Thank you to everyone who lent a hand, stopped by to chat, or helped organize the August 25th neighborhood cleanup and community gathering. It’s events like these that make Graceland West such a great place to live.
A huge thank you to local high schooler Jay Gillman for organizing and leading the cleanup effort as part of his work with Cleanup Club Chicago!
We had 24 neighbors participate—including local kids, new neighbors, and even a friendly dog! The weather was perfect and the collective effort made a visible difference around Lake View High School and the surrounding blocks.
Afterward, we gathered at the northeast corner of LVHS for pizza, sodas, and good conversation. The location was great as several passing neighbors stopped by to say hello, check out what we were up to, and join in.
GWCA Board Election Update
During our quick outdoor meeting, we officially re-elected Linda and Paul to the GWCA Council! Their terms run through December 31, 2027. Thank you, Linda and Paul, for your continued dedication to our community.
If you are interested in volunteering as part of the community association or have any questions about the organization, please reach out to info@gracelandwest.org.
Other News
Thanks to everyone who helped search for Oreo and return him to his family.
Save the date for our annual Neighborhood-wide Festival. Saturday September 19th from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Neighborhood Cleanup Led by local high school student Jay Gillman, to tidy up key areas around the neighborhood including the LVHS field, playlot, parking lot, and adjacent parkways.
After the cleanup, we’ll walk over to Warner Park to relax, grab a slice of pizza and meet your neighbors AND we’ll include a 10 minute 3rd Quarter GWCA meeting for members to vote on two GWCA Council positions.
Brad Pierce
Belle Plane and Greenview
4100 N Greenview Ave Chicago,
IL
60613United States+ Google Map
Spring is in full bloom, and our local butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are looking for a place to call home. That’s where our amazing community kids come in!
Our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event returns this Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Warner Park and Gardens.
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. They need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. Our kids will create a pollinator sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
Please dress your kiddos in clothes that are okay to get a little dirty. If you have kid-sized gardening gloves and a hand shovel, feel free to bring them along—otherwise, bare hands work beautifully, too!
One quick favor to help our park: You might notice some roped-off sections at Warner Park and Garden. The grass has been freshly reseeded. Please help us keep the kiddos (and grown-ups!) off those spots so the new grass can thrive. Because we’re giving the lawn some time to mature, we are postponing our upcoming events like Yoga and Fitness in the Park. Our pollinator planting is happening in a separate area, completely clear of the baby grass.
What an incredible Earth Week and first half of Spring it has been for our neighborhood! Thanks to the hard work of our amazing volunteers, donors, and partners, we have some massive achievements to celebrate. We are officially seeing the beautiful, compounding results of a journey that began over a decade ago.
A Milestone 11 Years in the Making
We are thrilled to announce that on Saturday, April 25th, GWCA officially hit its 2026 Pollinator/Stormwater Absorption goal for the entire year with the installation of our 18th site at Greenview and Warner!
This milestone is the culmination of a vision that started back in 2015 to expand the GWCA Pollinator Pathway.
A Massive Thank You To:
Our Donors & Members: Your donations and membership funds made this expansion possible.
Congressman Quigley & Landlord Marty Signa: Thank you for your incredible support of our green initiatives.
Our Hardworking Crews: A huge shoutout to the GWCA members, the 2025 LVHS JROTC, and the 2026 LVHS Garden Club (who also added gorgeous new native plants to the LVHS campus on Earth Day, April 22nd!).
Our Newest Team Members: A warm welcome to TJ and Karolina, who helped us cross the finish line on our 18th site!
Small Spaces, Massive Impact: The Science of Our Gardens
These aren’t just pretty flower beds—they are hard-working environmental assets. Each of our 18 sites is about 100 square feet, but look at what they do:
Incredible Water Absorption: Each 100 sq. ft. site absorbs more than 2,000 gallons of stormwater per year, keeping it out of our city sewer system.
Supercharged Soil: We amended the soil 6 inches deep for maximum absorbency using coconut coir and compost.
Symbiotic Roots: Plant roots were dusted with mycorrhizal inoculate fungi to help them grow strong and resilient.
Wildlife Habitats: We planted deep-rooted native species specifically chosen to provide essential habitats for birds, butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects.
Bring the Pathway to Your Yard!
We encourage all neighbors to adopt this model! The magic ratio is 100 square feet of native planting for every 3,000 square feet of lot.
You can make a huge difference right at home by swapping out non-permeable hardscapes (like concrete or non-permeable pavers) and non-absorptive landscapes (like standard grass turf) for deep-rooted native plants. If you need recommendations for great local native plant nurseries, Janice is happy to help!
Need some cleanup inspiration? Just take a look at the fantastic progress made by the team over at Access Contemporary Music (ACM)!
How You Can Get Involved Right Now
1. Volunteers Needed: Help Us Maintain Our Beautiful Corners
To keep our gardens thriving, we are looking for everyone to help pick up any litter you see in the neighborhood, specifically at our parkways, corners and the bioswales.
We’re also looking for a few helping hands to do light weeding and trash pickup at:
Southport & Cuyler – SE and SW Corners (2–3 volunteers needed)
No expert experience is required—we will train you! If you or a neighbor love plants and beautification, please email Janice (jhorwich@sbcglobal.net) and Linda (lmbw5@comcast.net).
2. Share Plants & Grab Compost
Native Plants: Please let Linda and Janice know if you have native plants to share, or if your specific site needs a few more.
Mushroom Compost: We have extra bags of mushroom compost available to help your garden beds thrive. Reach out to Janice and Linda to claim what you need.
3. Coming Up Next: Fun for the Whole Family!
We have a wonderful event coming up perfect for our youngest gardeners…We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event on Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AMat Warner Park and Gardens.
Why Pollinators?
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. But they need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. In just 30 minutes, our kids will create a vibrant sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
What to Expect:
Hands-on Fun: Kids will get to dig in the dirt and plant their very own pollinator-friendly flowers.
Mini-Lesson: A super quick, kid-friendly chat about how bees and butterflies help our gardens grow.
Community Connection: Connect with other local families and watch your hard work grow week after week!
We can’t wait to dig in with you and make our community a little greener, one flower at a time!
Grab your hats and get ready to get your hands a little dirty. Join us for a fun, fast-paced, 30-minute pollinator planting session just for kids!
We’ll be planting beautiful, pollinator-friendly flowers to help our local bees, butterflies, and birds thrive. It’s the perfect way to kick off your Sunday morning with some fresh air and community fun.
Who: Kids of all ages (and their grown-ups)
What to bring: Garden gloves if you have them and a water bottle. (We’ll provide the tools and plants)
Where: Warner Park and Gardens
See you in the garden!
Linda Welsh
lmbw5@comcast.net
Belle Plane and Greenview
4100 N Greenview Ave Chicago,
IL
60613United States+ Google Map
November 15, 2025
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10:00 am
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November 23, 2025
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5:00 pm
The cleanup officially kicks off on Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM! Meet at Greenview and Belle Plaine, Berteau or Cullom. Please bring a rake or a dustpan to scoop leaves into bags and 3 bags. We will have extra bags at Greenview and Belle Plaine. Pizza will be served at 11:15 at Warner Park and Gardens, courtesy of Jet’s pizza 2811 N Ashland Ave.
The GWCA Street Leaf Cleanup runs from November 15th through November 23rd. We encourage all residents to continue cleaning their streets and parkways throughout this period. Streets and sanitation will pick up bagged leaves on parkways after November 23rd.
Don’t forget our Q4 community meeting at ACM (4116 N Clark) this Thursday, November 13th at 7:00 PM, featuring Via Chicago, and our council member elections.
Then…
…It’s time to don your gloves and grab your rakes! GWCA is thrilled to announce the return of our Annual Street Leaf Cleanup, an essential community effort that helps keep our neighborhood clean, safe, and beautiful all winter long.
Kickoff Event & Celebration
The cleanup officially kicks off on Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM! Meet at Greenview and Belle Plaine, Berteau or Cullom. Please bring a rake or a dustpan to scoop leaves into bags and 3 bags. We will have extra bags at Greenview and Belle Plaine.
Join your neighbors in raking leaves from our streets and crosswalks. This short, high-energy volunteer effort is a fun way to connect with the community and make a big impact.
The kickoff will culminate in a well-deserved celebration: Pizza in Warner Park! We’ll gather at the park around 11:30 AM to share a slice and celebrate our collective hard work.
The Full Cleanup Period
While the kickoff is a fun way to start, the GWCA Street Leaf Cleanup runs from November 15th through November 23rd. We encourage all residents to continue cleaning their streets and parkways throughout this period. Streets and sanitation will pick up bagged leaves on parkways after November 23rd.
Why Your Participation Matters
The Annual Street Leaf Cleanup is a crucial part of our neighborhood’s Eco, Gardens, and Green Space initiatives. By getting street leaves into bags, we accomplish several important goals:
Reduce Flooding: Loose leaves are the primary cause of clogged storm drains, leading to standing water and basement flooding. Clearing the sewer grates is our #1 priority!
Improve Safety: Piles of wet leaves can create slippery hazards for pedestrians and drivers, especially at crosswalks and intersections.
Prepare for Winter: Removing leaves makes winter snow shoveling significantly easier.
In previous years, our incredible volunteers have collected hundreds of bags of leaves, making a noticeable difference across the entire area (Montrose, Clark, Irving Park, and Ashland borders). Let’s make this year our biggest and best cleanup yet!
It’s time for one last celebration of the Halloween season—the annual Pumpkin Smash!
Thanks to the incredible community spirit and effort, everyone’s commitment has made the Lake View High School location the largest smash and compost event in the city! Last year, with the help of our partners like Lake View High School, their JROTC, and the 47th Ward, we composted over 19,000 pounds of pumpkins, keeping a huge amount of organic waste out of landfills.
This year, we’re challenging ourselves to reach a new milestone: Let’s double the tonnage! Join us in this fun, eco-friendly way to green your Halloween and support the environment.
Event Details
When:Saturday, November 8, 10 am – 2 pm
Where:Lake View High School parking lot, Greenview entrance from Irving Park
How to Participate
Bring Your Pumpkins and Gourds: All decorative squashes are welcome.
Prep Your Pumpkins: Please ensure you remove stickers and candles first!
Show Your Spirit: Halloween celebrants are encouraged to wear their costumes one more time.
Go Green on Transport: We love how many neighbors biked or brought their pumpkins in Radio Flyer or other wagons—it’s the best way to get them to the smash!
Let’s beat last year’s record and make an even bigger impact on our composting efforts!
Don’t forget—our Graceland West Community Meeting is Tomorrow, Thursday, June 19 6:00–7:30 PM Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner
We’ll be covering important neighborhood updates, electing new council members, sharing exciting environmental wins—and wrapping it all up with a Summer Solstice Potluck!
Bring:
A dish to share
Your own beverage + container
Reusable utensils
A neighbor or two!
Come early at 5:25 PM if you’re able to help set up tables. Stay a few minutes after 7:30 PM to help pack them away.
This is a great opportunity to connect with neighbors, shape our community’s future, and enjoy a beautiful summer evening in the park.
