Jamie Sommer

  • Mentorship & Leadership Development Committee, Co-Chair, 2015-2016

President’s Letter

As my term as CALL president comes to an end and I reflect on the past year I find myself wondering how it went by so quickly, but also how we were able to accomplish so much in only 12 months. I have no answer to how we can slow down time, but I do know that our accomplishments are entirely possible because of the strength of our members. I was deeply disappointed that Covid finally caught up with me and prevented me from attending the May Business Meeting. I regret not being able to personally thank the Board members, committee chairs, and committee members who made this year such a success. Continue reading President’s Letter

President’s Letter

Happy New Year! Or perhaps Happy Lunar New Year is more appropriate as we are already into the 2nd month of 2022 but we are just now welcoming the Year of the Tiger.  In the zodiac tradition, the tiger symbolizes bravery and courage, and my new year wish for you is that this year brings you the strength and resilience needed to thrive during these challenging times. Continue reading President’s Letter

President’s Letter

Greetings CALL Colleagues,

As I sit down to write this, I see snowflakes in the forecast for the upcoming week, which means that the brief but glorious period of fall in Chicago is quickly transitioning into the colder, darker days of winter. Fortunately, it also means that the holidays are approaching and for many people such as me, this will bring celebratory gatherings with family and friends after a year of scaled back or cancelled festivities. Aside from the pure joy of sharing hugs and pumpkin pie, I appreciate the seasonal opportunity to pause and reflect on all that I am thankful for, including being part of this community. Continue reading President’s Letter

President’s Letter

Greetings CALL Colleagues,

We are at that time of the year where we feel pulled in two directions.  Trying to squeeze every last bit of relaxation we can into the final weeks of summer while also sprinting into fall, preparing for new students and new associates.  The tension between those tasks feels even more precarious this year as we factor in our “return to work” plans.  Are we going back to the office? How often? What will it look like? One thing we have gotten very good at over the past year is not only making plans, but also making contingency plans and maybe contingencies to those plans too.  The What Ifs loom large over all of our heads, which can be a source of stress, but I am choosing to look at this time as a source of opportunity. Continue reading President’s Letter

CALL Community Service Committee 2018-2019 Annual Report

Co-Chairs: Patricia Scott & Jamie Sommer

Members: Anne Danberg, Claire Toomey Durkin, Valerie Kropf, Nan Norton, Jamie Stewart

Board Liaison: Scott Vanderlin

Our Committee met virtually, via email, throughout the year to suggest, investigate, and choose Chicago-based organizations to highlight and collect donations for at our business meetings.  Different Committee members (noted below) took lead responsibility for organizing each meeting’s collections.  The following items and money were collected for the listed organizations at the CALL business meetings: Continue reading CALL Community Service Committee 2018-2019 Annual Report

CALL Community Service Committee Benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository

As has become tradition with the CALL Community Service Committee, this February we collected donations to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. At the February Business Meeting, we collected several grocery bags of food donations and $203 in cash donations. Combined with the generous donations made through our virtual food drive, CALL members gave a total of $576.58. Why such an usual total? The food bank’s Virtual Food Drive provided an opportunity for donors to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy for the food depository to distribute through its large network of agency partners throughout the city. Donors were able to purchase items such as a case of canned tuna ($23.48), a case of 9 gallons of milk ($13.64), or 50 lbs. of carrots ($26.50). Continue reading CALL Community Service Committee Benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository