It was a chance to put some perspective on the struggles and hardships faced daily by homeless Chicagoans. It was a moment for people to be themselves, to enjoy what they love doing.

Enthusiasm, anxiousness and curiosity filled the conference room at The Community Renewal Society, as eight leaders active on the CCH Speakers Bureau waited for Mike Truppa.

Charles Jenkins of our staff will be speaking Tuesday at a congressional forum called Putting America Back to Work: Direct Job Creation in Local Communities.

The Speakers Bureau community team from DePaul University is pleased that State Rep. John Fritchey accepted its invitation to meet to discuss the state budget crisis.

In today's meeting at his North Side district office, Rep. Fritchey met with a diverse group from CCH -- a formerly homeless college student, two DePaul students, a service provider, and a retiree from the Jane Addams Senior Caucus.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Pat Quinn announced that his goal for the new state-run jobs program, Put Illinois to Work, was to hire more than 15,000 people.