Logan Square Neighborhood Association 2840 N MILWAUKEE AVE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 60618 PHONE (773) 384-4370 FAX (773)

384-0624 www.lsna.net

September 14, 2010 Dear Sir or Madam; Have you ever had an employee that you just refused to let go of because they are so talented? Thats how I felt about Rebecca Walz. And Im not just saying this to use a wornout clich. I literally refused to let her go. I told her she was extremely talented as a community organizer and that she needed to give it more time. I begged her to reconsider, so she did and stayed another year. And though her heart was only about ! in it, Rebecca still left a strong and lasting mark on our organization, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and on me, even as I finally understood that she needed to follow her passion, which is teaching young people and helping them to develop their full potential. Here are some of the reasons that Rebecca was so hard to let go: 1. Shes very relational: Many people think of community organizers as rabid, vocal protesters. Some are, but beyond that you have to have a deep, strong interest in people: in their stories, their interests and their passions. This interest has to be genuine, it cant be faked, and Rebecca is extremely genuine. She puts people at ease with her quiet interest in them. 2. She is very skilled at helping people identify and develop their own talents: Under Rebeccas mentorship, one of our youth leaders became a board member of our organization; one of the youngest board members that the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) has ever had. She also helped many other people, from all different backgrounds: young, old, Latino, White, African-American, poor, wealthy, parents and non-parents, find their own leadership potential and figure out how they could contribute to their community. 3. She is extremely hard-working: Rebecca does not do things halfway. She puts in the necessary hours to be successful, no matter how long that is. For example, we had decided to do a pledge drive and gather signatures of support for an affordable housing project we are supporting in the community. The goal was 1,000 signatures, which seemed lofty but do-able. Rebecca motivated our members to go out and collect 3,150 signatures. This effort was referenced by our local politician when we recently won the necessary zoning changes for the project despite small but vocal opposition. 4. She is always reaching to do better: Rebecca realized that LSNA was losing an opportunity to build allies and support by not reaching out in a deliberate way to young, new residents of Logan Square. She set out to do this in an organized and conscientious way and encouraged others to do the same. These efforts have really helped expand the energy of LSNA beyond our traditional base with public school families and church leaders.

5. She is analytical and uses the results of her analyses to make changes: This quality cannot be overrated. There are many people I have come across who are scared to make changes. They would rather keep doing the same thing and defend mediocre results than figure out whats going wrong and how to make it better. There are others, particularly with Chicagos educational leadership in my last 15 years in the field, who are on to the next new idea without letting the last one gel, take hold and be tweaked. Rebecca strikes a balance between these traits. For example, we were talking one day about the different styles of organizing that LSNA engages in. She was being pressured by a colleague from another organization and a board member to take a more aggressive tact on an organizing campaign. As we discussed and analyzed the situation, it dawned on us together that although we use various styles in various contexts, we didnt have a formal framework, discussion or understanding among the 30 full time staff, 100 part time staff and hundreds of leaders who work with LSNA or participate in our programs and campaigns on a daily basis. We began to conceptualize a training that would address this deficit. Although Rebecca left the organization before we conducted the training, it was her energy and analysis that got us going. We did our first training series in July and August, and it was very successful. We are planning our second series for October. 6. She adjusts her practice based on the needs of different audiences: Rebecca is very smart and cerebral. Some of our groups, like the LSNA Housing Committee, prefer a presentation and small group discussion of information presented, despite how technical, like Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Others, however, like the parents we work with through our elementary school members, are not generally as familiar with this technical information and wouldve gotten lost and bored with a presentation. In that case Rebecca tweaked the presentation, and incorporated a lot more fun, hands-on learning activities, like TIF Bingo. The same information was learned and absorbed, albeit in a different style. As I read the instructions for the recommendation letter, I realized that I that I hadnt addressed Rebeccas challenges. I hadnt addressed them because her strengths outweigh them. However, if I have to identify some of her challenges, one is to not give herself enough credit and to allow others to cause her to second guess herself, even when she is probably right. A second challenge she has is to make sure she is able to shake off what she perceives as a failure instead of letting it affect her too deeply. Personally, I think that is an admirable trait for a teacher as a parent, I do not want my child to be the one thats so difficult the teacher shakes her off. On the other hand, sometimes you can only do everything you can do, and you cant let a failure bring you down too deeply, as it can then affect the rest of your work. When staff of LSNA had a goodbye brunch for Rebecca, there were many of us that discussed how deeply she touched our lives and the lives of our members. I was extremely sad to see her go, but I am very happy to see that she will still be using her gifts in a way that will create a lasting impact in one of the most important professions there is. It is my pleasure to write this recommendation. Sincerely, Susan Adler Yanun, M.A. Urban Planning and Latin American Studies New Communities Program Director Logan Square Neighborhood Association