That new building being constructed on Kedzie & Lawrence is going to be a residence for the elderly

According to Albany Park Plaza workers (who interact with the construction workers regularly) this new building will be a residence home for the elderly. No indication it will be just for elderly Koreans, like the building next door. 

Enjoy that big crane:  

 

The Ecuadorian Association Needs Your Old Computers

 

  AEU Vice President Danny Siguenza and AEU volunteer Edwin Rivera. Both also volunteer at CeaseFire. 

The Asociacion Ecuador Unido (AEU or Ecuadorian Union Association in English) just north of Lawrence on Albany is currently trying to build a computer lab/free Internet cafe on their premises, and they are in desperate need of old computers and donations.

 "There's not a lot of places for youths to go to after school" said AEU Vice President Danny Siquenza, after citing McDonalds as an alternative and the Albany Park Neighborhood Association's computer area "which is always full."

 The computer hangout will be built in the main lobby (see above picture) by volunteers -- mostly parents who drop their children off for dance, music art or Tae Kwon Do lessons taught at the AEU said Siguenza.

The construction will include the demolishing of a wall and a new one to partition the lobby. The AEU will be holding a dance soon (TBD), tickets at $5, to raise money for dry wall, desks and other necessities.

The story behind the Ecuadorian Association's mural

There's not a whole lot of street art in Albany Park (occasionally gang graffiti will be somewhat pretty, but the whole "gang" business makes it hard to justify it as art), but one new community mural consistently catches my eye.

Located just north of Lawrence on Albany on the old garage door belonging to Asociacion Ecuador Unido (AEU or in English: Ecuadorian Union Association), this mural was completed near the end of August.

What it looked like on August 15th:

The mural was part of an Albany Park Neighborhood Association youth employment program, explained AEU Vice President Danny Siguenza today. About 80 teens in the community were given summer jobs at schools, nonprofits, daycares, hair salons and other local business as part of the program, and one of the jobs was painting this mural.