Summer Church Outing – Rush West Side Walk for Wellness 7/20
Event Summary: “Let’s walk together! Join Rush and the American Medical Association this summer as we walk for improved health and to strengthen the bonds with our West Side neighbors. Rush health professionals/students will give wellness tips before each walk in Garfield Park.”
Last week Rev. McCoy, Piers Fetters, and Aimee Hilliard traveled down the road to Fourth Presbyterian to hear a lecture given by Rush Hospital’s Dr. David Ansell. The talk was sponsored by Interfaith Coalition Against Racism of which the Temple is a member. In the talk Dr. Ansell described the systemic problems our communities are facing in Chicago:
“We hear plenty about the widening income gap between the rich and the poor in America and about the expanding distance separating the haves and the have-nots. But when detailing the many things that the poor have not, we often overlook the most critical—their health. The poor die sooner. Blacks die sooner. And poor urban blacks die sooner than almost all other Americans. In nearly four decades as a doctor at hospitals serving some of the poorest communities in Chicago, David Ansell has witnessed firsthand the lives behind these devastating statistics. In The Death Gap, he gives a grim survey of these realities, drawn from observations and stories of his patients.”
Dr. Ansell ended his talk by describing what we can do in response to such inequality, engage & invest in those local communities that are most affected by systemic racist practices and policies. We have the opportunity to do just that and participate with Dr. Ansell and Rush Hospital as they walk for wellness on the west side.
We would love to have a group from the Temple attend one of these monthly walks for wellness. On Saturday July 20th, Piers Fetters will be leading whoever would like to join in, on a trip to the West Side. We will meet in the Narthex of the Chicago Temple at 9:00 AM on July 20th and take a ride on the green line over to Garfield Park where we will meet up with other walkers. We would love to see many of you there as we work to engage with the communities that surround our church. All are welcome!
You need to register to participate and you may do so at this link – https://bit.ly/2XFYoBq