Pay It Forward for Tami Love's Family
Tax deductible
***Logan Square Neighborhood Association will pass all funds raised through this page to Tami Love's family***
Tami Love made a transformative impact at Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and through her work with education justice, parent engagement, and affordable housing she mentored and inspired and made a lasting difference in the lives of countless Black and Brown folks in Chicago.
Because she has done so much, so many people have asked us how to pay it forward and give in any way that her family needs at this time. Funds we raise here will go straight to Tami's children so they can do whatever they choose.
LSNA staff and leaders are creating this fund out of love, big love, that we have for Tami, her family, and her legacy.
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Dear LSNA, parent mentor, and housing justice community,
Our dear Tami Love passed away on February 21, 2021. We are heartbroken and we are truly honored to have worked alongside her.
Tami Love joined LSNA as a parent of three children at Funston Elementary School. There, in 1995, she participated in the first-ever group of Parent Mentors. Through her love and leadership, the Parent Mentor Program grew to 10 schools in Logan Square, then 150 schools across Illinois, and even nationally. Thousands of women have felt Tami’s barrier-breaking passion and care through graduating from the Parent Mentor Program.
Tami went on to help create the Funston Community Learning Center. She and Ada Ayala led a team of Funston moms to interview 750 people in and around the school to learn what would best serve families in the community if the school was open in the evening. This led to the first School Community Learning Center in Illinois at Funston. Their work was used as wisdom and an example for the national 21st Century community schools initiative.
Tami was soon hired by Community Organizing and Family Issues where she continued to build the field of parent organizing in schools.
On her return to LSNA, Tami organized with Lathrop Homes residents in a decade+ long campaign to preserve, protect, and expand high quality public housing on the Northside and throughout the city. Tami was deeply involved in the Chicago Housing Initiative, the Balanced Development ordinance, and just about any fierce battle for the rights of Chicagoans to stay in their city.
She then went back to her Parent Mentor roots and helped shape the Parent Engagement Institute at LSNA. She fought for state funding to expand the Parent Mentor Program statewide, and then mentored and coached parent mentor organizers across the state to make sure the values and heart of the work was replicated with fidelity.
Tami was the most incredible trainer. Her humor and sincerity could keep a room laughing and lively for hours. No one could read a room like Tami could.
Tami took time to meet people where they were at, to listen, to try to learn their language, to celebrate small beautiful powerful personal changes as well as the big picture systemic changes.
Tami was a total nerd. She loved science and history and nature and technology and people. She was curious about everything and everybody.
In the coming days and years, we will create together new ways to honor Tami’s history with LSNA and our city. Please share photos and stories with us. Even if you were in just one meeting or training with Tami for 5 minutes, you probably carry a memory with you because she wanted every moment to really mean something.
Rest In Peace and Power Tami Love.
Tami Love made a transformative impact at Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and through her work with education justice, parent engagement, and affordable housing she mentored and inspired and made a lasting difference in the lives of countless Black and Brown folks in Chicago.
Because she has done so much, so many people have asked us how to pay it forward and give in any way that her family needs at this time. Funds we raise here will go straight to Tami's children so they can do whatever they choose.
LSNA staff and leaders are creating this fund out of love, big love, that we have for Tami, her family, and her legacy.
------
Dear LSNA, parent mentor, and housing justice community,
Our dear Tami Love passed away on February 21, 2021. We are heartbroken and we are truly honored to have worked alongside her.
Tami Love joined LSNA as a parent of three children at Funston Elementary School. There, in 1995, she participated in the first-ever group of Parent Mentors. Through her love and leadership, the Parent Mentor Program grew to 10 schools in Logan Square, then 150 schools across Illinois, and even nationally. Thousands of women have felt Tami’s barrier-breaking passion and care through graduating from the Parent Mentor Program.
Tami went on to help create the Funston Community Learning Center. She and Ada Ayala led a team of Funston moms to interview 750 people in and around the school to learn what would best serve families in the community if the school was open in the evening. This led to the first School Community Learning Center in Illinois at Funston. Their work was used as wisdom and an example for the national 21st Century community schools initiative.
Tami was soon hired by Community Organizing and Family Issues where she continued to build the field of parent organizing in schools.
On her return to LSNA, Tami organized with Lathrop Homes residents in a decade+ long campaign to preserve, protect, and expand high quality public housing on the Northside and throughout the city. Tami was deeply involved in the Chicago Housing Initiative, the Balanced Development ordinance, and just about any fierce battle for the rights of Chicagoans to stay in their city.
She then went back to her Parent Mentor roots and helped shape the Parent Engagement Institute at LSNA. She fought for state funding to expand the Parent Mentor Program statewide, and then mentored and coached parent mentor organizers across the state to make sure the values and heart of the work was replicated with fidelity.
Tami was the most incredible trainer. Her humor and sincerity could keep a room laughing and lively for hours. No one could read a room like Tami could.
Tami took time to meet people where they were at, to listen, to try to learn their language, to celebrate small beautiful powerful personal changes as well as the big picture systemic changes.
Tami was a total nerd. She loved science and history and nature and technology and people. She was curious about everything and everybody.
In the coming days and years, we will create together new ways to honor Tami’s history with LSNA and our city. Please share photos and stories with us. Even if you were in just one meeting or training with Tami for 5 minutes, you probably carry a memory with you because she wanted every moment to really mean something.
Rest In Peace and Power Tami Love.
Organizer
Bridget Murphy
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Beneficiary