will be sharing information and resources about our programs and services, alongside sampling spring café drinks on Saturday, May 10th from 12 to 3PM at UCAN’s 3605 W. Fillmore Ave. campus! Enjoy free food, music, and gifts for the caretakers in your life at this event!
Join us as we continue our 25th Anniversary celebration at our Pioneering Conversations and Film Premiere event Thursday, May 15th from 4:00 to 6:30APM at Chase Tower 110 N Wacker in the Third Floor Event Space. This event will feature the premiere of NLEN’s new Origin Story documentary, chronicling the origins of NLEN and Sweet Beginnings, and a panel discussion with the community leaders present at NLEN’s founding. Purchase tickets at this link. Contact our Development department at development@nlen.org to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
We hope that you can take time to care for yourself, and can take inspiration from our organizational efforts to prioritize self-care. Bee Well from all of us at NLEN!