BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Building Peaceful Bridges - ECPv6.17.4.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Building Peaceful Bridges REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20210314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20211107T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20220313T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20221106T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20230312T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20231105T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20240310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20241103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20260308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20261101T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20270314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20271107T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20221012T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221012T200000 DTSTAMP:20221004T150134Z CREATED:20220728T200731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221004T150134Z UID:10000368-1665601200-1665604800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: Dr. Wendy Pearlman DESCRIPTION:Christmas Gathering of Bridge Builders\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\nBuilding Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is excited to welcome Dr. Wendy Pearlman at our next book club meeting on Wednesday\, October 12\, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. CST. Dr. Pearlman will lead our discussion about her book\, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria\, which was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal. \nThe Syrian crisis has mostly disappeared from the news as the world’s attention is drawn to new crises and conflicts. However\, there are 670\,000 registered Syrian refugees in Jordan; 80\,000 are housed in the Zaatari Refugee Camp\, the third largest in the world. Unemployment\, aging homes\, services and UNHCR funding have been cut\, with Syrian refugees “falling back into a dependency on humanitarian assistance for people that tried to stand on their own two feet.” * \nWendy Pearlman is Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University\, where she also holds the Charles Deering McCormick Professorship of Teaching Excellence.We Crossed A Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (2017)\, >Violence\, Nonviolence\, and the Palestinian National Movement (2011) Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada (2003)\, and Triadic Coercion: Israel’s Targeting of States that Host Nonstate Actors (co-authored with Boaz Atzili\, 2018). Her current book project is tentatively titled Home is the Details: Narratives from the New Syrian Diaspora. \n*Read more about the Syrian crisis here. \n\n \n  URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/reading-refuge-10-12-22/ LOCATION:IL\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20221201T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221201T200000 DTSTAMP:20221202T151427Z CREATED:20220912T230547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221202T151427Z UID:10000373-1669921200-1669924800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:2022 Annual Event - Gather for Good DESCRIPTION:Call to Action\n\n \n \n \n \n \n NEW! Donate using Zelle. \nNow\, you can donate using Zelle. Using this method means that more of your donation goes to helping refugees as there are no fees with Zelle (Cedit Card payments deduct a fee). \nOur Zelle email: finance@buildingpeacefulbridges.org \nOf course\, if you don’t use Zelle\, please use the form to donate using PayPal or a Credit Card. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Buy Raffle Tickets\n \nThis event has ended. We still welcome donations to the Annual Fund. \n \n \n \n \n \n Raffle Prizes\n\nChicago Architecture Center: Four walking tour passes\nRavinia – four general admission lawn tickets for a classical performance\nMarriott Theatre Lincolnshire: Two tickets\nKohl Children’s Museum:  Family admission (for 4)\nNorth Suburban YMCA: Three month family membership\nChicago Wolves: Two tickets\nLifeline Theatre: Two tickets\nTheo Ubique Theatre: Two tickets\nMitchell Museum of the American Indian: Family membership\nYogaSix Glenview: One month of yoga and swag\nYogaview : One month of yoga\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Auction Prize (to be auctioned during the event)\nChef’s tasting for 2 at Pomeroy or Sophia Steak\nfrom Ballyhoo Hospitality URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/2022-annual-event/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230426T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230426T200000 DTSTAMP:20230405T163352Z CREATED:20230405T145249Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230405T163352Z UID:10000374-1682535600-1682539200@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: Butterfly/Swimmers DESCRIPTION:BPB invites you to discuss the inspiring story of sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini on Zoom on Wednesday\, April 26 at 7 p.m. This quarter\, there are two ways to engage before our discussion: \nRead Yusra Mardini’s memoir “Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue\, Hope and Triumph.” Or\, you can watch the biographical sports drama The Swimmers. Based on the true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini\, Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” is a touching portrait of their fight to survive and achieve the impossible. \nThe sisters grew up in Syria\, training to become swimmers\, until the Syrian civil war\, which broke out in March 2011. The fighting and bombing resulted in their house being destroyed\, and Ezzat\, the girls’ father\, was taken away and tortured after being mistaken for someone else. When an unexploded bomb landed in the pool where they trained\, Sara realized that they needed to leave. In August of 2015\, their parents decided to send them to Europe.The sisters packed into a small rubber boat to try to reach Europe from the Turkish Coast. The book and movie tells the gripping tale of their journey. \n \nThe hope and determination of the Mardini sisters’ story transcends medium. Please invite your family\, friends and colleagues to join – all are welcome. \n  \n  URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/reading-refuge-swimmers/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230830T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230830T200000 DTSTAMP:20230804T001257Z CREATED:20230724T135400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230804T001257Z UID:10000376-1693422000-1693425600@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: Sola Mahfouz DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to welcome Sola Mahfouz to talk about her new book\, Defiant Dreams\, a searing\, deeply personal memoir of a tenacious Afghan girl who educated herself behind closed doors and fought her way to a new life. Sola Mahfouz\, born in Afghanistan in 1996\, faced immense hardships under the Taliban’s rule\, being denied education and freedom. Determined to change her fate\, she secretly taught herself math and English\, eventually escaping to the United States in 2016. \nSola is currently a quantum computing researcher at Tufts University Quantum Information Group. In her free time she is focusing on reading and studying different styles of fiction\, as well as writing about the rugged homeland she has left behind. She lives in Boston\, Massachusetts. \nSola’s inspiring journey reflects the struggles of many Afghan women striving for freedom and opportunity. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Watch Sola Mahfouz and co-author Malaina Kapoor in an interview with Katty Kay on the Morning Joe show.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Defiant Dreams is “A searing\, deeply personal memoir of a tenacious Afghan girl who educated herself behind closed doors and fought her way to a new life.” “Stories like this inspire me. Seeing the way people like Sola Mahfouz think about the world reinforces my optimism about the future.”―BILL GATES URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/reading-refuge-sola-mahfouz/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231025T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231025T200000 DTSTAMP:20230925T145344Z CREATED:20230901T163749Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230925T145344Z UID:10000380-1698260400-1698264000@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: Dr. Nour Akhras DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to partner with the Syrian Community Network in welcoming Dr. Nour Akhras to talk about her new book\, Just One: A Journey of Perseverance and Conviction\,  which chronicles the life of Dr. Akhras\, a Syrian American doctor. Dr. Akhras is a pediatric infectious diseases physician\, one of only 1\,500 in the United States. Just One honestly portrays her struggles as an American Muslim in an Islamophobic climate and as a mother providing humanitarian aid in war-torn countries around the globe. Throughout her journey\, she takes inspiration from the extraordinary courage of young and old refugees forced to abandon their homes yet determined to survive and rebuild their lives. Each story is different\, and every loss is personal. Between heartbreaking realities and moments of resilience\, she implores readers to respect the dignity of every human life. \nDr. Akhras has been working at a free-standing Women and Children’s hospital in the suburbs of Chicago for the last decade.  She trained in pediatrics at the University of Illinois – Chicago and completed her fellowship in Ann Arbor. She has traveled on multiple medical missions to serve Syrian refugees in Turkey and Greece as well as displaced victims of war in Yemen.  She has served on the boards of NGOs like MedGlobal and the Syrian-American Medical Society. Dr. Akhras has advocated for the rights of refugees by authoring op eds in local and national newspapers and via speaking engagements\, including presenting at Washington DC’s National Press Club discussing the effects of Syrian war violence on the lives of women and children. As the Syrian crisis continues in its twelfth year\, she continues to advocate for peaceful change such that the 6 million Syrian refugees displaced throughout the world can find a path home. URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/book-club-nour-akhras/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231130T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231130T210000 DTSTAMP:20240711T205729Z CREATED:20230905T205239Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240711T205729Z UID:10000378-1701369000-1701378000@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Gather for Good - Annual Event 2023 DESCRIPTION:2901 West Lake Ave\, Glenview\, IL 600266:30 – 9:00 pm\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Can’t make it to the event\, but still want to donate to help newcomer families? \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n YES. Donate Now!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n One week at the Residences of Hacienda Encantada in a 2- bedroom villa.  (Cabo San Lucas\, Mexico). \nBid Now\n \n \n \n \n \n \nPrivate sightseeing flight in the Chicago and surrounding area for up to 5 people. \nBid Now\n \n \n \n \n \n \nTwo Bears Game Tickets (24/25 Season)Including parking pass and team swag \nBid Now URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/annual-event-2023/ LOCATION:The Glen Club\, 2901 West Lake Ave\, Glenview\, 60026\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240227T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240227T210000 DTSTAMP:20240208T155048Z CREATED:20240208T154746Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240208T155048Z UID:10000383-1709060400-1709067600@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:North Shore Migrant Response DESCRIPTION:BPB is pleased to co-sponsor this important conversation. The event is free\, but please register so we know that your coming! URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/north-shore-migrant-response/ LOCATION:St. Francis Xavier School Gym\, 808 Linden Ave\, Wilmette\, 60091\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240501T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240501T200000 DTSTAMP:20240401T145359Z CREATED:20240131T150314Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240401T145359Z UID:10000382-1714590000-1714593600@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: Stephanie Saldaña DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie Saldaña to talk about her book\, What We Remember Will Be Saved: A Story of Refugees and the Things They Carry. \n\nEggplant seeds\, a lullaby in a vanishing language\, an embroidered dress. When people flee their homes\, the things they save speak of beauty and suffering and the indomitable human spirit. \nIn an era of mass migration in which more than 100 million people are displaced comes this lyrical portrait of Syrian and Iraqi refugees and the belongings they carry. What We Remember Will Be Saved is a book of hope\, home\, and the stories we hold within us when everything else has been lost. \nJournalist and scholar Stephanie Saldaña\, who lived in Syria before the war\, sets out on a journey across nine countries to meet refugees and learn what they salvaged from the ruins when they escaped. Now\, in the narratives of six extraordinary women and men\, from Mt. Sinjar to Aleppo to Lesvos to Amsterdam\, we discover that the little things matter a great deal. Saldaña introduces us to a woman who saved her city in a dress\, a musician who saved his stories in songs\, and a couple who rebuilt their destroyed pharmacy even as the city around them fell apart. Together they provide a window into a religiously diverse corner of the Middle East on the edge of unraveling\, and the people keeping it alive with their stories. \nBorn of years of friendship and reporting\, What We Remember Will Be Saved is a breathtaking\, elegiac odyssey into the heart of the largest refugee crisis in modern history. It reminds us that refugees are storytellers and speakers of vanishing languages\, and of how much history can be distilled into a piece of fabric\, or eggplant seeds. What we salvage tells our story. What we remember will be saved. URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/book-club-stephanie-saldana/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240618T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240618T130000 DTSTAMP:20240606T152600Z CREATED:20240606T140827Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240606T152600Z UID:10000385-1718712000-1718715600@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Learning Luncheon - Urban Institute\, Afghan Resettlement Status DESCRIPTION:Urban Institute – Afghan Resettlement Status\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n We are pleased to welcome Diana Guelespe\, PhD\, Urban Institute\, and Jessica Darrow\, PhD\, University of Chicago\, to BPB’s Learning Luncheon which focuses on the status of Afghan Resettlement. \nThe Urban Institute and The Crown Family School of Social Work\, Policy\, and Practice\, at the University of Chicago recently published the Urban Institute Report: ‘Examining Afghan Evacuees’ Resettlement: Insights and Lessons for Future Humanitarian Populations. BPB was one of the stakeholders of the report by participating in the interviews. \nThe Report is a study on how Afghan evacuees are faring across multiple dimensions of their life one year after their arrival\, and how the broader community and resettlement infrastructure has responded to the complex needs of the evacuees. This project can help create a framework of proactive policies that better prepare the US government\, resettlement agencies\, and other groups to more cohesively meet the needs of people during humanitarian crises. \nThe report is based on 36 interviews with Afghan evacuees who arrived in the United States in the fall of 2021 and 51 interviews with community stakeholders across three study sites—Chicago\, San Antonio\, and northern Virginia. \n  \n\n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Diana Guelespe is a senior research associate in the Income and Benefits Policy Center and a former equity scholar at the Urban Institute. She is a sociologist with over 20 years of experience working with immigrant and refugee communities at the local\, state\, and national levels. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Jessica Darrow is Associate Instructional Professor and Coordinator of the Kiphart Scholars Program in Global Health and Social Development at the Crown Family School of Social Work\, Policy\, and Practice​​​​​​\, at the University of Chicago.  Her research focuses on refugee integration and resettlement policy\, and implementation of social policies. URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/learning-luncheon-06-18-24/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241024T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241024T130000 DTSTAMP:20240914T134919Z CREATED:20240914T133640Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240914T134919Z UID:10000387-1729771200-1729774800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: The Truth About Immigration DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to welcome Zeke Hernandez to talk about his book\, The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers. \nThe book combines moving personal stories with rigorous evidence to offer an accessible\, apolitical\, and fact-based look at how newcomers affect our local communities and our nation. Hernandez turns conventional thinking on its head by covering issues such as migration’s effect on the economy and migration as a social issue. \nMost books making a case for immigration tell you that immigration is good for immigrants. The Truth About Immigration is all about how newcomers benefit you\, your community\, and your country. A nation without immigration quickly becomes a stagnant pond instead of a thriving lake. With Hernandez’s insight we can all see how America needs to welcome immigrants to remain an ever evolving country dedicated to its founding ideals of life\, liberty\, and the pursuit of happiness. \nThis event is being supported with book sales through The Book Stall\, an independent book store in Winnetka\, IL. 847-446-8880 URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/immigration/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241114T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241114T213000 DTSTAMP:20241111T180406Z CREATED:20240410T185813Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241111T180406Z UID:10000384-1731608100-1731619800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:2024 Annual Event - Gather for Good DESCRIPTION:2901 West Lake Ave\, Glenview\, IL 600266:15 – 9:30 pm\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Registration for the 2024 Gather for Good Annual Event is closed. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Not coming to the event\, but still want to donate to help newcomer families? \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n YES. Donate Now!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Quilt Project\nAfter our last book club featuring Stephanie Saldana’s book\,  “What We Remember Will be Saved\,”  we were inspired to create a quilt with our newcomer families and their mentors. \nEach patch or piece of fabric symbolizes different memories\, traditions\, or aspects of their culture. When put together\, they create a cohesive and comforting whole that embodies the essence of home. \nThe idea of Home is personal and universal. Each of our families left their home countries under a variety of circumstances and are creating new homes here in the Chicago area. \nAdjusting to a new place and language can be very challenging and maintaining traditions and values from one’s home culture can provide a sense of familiarity and comfort. \nQuilts tell stories\, evoke nostalgia\, and provide a tangible connection to one’s heritage and past. They can also be a source of warmth and comfort\, both physically and emotionally. \nWe are thrilled to be making this one of a kind quilt with our families and will be using it at all of our future Educational Events to help the community gain an understanding of the newcomer journey. \n \n \n \n \n \n Impact\nWe will be having a fundraising appeal at this year’s event! It’s your opportunity to make a direct and immediate impact. Every dollar raised will go towards helping our newcomer families become successful\, independent members of society. \nWith your help\, we can achieve our fundraising goals! \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n Sponsorship Opportunities\nInterested in becoming a sponsor?See details here. \nPlease contact lorilucchetti@buildingpeacefulbridges.org. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Quilt Project\nAfter our last book club featuring Stephanie Saldana’s book\,  “What We Remember Will be Saved\,”  we were inspired to create a quilt with our newcomer families and their mentors. \nEach patch or piece of fabric symbolizes different memories\, traditions\, or aspects of their culture. When put together\, they create a cohesive and comforting whole that embodies the essence of home. \nThe idea of Home is personal and universal. Each of our families left their home countries under a variety of circumstances and are creating new homes here in the Chicago area. \nAdjusting to a new place and language can be very challenging and maintaining traditions and values from one’s home culture can provide a sense of familiarity and comfort. \nQuilts tell stories\, evoke nostalgia\, and provide a tangible connection to one’s heritage and past. They can also be a source of warmth and comfort\, both physically and emotionally. \nWe are thrilled to be making this one of a kind quilt with our families and will be using it at all of our future Educational Events to help the community gain an understanding of the newcomer journey. \n \n \n \n \n \n Impact\nWe will be having a fundraising appeal at this year’s event! It’s your opportunity to make a direct and immediate impact. Every dollar raised will go towards helping our newcomer families become successful\, independent members of society. \nWith your help\, we can achieve our fundraising goals! \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n Sponsorship Opportunities\nInterested in becoming a sponsor?See details here. \nPlease contact lorilucchetti@buildingpeacefulbridges.org. URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/annual-event-2024/ LOCATION:The Glen Club\, 2901 West Lake Ave\, Glenview\, 60026\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251015T200000 DTSTAMP:20250904T152644Z CREATED:20250904T150315Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250904T152644Z UID:10000390-1760554800-1760558400@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Reading Refuge Book Club: The Lion Women of Tehran DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to welcome Marjan Kamali to talk about her book\, The Lion Women of Tehran\, a heartfelt\, epic novel of friendship\, betrayal\, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran\, Iran. \nREGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT – SEE BELOW \nThe book is a heartfelt\, epic new novel of friendship\, betrayal\, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran\, Iran. In 1950s Tehran\, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father\, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Here Ellie meets Homa\, a kind\, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together\, the two girls play games\, learn to cook\, wander through the Grand Bazaar\, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.” But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Years later\, Homa’s sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives. Together\, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point\, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences. URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/reading-refuge-lion-women/ LOCATION:Virtual ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251112T181500 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251112T213000 DTSTAMP:20251107T165803Z CREATED:20250729T150049Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251107T165803Z UID:10000388-1762971300-1762983000@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Annual Event 2025 DESCRIPTION:2901 West Lake Ave\, Glenview\, IL 600266:15 – 9:30 pm\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Wednesday\, November 12\, 2025\n\nEVENT IS SOLD OUT!\nSEND EMAIL TO kevin@bpbgroup.org to be put on a wait list. \nWe will be coming together with our community to raise funds and hear stories of our newcomer families’ journeys from home country to resettlement. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Not coming to the event\, but still want to donate to help newcomer families?\n \n YES. Donate Now!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sponsorship OpportunitiesInterested in becoming a sponsor?\n \n See Details Here\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Let Your Dreams Soar\nAll of us have hopes and dreams.  For ourselves\, our families\, our country.  The theme of this year’s Gather for Good event brings newcomer dreams alive through visualizing them as kites soaring high.  Each kite decorating the gala\, large and small\, will be imprinted with a dream that was shared by a BPB family member. \nKites can only stay aloft through solid ground support and wind strength.  Similarly\, our newcomer family dreams need solid donor support and strong advocacy to remain viable.  We hope the dreams presented will resonate within and beyond our BPB community and find overwhelming and positive response.\n \n \n \n \n \n Impact\nWe will be having a fundraising appeal at this year’s event! It’s your opportunity to make a direct and immediate impact. Every dollar raised will go towards helping our newcomer families become successful\, independent members of society. \nWith your help\, we can achieve our fundraising goals! URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/annual-event-2025/ LOCATION:IL ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260802T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260802T210000 DTSTAMP:20260608T202230Z CREATED:20260602T122949Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260608T202230Z UID:10000391-1785697200-1785704400@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Jazz for Food Aid DESCRIPTION:A fundraiser featuring Second City Jazz to help Building Peaceful Bridges provide food for newcomers who have lost SNAP benefits.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n SPONSOR: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Evanston (UUCE) \nADDRESS: 1330 Ridge Avenue\, Evanston\, IL 60201. Parking Available. \nDATE: Sun.\, Aug. 2nd\, 20266 PM Doors Open7 PM First set\, break\, and second set9 PM Closing \nSUGGESTED DONATION:$40 for one person$30 for each additional person$20 for students \nREFRESHMENTS: Light refreshments will be available for sale. \nThank you to Second City Jazz for donating their performance. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Fill out my LGL Form! \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n I can't make it\, but I still want to Donate!\n \n \n \n \n \n Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) is a community-based not for profit dedicated to supporting refugees and newcomers as they integrate into American society. Their programs serve families in the Evanston\, Skokie\, Glenview\, Rogers Park and Des Plaines communities.\nBPB newcomer families are facing acute food shortage due to the federal government’s current policy ending their enrollment in the SNAP (food stamp program) URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/uuce/ LOCATION:UUCE\, 1330 Ridge Avenue\, Evanston\, 60201\, United States END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260924T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260924T203000 DTSTAMP:20260909T154446Z CREATED:20260909T153632Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260909T154446Z UID:10000392-1790276400-1790281800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:"Mi Raza" Film Screening DESCRIPTION:Building Peaceful Bridges is collaborating with the Chicago Film Archives to host a screening of Mi Raza: Portrait of a Family (1973)\, an intimate documentary following the multi-generational Navarro family in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood as they navigate cultural identity\, assimilation\, and the emerging Chicano movement. Stay for a panel discussion with the Director Susan Stechnij\, Professor Xóchitl Bada\, and Brian Herrera as they reflect on the film’s lasting relevance. \nThe event will take place on Thursday\, September 24th from 7–8:30 pm at the Glenview Public Library Community Room.  \n  \n \n Register Now URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/mir-raza-film/ LOCATION:Glenview Public Library\, 1930 Glenview Rd\, Glenview\, IL\, 60025\, United States ORGANIZER;CN="Building Peaceful Bridges":MAILTO:admin@buildingpeacefulbridges.org GEO:42.0732058;-87.8084898 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Glenview Public Library 1930 Glenview Rd Glenview IL 60025 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1930 Glenview Rd:geo:-87.8084898,42.0732058 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261110T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261110T200000 DTSTAMP:20260925T153017Z CREATED:20260925T142712Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T153017Z UID:10000394-1794333600-1794340800@www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org SUMMARY:Annual Event 2026 DESCRIPTION:DATE & TIME: Tuesday\, November 10 from 6-8 PM with a short program starting at ~7 PM \nVENUE: Glencoe Golf Club\, 621 Westley Rd\, Glencoe\, IL 60022 — Parking available! \nFOOD: Food stations\, N/A beverages\, and beer and wine \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gather for Good 2026 Registration\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Fill out my LGL Form!\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n I can't make it\, but I still want to Donate! URL:https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/calendar/annual-event-2026/ LOCATION:Glencoe Golf Club\, 621 Westley Rd.\, Glencoe\, IL\, 60022\, United States END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR