“It Takes a Village” virtual baby shower empowers growing families in Altgeld Gardens

It takes a village to raise a child, and thanks to the Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 31 moms, soon-to-be moms, and dads in our Calumet Center’s Altgeld Gardens community are feeling a village’s worth of support!

The “It Takes a Village” Virtual Baby Shower, hosted by the CMAC Deltas, featured both a Zoom get-together and a socially distant drive-by event for our expectant families.

Metropolitan Calumet Program Director Carrie Pullie and Senior Program Supervisor Lakisha Hanson joined CMAC 2nd Vice President Melanie Martin Ware in hosting the virtual baby shower for our moms and families. The shower featured games, raffles, an Ask the Doctor segment, and a slide show of all the babies.

More than 50 members of the CMAC Deltas dropped off donated baby shower gifts and much-needed baby supplies, including clothes, wipes, bottles, and baby food. Special thank you to the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, which helped collect all gifts at Chicago Housing Authority (CHA)’s Altgeld Gardens, and to our community partners who helped fill the gift bags! Share Our Spare donated 1,500+ diapers, and Your Children’s Bookshelf contributed a tote bag for each child, full of children’s books to start developing early literacy.

We’re grateful to be able to provide these critical items for each of our growing families – including two sets of twins, for a total of 33 babies!

“This was important to our Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter because we really want to support the under-served area in the City of Chicago,” shared CMAC Chapter President Chimille Dillard.

“The leadership and collaboration of the Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in our Calumet communities and across Chicago, are truly inspiring,” shared Audrena Spence, Executive Director of Metropolitan Calumet. “Metropolitan’s Family Works staff were pleased to work with Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, the CPD, and CHA to support mothers at this important time in life.”

A special guest, Commissioner Kari K. Steele of the Water Reclamation District, also a member of the CMAC Deltas, not only shared her congratulations on the Zoom shower but also contributed gift bags to the items dropped off for our moms.

Thank you to Melanie Martin Ware, 2nd Vice President, and all our friends with the CMAC Deltas for all your efforts in empowering Metropolitan Calumet and the growing families we serve!

View a segment about the shower from WGN News here, and from ABC 7 Chicago below: